Business Immigration Lawyer · Toronto

Business immigration at a glance

Who this page is for

This page is for people who want to work in Canada through a business: a founder building a company here, an owner who has bought or plans to buy a Canadian business, a company abroad sending someone to open or run its Canadian operation, and an entrepreneur who wants permanent residence through a province. You may be outside Canada, or already here on a post-graduation work permit, a spousal open work permit or another permit that will expire.

Each route has its own legal test. A business file can fail because it was filed under a route that did not fit the facts, or under the right route with evidence that did not answer its test. So the first job is to choose the route, and only then to build the file.

How we choose the route

Four facts decide most files, and we settle them at the consultation before any document is prepared.

• Ownership and control: IRCC’s business owner category (C11) covers owners who control at least 51% of the business and seek only temporary residence. With a smaller share, you are treated as an employee of the company, so C11 is closed, and a 50/50 partnership does not fit C11 for either partner. Owners can also be assessed under C10, with the company offering you a role, but an officer may ask whether C11 fits better and whether there is a real employer-employee relationship. We settle ownership and your role before anything is filed.

• What the business is and does: C10 and C11 both work for new and operating businesses. C10 rests on the significant benefit your work will bring to Canadians, and it suits a specific, innovative business, whether it launched last month or has traded for years. For a business that already operates, the lease, staff and revenue give an officer a record to assess under either code. Our comparison of C10 and C11 sets the two side by side.

• A company abroad: if a company you work for abroad is a real multinational with a qualifying relationship to the Canadian company, the intra-company transfer codes (C61, C62 and C63) may fit. If you control a company abroad that is not yet a multinational, that route is closed and a business owner route is the one to assess. We explain the line in C11 or intra-company transfer for business owners.

• Permanent residence: C11 is for owners who seek only temporary residence. If permanent residence is the goal, IRCC’s instructions point owners to the provincial business candidate route, which starts with a province’s support letter. We map the permanent residence step at the start, not after the work permit is issued.

C10 and C11 are strong pathways for the right business. What does not work under either is a generic business whose benefit stops at you and the company, or a benefit that is asserted but not documented. Our guide to business immigration in 2026 walks through each route in more depth.

Buying a business in Canada

Buying an operating business is often the most practical way in. An existing business has customers, staff and financial statements, and that record is the strongest evidence an officer can see. C11 covers running an existing business, C10 can fit when your role in it brings a significant benefit to Canadians, and provincial entrepreneur streams allow you to buy one where the province’s rules permit it.

The structure of the purchase matters before you sign. Buying shares and buying assets lead to different records, different liabilities and different evidence for the work permit. Our article on asset purchase versus share purchase explains the choice and how each structure affects the C11 and provincial criteria. We review the purchase agreement, the ownership split and the funding with you and your corporate advisers before closing, because a deal that is hard to change afterwards can close a route.

Already in Canada? Staying comes first

For founders and owners already working here, the expiry date on the current permit sets the timeline. If you apply for a new work permit before that date, you have maintained status: you can stay in Canada while IRCC decides and keep working under the conditions of your current permit. If you hold a valid work or study permit, you can usually apply for C10 or C11 from inside Canada. Miss the date and the remaining option is restoration, which is narrower and less forgiving.

An expiring permit is never a reason on its own for a business permit. The file still has to meet the C10 or C11 test. What helps is a business that is already moving: a registered company, a bank account, a lease or a signed client, and a plan built from real numbers. Our case study of a C10 for a brand-new business shows how a recent graduate’s file was built and what the officer had in front of them. Past results are not necessarily indicative of future results.

What officers look for in every business file

• A benefit that is shown, not claimed: jobs, suppliers, exports, innovation or a service the location lacks, each tied to a number and a document.

• A real business: a concrete operating plan rather than a market study, with set-up and operating costs budgeted and funded.

• Money with a source: business funds and personal support funds kept separate, with proof of where each came from.

• The ability to do the work: experience, education, language ability and any licences the business needs.

• A credible plan for the end of your stay: for temporary routes, evidence that you will leave Canada when your authorized stay ends, or the permanent residence route that legally replaces it.

The business plan carries most of this. It has to be tailored to your business and written around the legal test of your route, because officers read it for that test and not for its length. Our article on business plans for entrepreneur programs covers what goes in it.

How the process works with us

It starts with an online consultation, booked at blacksyimmigration.com/book. We review your business, ownership, funds and goals, and tell you which route fits and why. If we take the file, you complete a secure online intake, we open a shared document folder, and we build a checklist for your file. You deal directly with our lawyer, Ahmet Faruk Ocak. There are no middlemen. We communicate by email, so every instruction and decision is documented. Consultations are online, or in person in Toronto by appointment, and the rest of the work is done online.

We make sure the business plan is built around your route’s test, prepare the Employer Portal offer or the provincial expression of interest, write the legal submission, file online and handle IRCC’s correspondence, including procedural fairness letters. Family members’ applications are part of the file where they are eligible. If an application has already been refused, our page on reconsideration and procedural fairness explains the next steps.

Our fee is a flat fee agreed in writing before you hire us. You can pay it in full or in two instalments. It is held in trust and earned at set milestones. Government fees are separate, and HST applies to clients resident in Canada.

Frequently asked questions

Which business immigration route is right for me?

It depends on four facts: how much of the business you will own and control, whether the business already operates, whether a company abroad is involved, and whether you want permanent residence. C10 fits founders and owners, of new or operating companies, whose work brings Canadians a significant benefit that is clear, compelling and documented. C11 is IRCC’s category for owners who control at least 51% and seek only temporary residence. A multinational moving key staff looks at the intra-company transfer codes, and owners who want permanent residence look at provincial entrepreneur streams. We decide it with you at the consultation, before anything is prepared.

Can I immigrate to Canada by buying a business?

Buying a business can support a work permit and, later, permanent residence, but the purchase alone does not give you status. C11 covers owners who run an existing business and control at least 51% of it, and C10 can fit when your work in the business brings a significant benefit to Canadians. Provincial entrepreneur streams can lead to permanent residence after you run a business under an agreement with the province, and some allow you to buy one. Structure the purchase with the immigration route in mind before you sign.

Is there a minimum investment for business immigration to Canada?

Not for C10 or C11. IRCC’s instructions set no minimum, and it is not necessarily the amount spent that makes a business a significant benefit, although officers check that your funds match your plan. Provincial entrepreneur streams do publish minimum net worth and investment figures, and they change often. Our provincial entrepreneur programs page lists the current Manitoba and Nova Scotia figures.

Can I apply for a business work permit from inside Canada?

Usually, if section 199 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations allows it, for example because you hold a valid work or study permit, or you are the spouse or dependent child of someone who does. Apply before your current permit expires to keep maintained status while IRCC decides.

Does a business work permit lead to permanent residence?

Not on its own. C10 and C11 are temporary permits, and C11 time does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class. The business you build can support a later application, most often through a provincial entrepreneur or business stream, and Express Entry is worth checking where your work history qualifies. We map that step when we choose the work permit.

Is the Start-up Visa still open?

No. IRCC has paused the Start-up Visa Program. The last applications, from founders holding a 2025 commitment certificate, had to be filed by June 30, 2026. Founders already in Canada should protect their status first and then look at C10 or C11. Our article on what founders can do after the Start-up Visa pause explains the options.