Treaty Investor Work Permits in Canada: Which Citizens Qualify and How Much You Need to Invest

If you are a citizen of an EU country, the United Kingdom, Chile, Peru, Colombia, South Korea or Ukraine, or of most countries in the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), you may be able to run your own Canadian business on an investor work permit, without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). The legal basis is paragraph 204(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR), which exempts work done under an international trade agreement.

There is no minimum investment. That surprises most people, and it is not the good news it sounds like: the officer judges your amount against your business, and only money you have already put in counts.

Americans and Mexicans have their own route, covered in my article on CUSMA trader and investor permits. This one covers the other eight agreements.

Who can apply, agreement by agreement

Each agreement has its own exemption code, but the test is almost the same under all of them. You must be a national of the treaty country, you must have invested, or be actively investing, a substantial amount in a real Canadian business, and you must be coming only to develop and direct it, as an executive, a supervisor or a person with essential skills. The Canadian company first submits an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal. You can be both its owner and its employee.

Two cautions. CPTPP membership is not the same as the CPTPP investor list: New Zealand and Malaysia are members, but their citizens cannot apply as investors. And if you qualify under two agreements, compare them. A Chilean citizen can use the Chile agreement or CPTPP, and only CPTPP gives the spouse a work permit. UK citizens have the same choice, which I compare in my guide for UK citizens working in Canada.

How much is "substantial"? There is no number

IRCC's instructions tell officers there is no minimum dollar amount. They use a proportionality test instead. In a business that costs little to start, you must fund a very high share of the cost yourself. In one that costs millions, a smaller share can still be substantial. The same $150,000 can be substantial for one business and thin for another.

What counts matters as much as how much. Only money already invested or irrevocably committed counts, and you must be close to opening. Equipment, inventory, machinery shipped for the business, reasonable operating cash in the company's account, and loans secured by your own assets, such as a second mortgage on your home, all count, because you lose that money if the business fails. Money in your personal account does not. Nor do loans secured by the business's own assets, leased equipment, or rent you have not yet paid.

Then there is the test people forget: the business must not be marginal. It has to do more than earn a living for your family. Officers look for local jobs, a plan to grow, and a role in which you direct the business rather than work the counter.

Ownership and control are two separate tests

The business needs treaty nationality: at least 50 percent owned by nationals of the treaty country, wherever it is incorporated, so an Ontario corporation can have EU or Korean nationality. Under seven of the eight agreements, those owners must also live in the treaty country or hold investor status in Canada. An owner who is already a Canadian permanent resident does not count.

You, personally, need control. A share of 50 percent or less rarely gives it in a small business, and an equal partnership usually does not either. If your shares sit in a holding company, expect to prove who owns it. And expect questions about funds that cannot be traced back to income, a sale or an inheritance.

Spouses: check this before you plan the move

If you are moving with family, read this part twice. Under CETA and CUKTCA, the spouse provision covers spouses of intra-company transferees, not investors. The Chile and Peru agreements give spouses nothing special. In those cases your spouse's right to work depends on the general spousal open work permit rules, which I explain in my guide to C41 and C42 spousal open work permits.

How long the permit lasts, and where to apply

The first permit is issued for up to 1 year. For extensions, the Chile, Peru, Colombia and Korea instructions say 2 years should be granted if you still meet the requirements. Under CETA, CUKTCA and CPTPP, it is the officer's call, based on what you file, such as an updated business plan, and CPTPP also needs a new offer of employment.

Ukraine is the odd one out. IRCC's overview page says Canada-Ukraine work permits can be extended "with the exception of investors", while its investor page says extensions are possible when the need is shown. Until IRCC reconciles the two, I would not build a plan that depends on extending a Ukrainian investor permit.

The first application should be made before you travel, not at the border; for CPTPP and Ukraine, IRCC requires it. Temporary intent is usually the easier part: a definite intention to go home when your investor status ends is normally accepted. These permits do not lead to permanent residence on their own.

If your country has no agreement

Türkiye, India and Brazil, among others, have no investor chapter with Canada. For owners from those countries, the usual route is the C11 work permit, judged on significant benefit to Canada rather than nationality. Read how I handle C11 business owner work permits, or, if you already own a company abroad, my comparison of C11 and the intra-company transfer.

What I would do now

1. Check your citizenship, and your spouse's, against the table. If two agreements fit, compare what each gives your family.

2. Add up how much of the business you are funding yourself, and how much is already spent or irrevocably committed.

3. Build the paper trail for your funds now: where the money came from and how it reached Canada.

4. Settle the ownership structure, including any holding company, before you incorporate or sign a lease, a purchase agreement or a shareholder agreement.

This article reflects the rules as of October 2026.

If you want me to review your investment plan, you can book an online consultation. I work virtually, in English and Turkish, on flat fees. If a route does not fit your facts, I will tell you.

The articles on this site are general information, not legal advice, and reading them doesn't create a lawyer-client relationship. Immigration rules change often, so always consult a qualified Canadian immigration lawyer about your specific situation.