Compare Canada Business Pathways by Investment Threshold
Compare published requirements across Viamora's 7 Canada business establishment pathways. Figures are drawn from officially published sources; pathways with no fixed minimum are shown accurately as such.
Meeting an investment threshold alone does not establish eligibility. Pathways with no fixed investment minimum are always shown, since they cannot be filtered by amount.
British Columbia
BC PNP Entrepreneur — Base
- Min. net worth
- CAD 600,000
- Min. investment
- CAD 200,000
- Ownership
- Active ownership and day-to-day management
- Experience
- At least 3 years of owner-manager (or equivalent senior-management) experience in the last 10 years
- Language
- Minimum CLB/NCLC 4
- Job creation
- At least 1 new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Up to 80 of 200 registration points are a business-concept score assessed by BC PNP staff — never self-awarded.
British Columbia
BC PNP Entrepreneur — Regional
- Min. net worth
- CAD 300,000
- Min. investment
- CAD 100,000
- Ownership
- Active ownership and day-to-day management of a new business (purchasing an existing business is not accepted)
- Experience
- At least 3 years of owner-manager (or equivalent senior-management) experience in the last 5 years
- Language
- Minimum CLB/NCLC 4
- Job creation
- At least 1 new full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
Up to 60 of 200 registration points are a business-concept score assessed by BC PNP staff — never self-awarded.
New Brunswick
New Brunswick Business Immigration Stream
- Min. net worth
- CAD 500,000 (CAD 300,000 for farming applicants)
- Min. investment
- CAD 150,000
- Ownership
- At least 51% ownership (less for senior managers meeting the management test)
- Experience
- At least 2 qualifying years of business ownership or senior-management experience
- Language
- Minimum CLB/NCLC 4
- Job creation
- At least 1 new full-time job
Business-plan market-research and regulatory-research quality (up to 8 of 120 points) are assessed by ImmigrationNB — never self-awarded. Minimum official EOI score: 65/100.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Nominee Program, Entrepreneur Stream
- Min. net worth
- CAD 600,000 (HRM) or CAD 400,000 (outside HRM)
- Min. investment
- CAD 150,000 (HRM) or CAD 100,000 (outside HRM)
- Ownership
- At least 33.33% ownership for the owner-manager path
- Experience
- At least 3 years as owner-manager (with qualifying ownership), or 5+ years as senior manager
- Language
- Minimum CLB/NCLC 5
- Job creation
- At least 1 new full-time job
Nova Scotia ranks Expressions of Interest and may prioritize certain sectors — there is no fixed passing score.
Federal
IMP C11 — Business Owner, Temporary Purpose
- Min. net worth
- No fixed minimum — net worth is not a published factor for this category
- Min. investment
- No fixed minimum — IRCC does not publish an investment threshold for C11
- Ownership
- Must own or decisively control the Canadian business
- Experience
- No fixed minimum; relevant business/industry experience strengthens the case
- Language
- No fixed minimum published
- Job creation
- Not a fixed requirement; a significant Canadian benefit must be identified
Significant-benefit evidence and business-stage readiness are reviewed narratively — IRCC does not use a points score for C11.
Federal
Intra-Company Transfer (ICT)
- Min. net worth
- No fixed minimum — not applicable to employer-sponsored transfers
- Min. investment
- No fixed minimum — not applicable to employer-sponsored transfers
- Ownership
- Not applicable — requires a qualifying parent/subsidiary/branch/affiliate relationship, not personal ownership
- Experience
- At least 1 year of continuous full-time employment with the foreign enterprise in the previous 3 years
- Language
- No fixed minimum published
- Job creation
- Not applicable
Executive/manager duties and specialized-knowledge claims are reviewed narratively against the C61/C62/C63 tests.
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Graduate Entrepreneur
- Min. net worth
- No fixed minimum published
- Min. investment
- No fixed minimum published
- Ownership
- At least 33.33% ownership
- Experience
- At least 1 full year owning and operating the Nova Scotia business
- Language
- Minimum CLB/NCLC 7
- Job creation
- Not a fixed requirement
Nova Scotia ranks Expressions of Interest and may prioritize certain sectors — there is no fixed passing score.
Professional Services & Representation Disclaimer
Viamora provides independent business consulting and business development services and does not provide regulated immigration or legal representation. For Canada, immigration advice and representation are provided independently by Pentagon Immigration Services Inc.'s identified authorized practitioner (Regulated / Authorized Immigration Consultant), subject to their own approved professional authorization for Canada. Each organization remains independently responsible for the services it provides.
* In Canada, paid immigration advice or representation may only be provided by an authorized representative: a lawyer or paralegal who is a member in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society, a notary who is a member in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, or an immigration and citizenship consultant who is a member in good standing of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC).