Business Immigration Options After End of the Owner / Operator LMIA

Recently, Canada closed the popular Owner/ Operator Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) program. That had provided an exemption for majority share business owners of Canadian businesses to seek permission to work for their own Canadian companies without first advertising the job to Canadians.

With the changes, business owners who seek a work permit to work for their own businesses must qualify for an exemption from the usual LMIA requirement or must use the usual process for obtaining a LMIA. The usual process involves at least 28 days of advertising the position nationally in Canada to give qualified Canadians an opportunity to apply for the position. LMIAs will only be allowed if the business can show a shortage of qualified Canadians and a genuine need to fill the position with the owner of the business.

Some of the LMIA exemptions still available to business owners and investors to qualify them for a work permit include the following programs:

• Canada, United States of America and Mexico Free Trade Agreement
• Canada- Europe Free Trade Agreement (CETA)
• Canada-Chile Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement
• Canada-South Korea Free Trade Agreement
• Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
• Intra-Company Transfer
• Significant Economic, Social or Cultural Benefit (Entrepreneur Work Permit)
• Foreign Camp Owners or Directors and Outfitters (Entrepreneur Work Permit)
• Self-Employed Fishing Guide
• Entertainer or Performing Artist (work without a work permit)

There are also permanent residence programs available for business owners which allow them and their families to settle permanently in Canada:

• Federal Self-Employed Immigration
• Federal Start-Up Visa Program
• Alberta Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa Stream
• Alberta International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream
• Alberta Self-Employed Farmer Stream
• British Columbia Entrepreneur Program
• British Columbia Regional Entrepreneur Program
• Manitoba Entrepreneur Pathway
• Manitoba Farm Investor Pathway
• Manitoba International Student Entrepreneur Pilot
• New Brunswick Business Immigration stream
• Nova Scotia Business (Entrepreneur) Program
• Nova Scotia International Graduate Entrepreneur
• Ontario Entrepreneur stream
• Prince Edward Island Business Immigration
• Quebec Entrepreneur
• Quebec Investor
• Quebec Self Employed Program
• Saskatchewan Entrepreneur
• Saskatchewan Farm Owner Operator
• Saskatchewan Young Farmers category

Do you have questions about business immigration to Canada? Do you want to know if you are eligible or how best to apply? Please contact Pathway to Canada Immigration by email at [email protected] for more information or for a consultation.