Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) Entrepreneur Stream

OINP – Entrepreneur Stream

1. Business experience

You must have at least 24 months of full-time business experience in the last 60 months.

2. Net Worth

If your proposed business will be located:

within the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto and Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) you must have a minimum net worth of 800,000 CDN.
outside of the Greater Toronto Area you must have a minimum net worth of $400,000 CDN.

3. Personal Investment Funds and Minimum Equity

If your proposed business will be located:

within the Greater Toronto Area (City of Toronto and Durham, Halton, York and Peel regions) you must have a minimum net worth of 800,000 CDN.
outside of the Greater Toronto Area you must have a minimum net worth of $400,000 CDN.

Job creation

If the business will 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 will 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. Jobs must be created within the first 20 months of establishing or acquiring the business, must be filled continuously for at least 10 months and must be paid at the median wage level for the position.

Additional Requirements if purchasing an Existing Business

If you plan to purchase an existing business:

you must make at least one business-related visit to Ontario within 12 months from the date of registering an Expression of Interest
the business being purchased must have been in continuous operation by the same owner(s) for the previous 60 months
ownership of the business must be completely transferred to the applicant or any business partner
you must use at least 10% of your personal investment towards improving or expanding the business in Ontario
you must keep all permanent full-time employees that worked in the business prior to the transfer of ownership

After you apply

If your stage 1 application is successful you will be asked to sign a performance agreement
If your stage 1 application is unsuccessful and you think we made an error in our decision that led to your application being refused, you may ask for an internal review

Sign a performance agreement

If your stage 1 application (including your interview) is successful, you will be asked to sign a performance agreement with the Government of Ontario.

The performance agreement will outline the commitments that must be met in order to be nominated for permanent residence. The document will include, but may not be limited to:

A description of your business
Investment amounts and timelines
Number and types of jobs to be created for Canadian citizens or permanent residents
Mandatory business milestones and achievements
Time frames for commitments

Get a Temporary Work Permit

After you sign the performance agreement, we will issue a letter of confirmation enabling you and your business partner (if applicable) to apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a temporary work permit. This letter constitutes Ontario’s support for you and your family to move to Ontario to start the business.

Establish Your Business

1

Arrive in Ontario

You must arrive in Ontario with your valid temporary work permit within 12 months from the date you received your letter of confirmation from the OINP.

You must tell us you have arrived in Ontario within seven days of getting here.

2

Build your Business

Once you get to Ontario, you have 20 months from the date you arrive to implement your business and meet all commitments under your performance agreement.

You must ensure that the required permanent full-time jobs are continuously filled for at least 10 months, up to the day you submit your final report.

OINP officers will monitor your business to make sure you stay on track to meeting your obligations under your performance agreement. You will also be required to provide quarterly reports and a final report to OINP.

3

Submit a Final Report

You must submit your final report to us between 18 and 20 months after you arrive in Ontario.

4

If You Are Nominated:

If your application for nomination is successful you will receive a Letter of Nomination and an OINP Certificate of Nomination.

Your next step is to apply within six months for permanent residence to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Get nominated for Permanent Residence

1. Language

You must be able to listen, read, write and speak English or French at a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) Level 4.

2. Residency

You must be physically living in Ontario for 75 per cent of the time during which you are establishing your business.

3. Active Management

You must be actively involved in the day-to-day management activities of your business.