On November 15, 2017, local time in Canada, the Manitoba immigration office's official website announced detailed changes to several immigration categories and renamed the former PNP-B provincial nomination category to the Business Investor Stream (BIS). The new BIS category includes two streams: the Entrepreneur Pathway and the Farm Investment Pathway.
Among these, the changes to the Manitoba Entrepreneur Pathway are significant. The CAD 100,000 investment deposit has been cancelled, and the previous "direct" path to obtaining a Permanent Resident Card has been changed to a model similar to the Saskatchewan Entrepreneur stream, where applicants first obtain a work permit and then transition to permanent residency after completing their business venture to receive a Permanent Resident Card.
In the 2018 new policy, the requirements for the Entrepreneur Pathway are:
1. Management Experience: At least three years of management experience within the past five years. Both senior executives and business owners are eligible, but business owners will receive higher scores (business owners here are defined as those holding at least one-third of the company's shares).
2. Language Proficiency: CLB 5 or higher.
3. Education Requirement: High school diploma or higher.
4. Age: No maximum age limit, but points are only awarded for ages between 25 and 49.
5. Investment Amount: If investing in the Manitoba Capital Region (MCR), the investment must be at least CAD 250,000; if investing outside the MCR, the investment must be at least CAD 150,000. Employment requirements include hiring at least one local resident (business owners and their relatives are not included). (Note: The MCR includes the following areas: City of Winnipeg, City of Selkirk, Town of Stonewall; and the rural municipalities of Cartier, East St. Paul, Headingley, Macdonald, Ritchot, Rockwood, Rosser, St. Andrews, St. Clements, St. Francois Xavier, Springfield, Taché, and West St. Paul.)
6. Business Exploratory Visit: The business visit must be conducted within one year prior to submitting the EOI.
7. After the application is approved, a business plan must be signed before obtaining the work permit support letter.
8. Net Worth Requirement: CAD 500,000 or more (audited by a third-party auditing firm recognized by Manitoba; the report must be submitted within 120 days of receiving the LAA).
9. Adaptability Points:
1) Spouse's language proficiency reaches CLB 5 or higher.
2) Applicant or spouse's second official language is at CLB/NCL 5 or higher.
3) Applicant or spouse has close relatives currently residing in Manitoba for more than one year.
4) Child has been studying full-time in Manitoba for more than six months prior to submitting the EOI.
5) Applicant or spouse has completed at least one year of full-time study in Manitoba on a valid visa after the age of 17, or has worked full-time in Manitoba for at least six months, with a letter of recommendation provided by the employer.
Comparison of Old and New Manitoba Entrepreneur Immigration Policies
Worldway Immigration Interpretation
Through the comparison of the old and new Manitoba Investment Immigration policies, it is evident that, first, the threshold for the new Canadian Manitoba Investment Immigration policy, including requirements for the investor's assets, education, and language, has been raised.
In this regard, immigration experts state that low language requirements have always been one of the advantages of Manitoba Investment Immigration, but with the overall improvement in applicants' English proficiency and the shift in the immigration demographic, the main force of Investment Immigration has gradually transitioned from the 60s and 70s generations to the 80s generation, for whom education and language are not serious issues.
Secondly, the Manitoba investment immigration model is aligning with policies in provinces like Saskatchewan, shifting to a work permit-to-permanent residency model, which means the previous lenient policy of "immigrate first, invest later" will become history. However, for young applicants, obtaining a work permit in advance means that their children can enter Canada earlier to enjoy Canada's advanced education, medical, and other related supporting services, which is not necessarily a bad thing.
Finally, the BIS category will officially launch in the first quarter of 2018. Currently, the immigration office's official EOI application system is temporarily closed, and the scoring details have not yet been released. Let us wait and see.
Canada's immigration policies have been constantly changing in recent years. With the successive appointments of a new Prime Minister and a new Minister of Immigration, changes in immigration policy have become inevitable. From Saskatchewan's innovative adoption of the work permit-to-permanent residency model to the current situation in Manitoba, the future work permit-to-permanent residency model may become an unavoidable new policy trend for Canadian Investment Immigration. It is recommended that investors who are interested in immigrating to Canada and meet the application criteria should seize the opportunity and submit their applications as soon as possible for peace of mind.
Worldway now offers high-quality Canadian Investment Immigration programs, including the Quebec Investment Immigration program with a low threshold and direct path to a Permanent Resident Card, the Saskatchewan Investment Immigration program for quick landing, as well as the Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, and New Brunswick investment immigration programs that provide a direct path to a Permanent Resident Card, helping investors realize their dreams of moving to the Great White North!