Do you have a net worth of at least CAD $300,000 and experience managing or owning a business? Then, this story of our client's business immigration journey to Canada is for you.
Ms. June (changed name), a highly educated mother of four, is an accomplished professional in the hospitality and tourism industry in her home country, Vietnam, and wants to begin her own venture in Canada. The IRCC recently approved her application under the Rural Entrepreneur Stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).
Background information
Ms. June is a highly experienced professional who has been operating her own hotel and villa resort for over a decade. She had concerns that her low level of English may not be sufficient to achieve PR through an Express Entry path and that she may be unable to find a business aligned with her vision and experience. She retained our firm after receiving a recommendation from her network to help her hone her business vision and guide her through the process.
Immigration Application
Our team conducted a detailed assessment with Ms. June and recommended that a direct-to-PR provincial nominee program (PNP) would be a good fit for her and her family. In this route, the threshold required for English is lower, and Ms. June could rely on her investment of around CAD $150,000 and entrepreneurial experience to bolster her application.
After deliberation with our team of business specialists, she selected Alberta as her chosen province, and the Rural Entrepreneur stream was a natural choice. Since she had identified a potential location of interest already, we assisted her in contacting key community representatives and identifying potential prospects. Ms. June was residing in Vietnam when she began the PNP process. She worked with the community's Economic Development Officer (EDO) to conduct her Exploratory Visit virtually. She learned more about her chosen community, the town's needs, economic trends, and available small business support.
Overcoming Challenges
Based on her Exploratory Visit and her work with our business specialists, Ms. June identified an axe-throwing business for sale by a husband-and-wife team. The business owners were glad to have another family-oriented entrepreneur take over.
However, while preparing the application, we faced an unexpected challenge: the town had another axe-throwing business, and due to the town's small size, entering the market with direct competition was a major risk.
Each challenge has its solution, and our team is dedicated to finding solutions for our clients. In this case, we worked with the client and the town's EDO to explore new avenues of revenue. Ms. June was able to commit to developing further innovative features that will help her business stand out as she begins to grow the venture. Our business team also used their detailed market research to demonstrate that the business strategically made sense for its purpose. The collected data supported the idea that it could be viable and successful even with direct competition.
We submitted Ms. June's application in August and received a Business Performance Agreement in September. Within a few weeks, Ms. June received her work permit nomination certificate, with which we applied for her work permit. It was approved in under four months, and Ms. June has since arrived in Alberta to run her business. By Spring 2025, Ms. June may be ready to leverage her business development into a Permanent Residence.
Welcome to Alberta!
Now that Ms. June has received her work permit and settled into Alberta, she can begin executing the business vision she so carefully laid out in 2023. In the future, she can leverage her business establishment and execution of her Business Performance Agreement to support her application for Permanent Residence. We know this milestone is only the beginning for a dedicated entrepreneur like her, and we wish her every success.
The Application in a Nutshell
Below, you will find the timeline of this case:
- April 28, 2023 – Ms. June's Expression of Interest (EOI) was submitted using the AAIP Portal to await an invitation to apply;
- Our team begins the preparation of the business plan with June and helps her manage other mandatory next steps with third parties to evaluate the business plan and June's net worth;
- May 9, 2023 – Ms. June receives an Invitation to Apply
- August 4, 2023 – Ms. June's comprehensive Application Package to the province of Alberta with supporting documents is submitted;
- September 1, 2023 – Ms. June signs her Business Performance Agreement;
- September 25, 2023 – Ms. June receives her nomination certificate to apply for her Work Permit to begin executing her business plan;
- Our team works with the client to collect pertinent documents and prepare submissions;
- December 19, 2023 – Work Permit application is submitted;
- April 29, 2024 – Work Permit is approved;
- May 24, 2024 – Ms. June arrives in Canada and settles into her new home in Alberta.
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