Canada is #2 in the World for Entrepreneurship
Many people who immigrate to Canada dream of opening their own business and for good reason – Canadian early stage entrepreneurship is the second highest in the world, just behind the United States and tied with Australia! The Centre for Innovation Studies (THECIS) in Calgary conducted research in conjunction with the London-based Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) in the United Kingdom and reported that early stage entrepreneurial activity in Canada is at a higher level than most of the developed world, including the majority of the G-7 countries.
Canada is one of the best countries in the world for an entrepreneur to start a new business. According to the 2014 GEM Canada National Report, “The Canadian environment and culture for entrepreneurship is healthy. Entrepreneurship is seen as a good career for which opportunities exist within the capacities of a large segment of the population.” In fact, approximately 13% of Canada’s 35 million residents are taking part in early stage activities to start their own business, with people 45-64 years old representing the largest demographic segment for entrepreneurship, although many younger Canadian residents were also engaged in entrepreneurial activities. While some people start their own business because they have experienced difficulty finding suitable work, this study reveals that, “Canadian entrepreneurs report opportunity as their motivation much more often than necessity.”
Many new Canadian companies have been started by foreign nationals who were looking for better opportunities in life and decided to immigrate to Canada. The Canadian government wants more qualified foreign entrepreneurs to move to Canada and start their own businesses, since this creates new jobs in Canada and boosts the Canadian economy.
There is also a strong demand for skilled foreign workers to fill thousands of jobs in Canada that companies have not been able to fill with Canadian citizens or permanent residents due to an ongoing labor shortage. Thus, Canada’s government launched its new Express Entry Canadian immigration system on January 1, 2015, to more efficiently bring tens of thousands of skilled foreign workers to the country to fill jobs in Canada in a range of high-demand occupations.
Whether you and your family are entrepreneurs who want to start a new business in Canada or you are a highly-skilled foreign worker seeking better career options, Canadian immigration can open the door to a world of possibilities. In either case, if you are approved for a Permanent Resident Visa to Canada, you and your eligible family members will have the opportunity to live, work or study in this incredible country and, if you have what it takes, to even start your own business. To find out if you are likely to meet the eligibility requirements to immigrate to Canada, click here!
