News

When incorporating a company in Canada, it used to be a requirement to have at least 1 Canadian resident as a directors of the company. This made it difficult for some clients who did not know anyone in Canada to establish companies here.

British Columbia was one of the few jurisdictions which did not have any residency requirements for directors. Thus, when our clients needed to establish a company in Canada, we would often to incorporate a BC company even if they were doing business in Ontario or other provinces so that they would not need to find a Canadian director for their company.

In 2021, Ontario and Alberta both removed their residence requirements for companies. Now, Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta (which have about 87% of Canada’s population) no longer have residence requirements for directors, making it easier to set up Canadian subsidiaries wherever they are doing business. If you are interested in setting up or purchasing a business anywhere in Canada, book a consultation with us so we can advise you of your options.

On September 7, 2021, Canada lifted a major restriction for travel to Canada for fully vaccinated foreign nationals.  Fully vaccinated foreign nationals are now exempt from the general ban on optional and discretionary travel to Canada.  This means that fully vaccinated foreign nationals can now seek entry to Canada to visit family or explore the country as a tourist.  The requirement to quarantine on entry to Canada was removed for fully vaccinated persons on 5 July 2021.  All other visa requirements for travel to Canada and some COVID-19 testing requirements remain in effect however.

The BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration has 2 categories for Entrepreneur Immigrants:

• The Base category; and
• The Regional Pilot Program.

On July 19, 2021, the BC PNP announced it was temporarily pausing the intake of new registrations to the Entrepreneur Immigration Base category.

Canada has not had a Federal Entrepreneur Immigrant program since 2013; however, 8 Provinces and 2 Northern Territories have Entrepreneur Immigration Programs. Quebec has its own immigration selection system separate from the rest of Canada, and Alberta and Prince Edward Island do not have Entrepreneur Immigrant Programs for business immigrants.

A second part of the two-part series on the Canadian Business Immigration process, featuring our Jeffrey Lowe and Mark Holthe on the Canadian Immigration Podcast.

Our Canadian Immigration Lawyer Jeffrey Lowe joined Mark Holthe on the Canadian Immigration Podcast  to shed some light on some of the best business immigration options available for entrepreneurs and like-minded foreign nationals who are looking to invest in Canada and secure permanent resident status in the process.