Requirements for Investors: The Federal Investors Program
To be eligible for immigration under this category, an applicant must make a prescribed investment of $400,000 CDN, payable to the Receiver General of Canada. This investment is subsequently allocated to participating provinces and territories in Canada, which use the funds for job creation and economic development. The full amount of the investment (without interest) is repaid to the investor after approximately five years. The return of the investment is fully guaranteed.
To apply under this category, the potential investor must have a legally obtained net worth of at least $800,000 CDN and for at least two years in the period beginning five years before the date of application have either managed and controlled a percentage of the equity of a "qualifying business"*, or managed at least five employees or full-time job equivalents per year in a business.*To establish whether a business is a "qualifying business" during a year for the purposes of selecting investors and entrepreneurs, the business must not have been operated primarily for the purpose of deriving investment income (such as interest, dividends or capital gains), and the applicant must provide documentary evidence that the business meets at least two of the following criteria:
- the percentage of equity, multiplied by the number of full-time job equivalents, is equal to or greater than two full-time job equivalents per year;
- the percentage of equity, multiplied by the total annual sales, is equal to or greater than $500,000 CDN;
- the percentage of equity, multiplied by the net income for the year, is equal to or greater than $50,000 CDN; or
- The percentage of equity, multiplied by the net assets at the end of the year, is equal to or greater than $125,000 CDN (all figures in Canadian dollars)
