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It is not easy to get to Canada. I run a small US based start-up operating primarily out of India and have been trying to get to Canada. We are profitable, have over 35 employees in India and I have successfully run businesses overseas.

Coming to Canada was an option against US and I chose it over US for various factors including better quality / lower cost of living. I spent $2000 for a lawyer to prepare my visa docs, acquired office space, incorporated the company, submitted tax returns (personal) for the last 6 years, submitted tax returns official for the last 4 years and submitted full proof of my existing and past businesses. I had set up a business in Asia Pac region, hired over 50 people, raised funds before starting my current business.

Unfortunately, all of this did not convince the Canadian embassy in New Delhi which rejected my application without even requesting for further documentation or interview. They wasted my time (45 days of passport at the embassy is no joke), money (close to $5000) and completely screwed up my business plans for establishing a sales office in Toronto.

My take: if you're a laborer in India / China – you can fake your way and get to Canada. I've seen people with average degrees with less than 2 years of experience get a work permit.

If you're an entrepreneur and has over 12 years of experience in running successful businesses, raised over a million dollars to run your current business, don't even try – they don't give a F***

A quick glance at http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/information/times/in... shows that 50% of applications are processed in 63 months. Yes, that's months, not days.

This year-plus delay alone makes the Federal Entrepreneur class unworkable for most entrepreneurs. Other classes are faster: my own family's application for permanent residency (under a different class) was processed in a speedy 20 months.

Fortunately, the Provincial Nominee process is typically much faster, though the paperwork required of applicants is still quite voluminous and time consuming. However, successful provincial nominees are still required to then complete the process for becoming a Permanent Resident, and permanent residency acceptance is not guaranteed and still subject to multi-month processing. According to http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/provincialnominee/strat... the time to process permanent residency applications after approval as a BC provincial nominee is 8-10 months.

If the Canadian government is serious about encouraging entrepreneurial immigration, improving processing times would be an important place to start.

Which makes me wonder: couldn't we simply hack the existing Entrepreneur Program? Use some contract between the investor and the individual to allow them to effectively meet these requirements without having to get the government to make any changes?

http://www.felipecoimbra.com/2009/10/21/immigrate...

You're the perfect example of someone we could only *hope* would want to move to Canada. I understand why you didn't offer up that you intended to start a company to the immigration officer. Starting a company is risky, and they want to make sure you wouldn't be a strain on the social system, ie health care, welfare, unemployment, etc. But really, if you come here, start a company, and employ other locals, I would think that is the best anyone could ever hope for.

What if the local investors or VCs could sponsor these entrepreneurs under a Startup Visa? I understand the a) most web companies don't need any investment so why make that a requirement, or b) the fear that the VC would be able to hold the threat of exporting the founders if they didn't perform to their standards. I get that, but think we can find a way around both of those concerns. The reality is the VCs (at least Bootup Labs) don't want to hold that over their head at all. But we do need founders to be able to move to Canada with 2 months notice to be part of our acceleration program, which is designed and funded specifically to start a company which will employ other local residents. How do we make the founders, investors, and immigration people all happy? We're close, there has to be a way.

a) the founder brings enough money with them (BTW, this program already exists, but I believe the founder has to bring at least $1M with them) or;
b) The founder accepts a term sheet from a VC, but with enough funding to give the entrepreneur enough time to apply for a more permanent status in the country on their own. (say, at least one year's worth) If they decide not to apply for a longer term Visa, and they run out of money and the company dies, then they made the choice to leave.

While there is no reason not to try to get every smart entrepreneur to come to Canada, some will be easier to convince than others. Efforts to retain talent as well as to re-attract some of the 2.8 million Canadians living outside of Canada will need to eventually be a part of the approach, especially in the coming war for talent accompanying the exit of the boomers. One only need to look at the various regions in China and their "sea turtle" programs to get an idea of what we might be up against.