Master prompt
Investor-route eligibility audit — SUV vs Self-Employed vs PNP Entrepreneur (Canada)
Comparative eligibility audit across the three active Canadian business-immigration pathways: Start-up Visa, federal Self-Employed Persons, and Provincial Nominee Entrepreneur streams. Flags pathway-by-pathway fit, minimum funds, language, and timeline.
CanadaInvestor visaStart-up VisaSUVSelf-EmployedPNP EntrepreneurEligibilityIRPR R98IRPR R88
You are a senior Canadian business-immigration consultant. Run a comparative eligibility audit for [CLIENT_NAME] across the three active business-immigration pathways and recommend the strongest fit.
CLIENT SUMMARY
- Name: [CLIENT_NAME]
- Age: [AGE]
- Resident in: India
- Business background: [BUSINESS_BACKGROUND]
- Liquid investable funds (CAD): [AVAILABLE_LIQUID_FUNDS_CAD]
- Total net worth (CAD): [TOTAL_NET_WORTH_CAD]
- Canadian business idea: [CANADA_BUSINESS_IDEA]
- Co-founders / essential persons: No
- Language proof: [LANGUAGE_PROOF]
- Province preference: No preference
- Timeline goal: 24 months
PATHWAY CONTEXT (state before assessing — clients commonly arrive convinced an "Investor Visa" still exists)
- Federal Immigrant Investor Program: TERMINATED in 2014. Not available.
- Quebec Immigrant Investor Programme (QIIP): CLOSED PERMANENTLY in 2024. Not available.
- The only active pathways are: Start-up Visa, Self-Employed Persons (Federal), and Provincial Nominee Entrepreneur streams.
State this explicitly so the client understands the framing.
§1 — START-UP VISA (SUV) FIT ASSESSMENT
Regulatory basis: IRPR R98(1)-R98.13.
Eligibility criteria to test against [CLIENT_NAME]'s file:
(a) A Letter of Support from an IRCC-designated organisation (designated VC, designated angel-investor group, or designated business incubator)
(b) Minimum capital commitment:
- CAD 200,000 from a designated Venture Capital fund
- CAD 75,000 from a designated angel-investor group
- CAD 0 from a designated incubator (admission letter is the gate)
(c) Qualifying business: each essential person must hold >= 10% of common voting shares; essential persons + designated organisation combined must hold > 50%; essential persons combined must hold >= 50% of common voting shares
(d) Up to 5 essential persons per single business (peer-shareholding entrepreneurs)
(e) Language: CLB / NCLC 5 in all four skills (Listening, Reading, Writing, Speaking)
(f) Settlement funds: per IRCC published low-income cut-off (LICO) by family size; principal applicant + 3 dependants typically ~CAD 26,000-30,000 // 2026-05 — verify current IRCC schedule
(g) Inadmissibility: clean criminal + medical record (s.34-37 IRPA)
Assess fit:
- Does [CANADA_BUSINESS_IDEA] credibly target a Canadian designated organisation? (e.g. fintech -> Highline BETA; deeptech -> Creative Destruction Lab; cleantech -> Foresight Cleantech Accelerator; software -> Communitech / MaRS / Innovation Factory)
- Are No structured for the 50%-combined and >10%-each rule?
- Does [LANGUAGE_PROOF] meet CLB 5? (IELTS General Listening 5.0 / Reading 4.0 / Writing 5.0 / Speaking 5.0 — borderline minimums — most successful files come in at CLB 7+)
- Are [AVAILABLE_LIQUID_FUNDS_CAD] sufficient for VC/angel co-invest minimums + settlement?
Verdict: STRONG FIT / VIABLE / NOT VIABLE — and the one bottleneck.
§2 — SELF-EMPLOYED PERSONS (FEDERAL) FIT ASSESSMENT
Regulatory basis: IRPA s.12(2) + IRPR R88 + R100-R109.
Eligibility criteria:
(a) At least TWO years of relevant world-class experience in the 5 years preceding application, in either:
- Cultural activities (artist, musician, writer, choreographer, film/TV, journalist, etc.)
- Athletics (self-employed at world-class level), OR
- Farm management (own and operate a farm)
(b) Intent AND ability to be self-employed in Canada and make a significant contribution
(c) Points selection: pass mark 35/100 across experience, education, age, language, adaptability (R108)
(d) Settlement funds: no fixed minimum, but in practice CAD 300,000+ is the working consultant threshold for principal applicants // 2026-05 — verify against current operational guidance
(e) Medical + criminal admissibility
Assess fit:
- Does [BUSINESS_BACKGROUND] map to cultural / athletic / farm management? (Tech founders, doctors, lawyers, traders DO NOT QUALIFY for this stream.)
- Two-year world-class experience: independently established as a self-employed performer / coach / farm operator
- Note: processing times are very long — historically 50+ months. As of 2026-05, IRCC is reviewing this stream's backlog; verify current published service standards.
Verdict: STRONG FIT / VIABLE / NOT VIABLE.
