Work Permit Stream
Under the work permit stream, foreign nationals come to PEI and must operate their business for a minimum of one year prior to receiving a nomination for permanent residency from the Province. The applicant will be required to sign a Performance Agreement with the Office of Immigration. Once the terms and conditions have been satisfied, the Province will then issue the nomination and the applicant can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residency.
Applying for permanent residency through the Work Permit Stream is a multiple stage process. For a successful applicant, the steps in the process will be as follows:
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the applicant's profile is entered in the Expression of Interest System;
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the applicant receives an invitation to apply from the Province;
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the applicant submits their application to the Province;
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the applicant is invited to attend an interview with the Province;
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the applicant attends an interview with the Province and signs the Performance Agreement;
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the Province issues a Work Permit Letter of Support;
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the applicant applies to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for a work permit;
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the work permit is issued and the applicant relocates to PEI;
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the applicant resides in and operates their business in PEI for a minimum of 12 months and satisfies all conditions of their Performance Agreement;
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the Province issues a nomination certificate to the applicant; and
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the applicant applies to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residency.
To be eligible for nomination through the Work Permit Stream of the Business Impact Category you must:
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have a minimum verifiable personal net worth of $600,000 which has been accumulated through legal and legitimate sources in your own right;
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have a minimum education of secondary school equivalent;
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be within 21-59 years of age at the time of application;
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have transferable management skills and past employment or business ownership experience;
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meet minimum language requirements equivalent to a CLB/NCLC 4; and
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intend to live and work in PEI while providing day-to-day active and ongoing management of your PEI-based company.
Successful applicants will be required to sign a Performance Agreement. In order to receive a nomination for permanent residency from the Province, the applicant must meet the terms and conditions of the Performance Agreement. The main requirements of the Performance Agreement include but are not limited to:
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the principal applicant and their accompanying family (including spouse and school-aged children) must maintain a residence in PEI while operating the business and be physically present in PEI for a minimum of 274 days of the year;
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invest a minimum of $150,000 in the business within 12 months of landing in PEI;
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operate the business for a minimum of 12 consecutive months;
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provide active and ongoing management of the business from PEI; and
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provide financial statements confirming a minimum of $75,000 in eligible operating expenses for the business.