How To Start a Business In Canada as a Foreigner
Are you a non-Canadian who would like to open a new business in Canada or you have an established business in your own country and would like to start a business in Canada? Whichever the case may be, this article is for you.
Starting a business in Canada when you already have a business
It is pretty straightforward for an established foreign company to expand to Canada.
For example, a non-Canadian, currently operating a corporation in South Africa, and wants to open a business in Saskatchewan, must first register the company as an extra-provincial corporation in the desired province.
For extraprovincial incorporation, you will need an “individual, over 18 years of age and resident in Saskatchewan, Agent for Service, or a corporation with its registered office in Saskatchewan.”
In the case of this example with Saskatchewan, Corporations Canada indicates that for this province as well as Ontario, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Labrador, any client who performs federal registration in their online application center and completes the process, has the opportunity to make an Extra-provincial registration form.
The remaining provinces and territories have their own requirements and fees for registering corporations.
To find out about them, the assigned incorporator is the one who must contact the provincial registrars of each province with which he wishes to do business.
Starting a business for the first time in Canada
If, on the other hand, a foreigner wants to start a company in Canada from scratch, there are several ways to open a business in Canadian territory.
Start a business in Canada by emigrating.
First, if you want to live in Canada, you could apply to come as a business immigrant. This is the only way you will be able to start a business in Canada and live here.
There are two types of business immigrants: Startup Visa and Self-Employed.
As announced on February 11, 2014, these new categories replace the original Immigrant Investor and Federal Entrepreneur programs.
Citizenship and Immigration indicate that the StartUp visa is aimed at economic immigrants who have the financial strength to start a business in Canada.
Businesses that create jobs for Canadians, and innovative, and can compete on a global scale.
To be eligible for this visa, you must:
Own a qualified business
Have a letter of support from the designated organization. This organization must be approved to support or invest in potential startups.
Satisfy the language requirements
Have enough funds
To be able to move to Canada as a Self-Employed immigrant, you must have relevant experience in athletic or cultural activities, seeking and capable of making a significant contribution to Canadian sporting or cultural life, or farm management experience, and you intend to be able to purchase and manage a farm in Canada.
In addition to the aforementioned, in order to be eligible for this visa, you must meet the medical and security conditions
Other important eligibility factors include your education, age, adaptability, and language abilities.
Starting a business in Canada without living in Canada
Foreigners who wish to establish a partnership with another person in Canada must ensure that the other person must be a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.
When you start a business in Canada, if that business is an association, you will need to register your association in the province or territory in which you will do business.
Contact the provincial registry of the province in which you want to do business and go through its required procedure.
If the company you are starting is a corporation, you will first need to decide whether to incorporate your business at the federal or provincial level.
Note that if you incorporate your new company at the federal level, you will still need to register your business in each province or territory in which you do business.
In short, if you are not Canadian and want to start a business in Canada, you will have to come to Canada or find one or more Canadians to form a team.
The only way you can live in Canada and operate your business is if you immigrate to Canada.
