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Canada's Start-up Visa

• raverbashing 13y ago
  Looks interesting. You can apply as soon as the PAFSO strike ends...
• euphemize 13y ago
  Went through the different links - does anyone know how long this Visa is valid for? If it's on that page, it seems to be hidden somewhere...
  • padolsey 13y ago
    Get your business idea funded and immigrate to Canada **permanently** ... What happens if my business fails? [1] Failure of your business will not affect your permanent resident status. We recognize that not every business will succeed and this program is designed so that the risk is shared between the public and private sector. [1] http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=657&t=6 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=657&t=6
  • tsenkov 13y ago
    I guess it has a validity period, but it's probably renewable, because of this: "Get your business idea funded and immigrate to Canada permanently."
  • cbhl 13y ago
    It grants you permanent resident status in Canada -- even if your business fails, you can stay. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=657&t=6 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=657&t=6
  • codegeek 13y ago
    I found this : "If we approve your application, we will issue you a permanent resident visa. This visa includes your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and your entry visa."[1] [1] http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/start-up/next-steps.asp http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/start-up/nex... Now if you read more about permanent residents in general, here it is http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/about-pr.asp http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/about-pr.asp
  • ronilan 13y ago
    > If we approve your application, we will issue you a permanent resident visa. This visa includes your Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and your entry visa. Canada Permanent Resident (PR) =~ US Green Card
  • k-mcgrady 13y ago
    It's permanent. Even if your business fails you keep your permanent status.
• ronilan 13y ago
  Had I been younger, and had no permanant status in North America, I would have followed this with whole my heart. File the paper work, pay the fees and when the visa is stamped, just pack a small car and drive north. Too bad I'm too old... ... and that I already did just that a decade ago... :D
  • wiradikusuma 13y ago
    How old are you? What's the max age for this?
  • cwarrior 13y ago
    How old are you?
• jdangu 13y ago
  There's a designated list of VC/angel group investors: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/start-up/eligibility/entities.asp http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/business/start-up/eli...
• sim0n 13y ago
  I imagine that the one year of required secondary education will prevent a lot of founders from applying for this visa (I would be one of them) but I can understand why it's required.
• danielsiders 13y ago
  What's the possible reason for the education requirements? Shouldn't VC support and sufficient financing be enough?
  • tokenizer 13y ago
    It doesn't mention any particular reason for the education on the website. I'm at least a little glad it isn't a requirement to hold a degree or diploma. I'm assuming this is simply an empty requirement to weed out people during application. That said, if a few very intelligent hacker types who never went to college had successfully achieved all of the other three requirements, then I'd see no reason to deny that application. I'm pretty sure this rule also extends from my countries intense fascination with secondary education. See: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/27/and-the-worlds-most-educated-country-is/ http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/09/27/and-the-worlds-most-educ..., https://duckduckgo.com/?q=canada+most+educated+country https://duckduckgo.com/?q=canada+most+educated+country
    • randomdata 13y ago
      > I'm pretty sure this rule also extends from my countries intense fascination with secondary education. That was my takeaway. A way to save face with the strong "education or else" group of people in the country, while acknowledging that formal education is not all that relevant to the program.
      • tokenizer 13y ago
        Exactly. While it's a compromise, I feel like they missed the point. As someone who has completed one year of college, but opted to drop out and start working, I would rather drop outs be given a chance. I mean, if I have 12,000$ in the bank, a VC in Canada willing to invest, and can speak French and English, then that should be enough. My main criticism of this Visa is that it isn't inclusive enough. If we could even get 10 more accepted applicants by dropping the educational requirement then it would be worth it in my opinion.
  • lambersley 13y ago
• petercooper 13y ago
  proof of having completed at least one year of post-secondary education Seems oddly arbitrary. Most visas with educational requirements go for the complete degree, not just one year of education. All the tales of "drop outs" who make it big force their hand? :-)
  • Roritharr 13y ago
    Excluding myself i know of five founders who fit this criteria, so its becoming more common nowadays.