§3 — PROVINCIAL NOMINEE ENTREPRENEUR STREAMS
Province-by-province quick read (all figures verify against current provincial pages — they change quarterly):
Ontario — OINP Entrepreneur Stream
- Net worth: CAD 800,000 (GTA) or CAD 400,000 (outside GTA)
- Investment: CAD 600,000 (GTA) or CAD 200,000 (outside GTA); ICT sector CAD 400,000 anywhere
- Active management + 5 jobs (GTA / ICT) or 2 jobs (outside GTA)
- Two-step: temp WP first, then PR nomination after meeting Performance Agreement
// 2026-05 — verify current OINP figures
BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration — Base
- Net worth: CAD 600,000
- Investment: CAD 200,000 (Metro Vancouver) or CAD 100,000 (other regions)
- 3 jobs (or 1 with key role + ownership scale)
- Performance Agreement enforced; up to 20 months WP, PR nomination on substantial completion
// 2026-05 — verify
BC PNP Entrepreneur Immigration — Regional Pilot
- Net worth: CAD 300,000
- Investment: CAD 100,000
- 1 new job for a Canadian / PR
- Community recommendation + exploratory visit required
Manitoba Business Investor Stream — Entrepreneur Pathway
- Net worth: CAD 500,000
- Investment: CAD 250,000 (Winnipeg Capital Region) or CAD 150,000 (rural)
- 1 job for Canadian / PR
- EOI points-based; high English requirement (CLB 5+)
Saskatchewan Entrepreneur (SINP)
- Net worth: CAD 500,000
- Investment: CAD 300,000 (Regina / Saskatoon) or CAD 200,000 (other communities)
- 2 jobs (in Regina/Saskatoon) or active management role in rural community
- EOI score-based selection
New Brunswick / Nova Scotia / PEI / Yukon / NWT
- Generally lower net-worth thresholds (CAD 300,000-600,000) and smaller investment (CAD 100,000-200,000)
- Often require an exploratory visit + community endorsement
- PEI in particular is well-suited to mid-net-worth services entrepreneurs
Assess fit using No preference, [TOTAL_NET_WORTH_CAD], [AVAILABLE_LIQUID_FUNDS_CAD], and [CANADA_BUSINESS_IDEA] sector. Recommend the 1-2 strongest provincial streams.
Verdict: STRONG FIT / VIABLE / NOT VIABLE — with named province.
§4 — DECISION MATRIX
Render a side-by-side table (Markdown ok):
| Pathway | Funds needed (CAD) | Language | Timeline to PR | Best for |
| -------------------- | ------------------- | --------------- | --------------- | ----------------------- |
| Start-up Visa | 0 (incub) / 75K (angel) / 200K (VC) | CLB 5 | 30-42 months | Tech/innovation founders + co-founders |
| Self-Employed Fed. | ~300K settlement | not strict | 40-60 months | Cultural / athletic / farm |
| PNP Entrepreneur | 100K-600K invest, 300K-800K net worth | CLB 4-5 | 24-36 months WP + 12 months to PR | Mid-net-worth operators in services / retail / mfg |
§5 — PRIMARY RECOMMENDATION + RUNNER-UP
Recommend one pathway as PRIMARY. Justify against [CANADA_BUSINESS_IDEA], [AVAILABLE_LIQUID_FUNDS_CAD], [LANGUAGE_PROOF], and 24 months. Suggest a RUNNER-UP if the primary fails (e.g. SUV primary; if Letter of Support not secured within 9 months, pivot to OINP Entrepreneur).
§6 — IMMEDIATE NEXT STEPS
(a) Language test scheduling, if [LANGUAGE_PROOF] is "Not yet taken" or below pathway minimum
(b) Documentary preparation: passports, net-worth statements, business financials, education credentials (with ECA if needed)
(c) Source-of-funds documentation engagement — see ca-investor-source-of-funds-fema-lrs
(d) Designated organisation outreach (if SUV) — pitch deck + Letter of Support strategy (see ca-investor-suv-letter-support)
(e) Provincial EOI registration (if PNP), where applicable
§7 — RED FLAGS TO RAISE WITH CLIENT NOW
- Misrepresentation risk: IRPA s.40 — any inflation of business metrics, fabricated experience, or undisclosed prior visa refusals = 5-year inadmissibility + 5-year bar
- Source-of-funds opacity (cash deposits, unexplained inheritance, gifts without documentation) is the #1 cause of business-immigration refusals
- Speculative "Letter of Support shopping" without genuine engagement is a known refusal flag — IRCC reviewed Letters of Support adversarially in the 2018-2022 cohort
- PNP Performance Agreement default = loss of nomination + potential PR revocation
- The CRS option (Express Entry) is NOT this audit's scope — but flag if [CLIENT_NAME] would also be eligible for the federal skilled-worker stream, because that may be a faster route
End with: "DRAFT eligibility audit — for RCIC / authorised representative review. Verify all minimum-fund figures, language thresholds, and provincial criteria against current IRCC business-immigration guidance and the specific provincial nominee program page before advising the client. Not legal advice."Unlock the vault to see the full prompt