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You go through all this trouble of preparing your business plan, deciding on the province and city you want to set up your business, or take over a business, getting your money and documents ready, and filling in the forms, but you are refused due to these simple but very common mistakes. What are the most common mistakes when investors are looking to obtain their permanent residency (PR) by applying through the Provincial Nominee Entrepreneurial work permit Program? That’s what we will cover in this article.
If you want some guidance to apply for the PNP Entrepreneurial work permit program, you’re at the right place. At INGWE we are experts in the Canada Business Visa! Get a FREE assessment with us, click here.
Applying for a real estate construction business under the PNP (it's allowed under the Federal investor programs, but it is not really liked by the Provincial offices). The reason is that the first impression they have of you is that you want to build and flip homes. There is no added value for the province because house prices are going through the roof and there is already a shortage of construction workers and trades across Canada. Our clients ask us how to get around this because they really want to get into this business, they have the money to do it, and overseas experience in Real Estate. We would suggest specific provinces where this would not be refused like BC and Ontario, and potentially some variations on the business model: for example, an interior or architectural design studio or creating more urbanization through new design concepts and so on. The options are endless, you just need to know which words to use when describing your business. And remember, Federal programs don’t have these specific restrictions or biases, and no matter what business you plan through the provincial program you can always do other businesses on the side.
They’ve never visited the province, don’t have any direct family ties, or have made any financial transactions in the province before applying or submitting their Expression of Interest on the online portal. This is a big ‘no-no’ because the provinces don’t know if you are serious and whether you will stay in the province and settle with your family after obtaining your PR status. For example, in the province of Nova Scotia, there are many “ghost” applications submitted for investors who just apply for the sake of applying without actually pursuing the case further because there is no application fee (unlike other provinces) and overseas consultants take a fee to submit these online expressions of interest for investors. So how do you think the provinces should react if there are literally no ties in any way to the province by the investor applicant? Ties can include your children studying in the province as international students, having a brother or sister or parents, having done business with partners in the province, or visiting and doing an exploratory trip even if you don’t know anyone there.
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Claiming profile information for yourself as a business owner, entrepreneur, or senior manager during your online expression of interest process (to claim your points on the provincial program) but not being able to submit the documents to prove these claims after you've been invited to submit your full application package and move to an interview process. Remember, each province has a different point-based system and none of them are the same, although Manitoba did copy many factors from BC because the program manager who originally designed it moved provinces. Atlantic provinces also share similar points-based systems but are very different as each province is unique. This mistake can be avoided by making sure you first have ALL your documents and then submit your expression of interest on the provincial portal. You don’t want to be taking a risk because you will lose 4-6 months and the province may not select you again. Another option can be New Brunswick, which is not looking for the highest points but rather the right candidates and priority industries.
Another common mistake by investors and entrepreneurs: When you’re selecting your business concept to apply on the provincial portal, you are not aligning it with the “priority business sectors” which are published for each province. The only reason you would make this mistake is because you are not aware that these priorities exist for the province. It’s a simple mistake. However, it doesn’t mean that if you are not in the priorities, you won’t be selected, of course, you can and we have clients who have, but it gives you higher chances IF you don’t have the strongest profile or need the bonus points. It’s all published online, so you should do your research before deciding and applying for one of the provincial entrepreneur business programs.
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Last but definitely not the least common mistake: not having your business plan completely ready before submitting an online expression of interest on the provincial portal. Many of the provincial portals require a business concept to be submitted before you are invited to apply. Don’t just put a business concept or idea in the portal to test it out or see if you’re selected without having your final business plan ready. After you have your final business plan ready is when you would extract the key information and submit it as a business concept through the online portal for the PNP Entrepreneur program.
And here is a bonus tip: you need to know your business plan and the sources of the research used before you go into an interview. BC has the highest refusal rate after you are invited for an interview. You better do your homework and make sure your legal representative gives you enough content and sources to study before the interview, to prepare yourself properly just like in an exam. Other provinces will also ask you a lot of questions during the interview based on the following two criteria: A) make sure you understand the business and why it’s a viable option for you to implement in the province B) why you want to settle and invest in their province.
Are you interested in applying for the Canada Investor Visa/Canada Business Visa? At INGWE we are EXPERTS, and we can support you throughout the process, we have licensed business immigration professionals ready to help. Get a FREE assessment with us, fill out our form, click here.
