We receive a lot of questions from our clients asking if business owners in Canada working based on an LMIA-exempt work permit can become eligible to apply for permanent residency in Canada. The answer is “yes”, provided you operate a genuine and legitimate business and meet all other general requirements for permanent residence (such as language requirements, no criminal history, etc.).
Read our most recent success story about how one of our clients transitioned from an Intra-Company Work Permit to permanent residency. His application for permanent residence took less than 6 months to be reviewed and approved by the IRCC.
Background of the Case
Our client is an accomplished entrepreneur from India. He owns and operates a multi-national company in India specializing in manufacturing and distributing textile products. His company had a presence in the Middle East and other countries in Asia before expanding to North America.
Mr. V.G. retained our firm in October 2021 to assist him in setting up a new branch of his company in Canada and obtaining the necessary commercial permits and immigration paperwork so he could operate his company in Canada. In February of 2022, Mr. V.G.’s application to come to Canada as a business owner was approved.
Application Process for Permanent Residence
By March of 2023, Mr. V.G. completed all the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada. His company was making good progress, employing 3 individuals and building an online presence to sell to Canadian and U.S. customers. Even though the company could not turn a profit in the first year of doing business in Canada, it had sufficient cash savings to cover its liabilities and continue its steady growth.
Mr. V.G.’s immigration application details are as follows:
- Express Entry profile completed: February 2023
- Express Entry score: 576 (with an additional 200 points she received for the job offer from his company in Canada)
- Invitation to Apply received: February 2023
- Application submitted: March 26, 2023
- Application approved: September 15, 2023
We advised our client to go through the Express Entry program because he could get his permanent residence application processed speedily without waiting 1-2 years for the outcome. Mr. V.G.’s application under the Express Entry program had several complexities, including:
- He was disadvantaged in the Express Entry pool, losing significant points due to his age. His original score (without the 200 points from a job offer) was 376.
- V.G.’s work permit had expired while he was waiting for his permanent residence application to be finalized; thus, we had to apply for a Bridging Work Permit for him.
- V.G.’s business was struggling in terms of revenue generation and profitability.
Our team successfully navigated these complexities and achieved a successful outcome for our client. We know how complicated and intimidating this final journey is for our clients, and we are happy that this was a relatively short waiting time in this case.
Congratulations! We wish him a tremendous success in Canada!
How Sobirovs Law Firm Can Help
If you are a foreign entrepreneur with a global reach interested in starting your business in Canada, we can help! Our immigration practice has successfully assisted thousands of clients to establish their businesses in Canada over the last 10+ years. Schedule a 1-hour strategy meeting to explore how we can help you achieve success in Canada.
