The Foreign graduate Entrepreneur stream is an economic immigration initiate by the ministry of immigration of Alberta to nominate the qualified candidates who have foreign education from outside Canada. This program is for those people who are interested to start their entrepreneurship journey in Alberta. This is a collaboration between the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program and the approved designated agencies.
Foreign graduates who are applying under the Graduate entrepreneur stream must work with the designated agencies. The designated agencies will issue a letter of recommendation if the foreign graduate meet the eligibility requirements. They must submit their expression of interest with the letter of recommendation through AAIP portal.
The designated agency will assess business plans based on the foreign graduate’s capability to demonstrate market need or demand, the likelihood of successful market entry in the short to medium term, customer acquisition, business development, key partnerships, and financial plans to support the start-up’s development and operations. The designated agency will provide a written report on their review of the suggested business strategy. Foreign graduates must submit this report with their Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream Business Application.
What is the role of designated agency?
- They will support the marketing of the Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
- They will determine whether the business idea is a success and provide support on the development of Business Plan
- Select foreign graduates to recommend for the AAIP
- They help connect foreign graduates with the right network and provide professional and business counseling so that they can launch their businesses in Alberta.
Candidates who are interested in applying under this stream can contact the following designated agencies.
Empowered Startups
420-744 West Hastings
Vancouver, British Columbia
V6C 1A5
Phone: 604-229-1052
Fax: 604-229-2037
Email: info@empoweredstartups.com
Platform Calgary
407 9th Avenue SE
Calgary, Alberta
T2G 2K7
Phone: 403-284-6400
Email: fgsp@platformcalgary.com
What is the Eligibility Criteria for this stream?
| Area | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Work experience | A minimum of six months of full-time work experience, which can include actively managing or owning a firm, or an equivalent. |
| Education | Completing a degree from a postsecondary institution outside of Canada with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). This degree requires:
|
| Business plan | A business plan with projected financials. Refer to the Business Plan Guidelines. |
| Pitch deck | A 10-minute presentation (slides only) that outlines the proposed business venture and focuses on what an investor would want to see. |
| Language | The minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level is 5 for each English language competence, or 5 for each French language skill: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. The official test results must be less than two years old at the time of EOI application. The AAIP accepts just these language tests: The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test Check the IRCC website for CLB/NCLC equivalency for each test. |
| Business establishment | For businesses located outside the Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Areas, a minimum of 34% ownership is required in urban areas and 51% ownership in regional areas. Business partners must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. The business must not be on the list of disqualified businesses. |
| Business investment | Prior to moving to Alberta, the candidate’s (or spouse’s or common-law partner’s) personal equity or a recognized Canadian financial institution, venture capital, or angel investment firm must make a minimum investment. The obligatory minimum investment for an urban center is $100,000, whereas the minimum investment for a regional area is $50,000. Higher levels of investment previous to arriving to Alberta will result in more points. Points are awarded for either the urban center or the regional area, not both. |
| Letter of recommendation | Must have a letter of recommendation from an AAIP-approved designated agency. |
| Settlement funds | Candidates must demonstrate that they have the funds needed to set up their business and support themselves while they are on a work permit and launching their start-up. Minimum settlement funds requirements will be based on the Low Income Cut-Offs (LICOs) |
Settlement funds requirement for Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
| Population size of community and funds required | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of family members | Less than 1,000 | 1,000 to 30,000 | 30,000 to 99,999 | 100,000 to 499,999 | 500,000 and over |
| 1 | $8,922 | $10,151 | $11,093 | $12,961 | $12,960 |
| 2 | $11,107 | $12,636 | $13,810 | $16,135 | $16,135 |
| 3 | $13,655 | $15,534 | $16,977 | $19,836 | $19,836 |
| 4 | $16,579 | $18,861 | $20,613 | $24,084 | $24,083 |
| 5 | $18,803 | $21,392 | $23,379 | $27,315 | $27,315 |
| 6 | $21,208 | $24,127 | $26,367 | $30,807 | $30,806 |
| 7 | $23,611 | $26,861 | $29,356 | $34,299 | $34,299 |
If you are looking to immigrate to Canada and interested in applying to Canada PR through Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur stream then we can help you. We are a Regulated immigration consultant helping you in paving the pathway for Permanent residency.