A qualifying business, at the time of receiving a commitment from a designated organization, involves each applicant holding 10% or more of the voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding, and the applicants and the designated organization jointly holding more than 50% of the total voting rights attached to all shares of the corporation outstanding.

At the time of receiving permanent residence, you must provide active and ongoing management of the business from within Canada, ensure an essential part of the operations happens in Canada, and have the business incorporated in Canada.

Applicants must obtain a letter of support from a designated organization, and support from multiple organizations, known as syndication, is also possible. This letter serves as proof that the designated organization supports the business idea and must be included in the application.

Qualifying applicants do not have to invest their own money but must secure a minimum investment for their Canadian start-up. If supported by a designated Canadian venture capital fund, the investment must be at least $200,000; for an angel investor group, it should be at least $75,000. If a business incubator is supporting the idea, no investment is required, but the applicant must be accepted into a Canadian business incubator program. In the event of an unsuccessful start-up, individuals granted permanent residence through this program will retain their permanent resident status.