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There is a lot of buzz about the Hybrid Startup Visa, and there is a lot of vagueness and no official definition online that you can refer to. We will clarify your doubts, explain what this term means, whom it can benefit, and how it is an advantage in terms of Canadian immigration.
At INGWE we are EXPERTS in the Canada and UK Startup Visa. We will guide and support you throughout the endorsement letter or Letter of Support process and the entire immigration process including work visas and permanent residencies. Get a FREE email assessment with us, fill out our form, click here.
Basically, Hybrid Startup Visa is just taking the Canadian Startup Visa program, applying for it, and later using another IRCC-approved immigration program to apply for your PR – and then withdrawing your PR application with the actual SUV program. You utilize the Startup Visa program for your PR and work permit application, bring yourself and perhaps your family into Canada, and then utilize either another Federal immigration or Provincial immigration program to apply for another PR while withdrawing your existing SUV one. There are a few programs that can allow you to do this inside Canada, which we will be listing today.
The most basic program to utilize when you’re already inside with your Startup Visa work permit is the Federal Express Entry program, specifically the Federal Skilled Worker. If you read through the Ministerial Instructions for Express Entry, you will understand that anyone with an LMIA-exempt work permit, such as Startup Visa, can run payroll for themselves inside Canada, without any specific wage requirements except for min. wage, and after 12 months of continuous full-time work and payroll, can claim bonus job offer points in the Express Entry system.
For some applicants who are Express Entry eligible, this is a good option. Claiming a bonus of 50 points is easy after 12 months inside Canada. Claiming 200 points is based on the structure of your company inside Canada, your middle managers, and so forth – definitely more tricky and costly for you. And if you do not have direct shares of the company inside Canada of more than 50%, you can even claim Canadian work experience points after 1 year and hop over to the Canadian Experience Class of Express Entry.
Obviously, this hybrid would work well for applicants with strong profiles, or a good staff structure inside Canada. Single founders would definitely benefit from this, however, if you’re part of a Startup Visa group, you should request permission from other members to convert to PR inside Canada while continuing to work full time on the Startup even after the Confirmation of PR using the Hybrid system, to prove to IRCC that you are still an essential member except that you already have your PR. It has been done before, and you just need to be careful of how you navigate the waters.
If you are trying to make up your mind about applying to Canada or UK through the Startup Visa Program, look no further. That’s our specialty here at INGWE Canada. We will guide and support you throughout the endorsement letter or Letter of Support process and the entire immigration process including work visas and permanent residencies. Get a FREE email assessment, click here.
Another version of the Canadian hybrid Startup Visa program is for citizens of Hong Kong and Ukraine who are holding an open work permit due to the IRCC’s temporary public policies for these nationals. This does not include SOWP or international students who have a PGWP from outside Alberta.
If you fall into the two groups we mentioned, you can go to Alberta, set up a company, give yourself a job offer, and apply for your nomination from the province for PR on the spot.
The nomination certificate takes 2 months to process, and then you immediately apply for your PR with IRCC. This means you don’t even need Canadian work experience, or any previous time spent inside the province before you apply for your nomination for PR in Alberta.
The program’s name is the Alberta Opportunity Stream. You only need a language exam score of CLB5 which we assume you already have, a high school diploma, and 2 years of previous overseas work experience in the same occupation that you are issuing yourself a job offer. That’s all that is required. The key with this program is to make sure you are not a direct shareholder of the company nor should your immediate family members. You can have your overseas company which you own or are part of, and have that company own the shares of the Canadian entity in Alberta with an overseas director. You can control and be the sole signatory on the bank account, but you will need a local signing officer and director who is not you or from your immediate family – and it’s fine even if they are overseas, to be part of the company to make this work.
If you’re interested in applying for the Canada Startup Visa, at INGWE we will guide and support you throughout the endorsement letter or Letter of Support process and the entire immigration process, including work visas and Canada PR. Get a FREE email assessment with one of our Business Immigration consultants. Fill out the form, click here.
Here is another Hybrid Startup Visa suggestion to any Startup Visa single founders who have been endorsed by Empower or Calgary Platform business incubator already for their SUV application. If you are a single founder, have a letter of support from any of these 2 incubators, and have graduated from a post-secondary program in the last 10 years, you can move to Alberta, run your business for 12 months, and be nominated for PR under the International Graduate Entrepreneur program. It’s simple, straightforward, and you only need to invest $50,000 throughout the 12 months in your business before being nominated for PR. This will create more certainty for you and avoid the discretionary powers of the IRCC officers who process the Federal Startup Visa program.
Do you want to become a PR in Canada? At INGWE we could support you! Get a FREE email assessment with one of our licensed immigration consultants. We speak over +8 languages and we have helped applicants from +49 countries in their immigration path to Canada. Fill out our form, click here.
This last hybrid Startup Visa solution is the New Brunswick Provincial Nominee Program.
If you set up your Startup business in this province, on your closed Startup Visa LMIA-exempt work permit, and not hold significant shares in the company you are working for, and have been on the payroll for 1 year, then you can be nominated either through the regular Provincial PR program or the Provincial Express Entry route for PR by issuing yourself a job offer after 12 months.
Here are some restrictions to this program: The wage should be competitive for that occupation, and unlike the Express Entry hybrid Startup solution, the wage that you are paying yourself will matter. The business should have been registered at least 2 years from the time you are nominated – so this is a huge disadvantage.
However, this is why we like this program in case you cannot utilize the Alberta program: To be nominated for PR, you don’t need the 200 points in Express Entry which requires a lot of hiring of staff and extra effort and investment to gain them – with this Provincial Nominee program you just run the business anywhere you like as long as it’s operational and in good standing with the provincial requirements and regulations. It’s a good program to consider – and we also utilize this program for many other programs such as C10, ICT, and Provincial Skilled Immigrant applicants. And one bonus is if you don’t have Express Entry eligibility, they have a regular stream that could allow you to be eligible in case Express Entry is too difficult.
This was just a small sample of potential Hybrid Startup Visa solutions for you if you have arrived in Canada with a work permit under this program. Of course, you can always transition over to other Entrepreneur programs in each province, but those would be slower than SUV unless you went through the Manitoba Entrepreneur program.
The options are endless in the number of programs you can combine and hop over to, in order to apply for your PR without waiting for the traditional Startup Visa program.
Do you want to become a Permanent Resident in Canada? Our licensed consultants could assess your profile against +75 immigration programs across Canada. Get a FREE email assessment by filling out our form, click here.
If you’re thinking about immigrating whether permanently or temporarily - you’re at the right place! Our team speaks over +9 languages, and we help applicants from over 49 different countries during their immigration process. And this list is growing everyday! Get a free email assessment, click here.
If you’re ready to apply and would like a 1-on-1 session with me or one of immigration team members at INGWE, you can also book a session directly using the consultation link in the description of this video.
