International Graduate Entrepreneur | Macropus Immigration & Visa Services

International Graduate Entrepreneur:

The International Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is for recent graduates of a Nova Scotia university or the Nova Scotia Community College. They must have already started or bought a Nova Scotia business and operated it for at least a year. If they intend to settle in Nova Scotia, the graduate may be nominated for permanent resident status. Application to the stream is by invitation only.

Eligibility:

To apply the applicant must:

Want to live permanently in Nova Scotia while owning and actively managing a Nova Scotia business;

• Have at least one year’s continuous experience actively managing and owning current Nova Scotia business (100% ownership minimum);
• Have completed a degree or diploma after at least 2 academic years of full-time, in-person study at a university in Nova Scotia or the Nova Scotia Community College;
• Have a valid post-graduation work permit;
• Have a score of at least 7 on the Canadian Language Benchmark in speaking, listening, reading and writing in English or French;
• Complete an online Expression of Interest;
• Receive an Invitation to Apply from the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration.

There are four (4) steps an applicant must follow in this program:

Step 1 Expression of Interest

Step 2: Invitation to Apply

Step 3: In-Person Interview and Nomination

Step 4: Apply for Permanent Residence

Business and Financial Criteria:

Applicants must also meet the following business and financial eligibility criteria:

• Own and operate a business in Nova Scotia for at least one continuous year prior to the date of EOI submission.
• Applicants must own 100% of the equity of the eligible business and provide active and on-going participation in the day-to-day management and direction of the business.
• The applicant must demonstrate that they are receiving compensation in the form of a salary from the business, which must, at minimum, meet the Low Income Cut-Off (LICO) as defined by Statistics Canada. The eligible business has to be in sound financial health. This means that it must be producing revenue and earning sufficient profits to allow the owner to become economically established in the province. An Audit Opinion and Special Purpose Report from an NSOI designated Audit Verifier will be required to assess the financial health of the business. More information on this requirement can be found in the Invitation to Apply section.

Eligibility Criteria for Applicant’s Business:

In addition to meeting the minimum eligibility criteria above, the applicant’s proposed business must also meet the following criteria:

• The business has to be have been started as a career objective. Businesses created solely for

Immigration purposes are ineligible.

• Businesses must meet the legal requirements of the community in which they operate.
• The business must be a for-profit entity with the primary purpose of earning profits through the sale of goods and/or services.
• The business must be considered a “permanent establishment” as defined under subsection 400(2) of the Canadian Income Tax Regulations, 1985.
• The business is liable to pay income tax on taxable income earned as a result of a “permanent establishment” in Nova Scotia, irrespective of income or other taxes which may also be payable in other jurisdictions as a result of income earned or other business activity.
• The business must be actively managed by the applicant from the place of business in Nova Scotia. The business must not be managed from another location in Nova Scotia or from another Canadian province or territory or another country.
• The business must have the potential to create significant economic benefit to Nova Scotia.