Information for entrepreneurs from outside Canada looking to start a new business or buy an existing business in Ontario.
The Entrepreneur Stream of the OINP is not accepting applications. If you have received an invitation to apply to the stream but have not yet submitted your application, or for any other questions about business immigration through the OINP, please email business.immigration@ontario.ca
The Entrepreneur Stream is an immigration stream under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP). It is established under the Ontario Immigration Act, 2015 and its regulations. For your application to be approved you must follow the process and meet the criteria established under the regulations. This is only a summary; if there are any discrepancies between this webpage and the legislation, the legislation governs.
This stream is for entrepreneurs from outside Canada interested in starting a new business or buying an existing business in Ontario.
It gives an entrepreneur (and up to one foreign national business partner) the opportunity to be nominated for permanent residence once their business has been established in Ontario.
If you are nominated, the next step will be to apply to the federal government through Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). They make the final decision on who becomes a permanent resident.
The Entrepreneur Stream application is a two-stage process. An overview of the process follows.
To qualify for nomination as a permanent resident under the Entrepreneur Stream, you must demonstrate that you will have a viable business that is likely to provide material economic benefit to the economy of Ontario as a whole or to the local Ontario economy where the business will be located. You and one foreign national business partner (if applicable) must both meet the eligibility requirements.
If you are invited to submit an application, you must provide supporting documentation to demonstrate you meet eligibility requirements. This includes demonstrating that you had the qualifications that you claimed when you registered your expression of interest.
You must also submit your application within 90 days of receiving an invitation.
You must have at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months.
Your experience must be as a business owner or as a senior manager (business management). As a business owner you must have had an active role in the business and owned at least one-third of the business. As a senior manager you must have had senior decision-making responsibilities in the business and managed the day-to-day operations of the business in whole or in part.
You (the applicant) must have a minimum personal net worth. All of your personal net worth must be lawfully obtained and verifiable, not just the minimum. If your proposed business is to be located:
Your personal net worth does not include your spouse’s personal net worth.
You must make minimum investments in your business from your personal net worth. If your proposed business is to be located:
You must control at least one-third of the equity in the business.
If your proposed business is in the information and communications technology/digital communications sector then regardless of location, you must make a minimum personal investment of $200,000 Canadian and control at least of one-third of the equity in the business.
Please note that passive investments, including mutual and/or pooled fund securities, while permissible for the purpose of satisfying the minimum personal net worth criterion, are ineligible for inclusion in an applicant’s minimum business investment amount.
You must be actively involved, on an ongoing basis, in the management of the business.
The primary purpose of investing capital in the business must be to make a profit. It must not be to derive interest, dividends or capital gains.
If the business is to be located inside the Greater Toronto Area you must create at least two permanent full-time jobs for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
If the business is to be located outside the Greater Toronto Area or in the information and communications technology or digital communications sector, regardless of location you must create at least one permanent full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident.
These jobs must:
If you plan to purchase an existing business:
In addition to meeting the minimum requirements listed above, you must also meet the general business requirements listed below.
The purpose of the business must be to make a profit from active income through the sale of goods and/or services.
The business must comply with all applicable federal, provincial or municipal legal, regulatory and licensing requirements. This includes compliance with Ontario’s labour and employment standards laws.
Your business must operate on a permanent basis in Ontario. Project-based and seasonal businesses are ineligible.
You must maintain a place of business in Ontario at all times.
Any third-party investors must be a Schedule I or Schedule II bank or an institutional investor.
Before you start the process of applying you need to ensure that your proposed business is not one of the ineligible types listed below:
If your proposed business will be located in the Greater Toronto Area, the following types are also ineligible:
You must be able to listen, read, write and speak English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4.
For English tests, the OINP accepts either:
For French tests, the OINP accepts either:
Learn more about the English and French language tests .
You must be physically living in Ontario for 75% of the time during which you are establishing your business.
You must receive a temporary work permit and arrive in Ontario within 12 months of receiving approval at Stage 1 and inform the program of your arrival within seven days.
You must be actively involved in the day-to-day management activities of your business.
You must meet all the commitments agreed to in your performance agreement, which are based on information provided in your EOI and business plan.
You may choose to appoint a lawyer or an immigration consultant to provide advice or help with your EOI and application and to act on your behalf with the OINP.
Learn more about representatives and how to appoint one.
If you are experiencing technical issues with applying online, email us at business.immigration@ontario.ca and include as much detail as possible about the issue.
OINP staff will review your email and respond to you as soon as possible.