Five provinces set entrepreneur wealth floors of CAD 300,000–600,000

Five Canadian provinces whose official pages were read on 28 September 2026 run entrepreneur streams under their provincial nominee programmes that lead, after a period running a business, to permanent residence. Their main entrepreneur streams set minimum net worth at CAD 300,000 to CAD 600,000 and minimum investment at CAD 100,000 to CAD 250,000. Saskatchewan has closed its entrepreneur and farm streams, and Ontario no longer lists an entrepreneur stream.

The federal picture

Canada’s immigration levels plan for 2026 to 2028 sets provincial nominee admissions at 91,500 in 2026, with notional targets of 92,500 for each of the two following years. The federal business category, covering the Start-up Visa and self-employed persons, is set at 500 admissions in 2026, with the same notional target for the two following years. Quebec and Nunavut have no provincial nominee programme; Quebec selects its own business immigrants.

Province by province

The figures below are minimum requirements for each province’s main entrepreneur stream; graduate and farm streams have different rules.

• British Columbia: the Base stream requires a personal net worth of at least CAD 600,000, an investment of at least CAD 200,000 and at least one new full-time job for a citizen or permanent resident. The Regional stream, for businesses outside Metro Vancouver with a community referral, requires CAD 300,000 and CAD 100,000. The draw on 22 September 2026 issued 10 Base invitations and fewer than 5 Regional ones.
• Manitoba: the Entrepreneur Pathway requires CAD 500,000 in net worth and an investment of CAD 250,000 in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region or CAD 150,000 outside it. The business must create or maintain at least one job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is not an owner or close relative. Expressions of interest go in by email and are reviewed individually; the province states that draws “are not currently being conducted”.
• Alberta: the Rural Entrepreneur Stream is “currently accepting” expressions of interest. It requires CAD 300,000 in net worth and CAD 100,000 invested in a community of fewer than 100,000 people outside the Calgary and Edmonton metropolitan areas. A new business needs at least 51% ownership and one full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who is not a relative, kept for at least six months; buying an existing business requires 100% ownership and does not require a new job.
• Nova Scotia: the Entrepreneur stream is by invitation only. It requires CAD 600,000 in net worth and CAD 150,000 invested in the Halifax Regional Municipality, or CAD 400,000 and CAD 100,000 outside it. A new business must employ at least one Canadian citizen or permanent resident, unrelated to the applicant, in a permanent, non-seasonal full-time position, or part-time staff adding up to one. The province held four entrepreneur draws between April and July 2026.
• Newfoundland and Labrador: the International Entrepreneur category says its expression-of-interest system “is currently open”. It requires CAD 600,000 in personal and business assets transferable to Canada, an investment of CAD 200,000 for at least 33.3% ownership or CAD 1 million in equity, and one full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. It charges no provincial application fee.

Language floors range from Canadian Language Benchmark 4 in British Columbia and rural Alberta to 5 in Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.

How the route works

In these streams the province first approves a business plan and signs a performance agreement with the candidate, then supports an application for a temporary work permit. Alberta requires at least 12 months of operation, and Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador a full year. British Columbia gives up to 20 months from arrival to carry out the plan, and Manitoba requires a final report within 20 months of arrival after operating the business for at least six months immediately before that report. Nomination follows only if the province finds the agreement fulfilled. The nominee then applies to the federal immigration department for permanent residence. Canada’s immigration website shows about 13 months to process a provincial nominee application outside Express Entry; this review did not establish which route business nominees use.

Farm streams work differently. Manitoba’s Farm Investor Pathway nominates the applicant first and then requires a CAD 75,000 deposit.

How many are taken

The numbers are small. Alberta has allocated 60 of its 6,603 nominations for 2026 to entrepreneur streams and had issued 35 by 23 September. Ontario issued 91 entrepreneur nominations in 2024. Since new rules took effect on 25 June 2026, its programme lists only the Ontario Workforce Priority stream, whose pathways are based on job offers apart from one for self-employed physicians, and its entrepreneur page has been moved to the provincial archives.

The official pages of Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Yukon could not be read because of automated access checks, so their business streams are not assessed here.

For Vietnamese investors

Each province sets its own thresholds, language level and operating period, and each links permanent residence to running a business in that province rather than to a passive investment. TLT has reported separately on Canada’s pause of the Start-up Visa.