  • corresation 13y ago
    Post-secondary education is pretty much universally accepted as a good thing, but it doesn't pan out for everyone. This might be their way of both accepting that not everyone worthwhile gets their degree, but at the same time they don't want to motivate people not to go at all.
  • tsenkov 13y ago
    It could have been worse: "no more than 1 year of post-secondary education!". :)
  • mjn 13y ago
    It might be a streamlined way of applying some of the existing criteria from the skilled-migration points system. The existing points system gives you the majority of the education points (15/25) if you have a "Canadian post-secondary degree or diploma for a one-year program" or something that you've gotten certified as the foreign equivalent (19 points for a 2-year degree, 21 points for a regular 3-year bachelors, etc.). I wonder if this is just intended to set the threshold at 15/25 but ease up the requirement a bit by allowing you to count 1 year out of any degree program as equivalent to a Canadian 1-year diploma, since many countries don't have actual 1-year diplomas.
  • toyg 13y ago
    That's the most discouraging requirement for me. I've completed the first 18 months of two undergraduate programmes (without actually graduating), and half a year of an MSc, before finally admitting that I simply didn't care enough about academia. I have no idea how'd I ever manage to demonstrate what I've done. I might have a sort of exam booklet somewhere back at my parents', god knows where. I cannot be the only drop-out who's not particularly plussed about storing mementos of his academic failure. Either require a full degree or drop the requirement. This middle-of-the-road thing is just silly red tape.
• ramanujam 13y ago
  The bad part: The investment has to come from a canadian VC or angel firm. It doesn't clearly state if it is a requirement though [1]. The good part: As many have already mentioned, it is a permanent residency status and not just a temporary visa. It comes along with all the health care benefits and social benefits as what Canadian citizens get [2]. So even if your first business fails, you will have the opportunity to start another one or find a job. [1] http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=653&t=6 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=653&t=6 [2] http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/about-pr.asp http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomers/about-pr.asp
  • dangerboysteve 13y ago
    Well if it does not the system would be completely raped!
    • steveklabnik 13y ago
      Since I downvoted, I'll tell you why: this comment is factually incorrect. It's not possible to have sexual intercourse with a government program, let alone coercive sexual intercourse.
      • rapind 13y ago
        You really nailed it.
        • steveklabnik 13y ago
          I understand that often, metaphors are useful. However, I think this metaphor is both very poor and in very poor taste. For example, a government program could never experience any of the other effects of sexual assault[1] that are part of what makes rape such a heinous crime. I know that saying 'rape' and feeling like one can hide behind a literary claim may make one feel 'edgy' or whatever, but it just comes across as excessively childish. 1: http://www.rainn.org/get-information/effects-of-sexual-assault http://www.rainn.org/get-information/effects-of-sexual-assau...
• mjn 13y ago
  Summary of the conditions: - Secure $75k in angel funding or $200k in venture funding, from a list of designated Canadian funders. - Score relatively highly on a language test in either English or French, for both verbal and written ability (note that everyone must take this test, even those coming from English- or French-speaking countries). - Have satisfactorily completed at least one year of higher education (no degree required). - Depending on family size, have a minimum of $11k-$30k in the bank initially to support yourself.
  • enry_straker 13y ago
    It's canadian dollars, right?
    • mjn 13y ago
      I assume so, but the current exchange rate is 1.00 USD = 1.03 CAD, so it's more or less the same either way.
      • bzmwillemsen 13y ago
        Yes it's CAD, as all figures on .gc.ca websites are.
  • toomuchtodo 13y ago
    I'd say that this is actually pretty reasonable, especially if they'll consider your retirements account towards the $11K-30K reserves. Almost anyone can be a founder in Canada now. Congrats Canada!
  • goatforce5 13y ago
    I had to do the English test as part of my Canadian permanent residency and it was oddly terrifying. English is my first (and only) language. Luckily it turns out I can speak the English reel gud. I now have a certificate to prove it! There were other people in my test group who couldn't follow basic instructions that were given out before the test ("Please wait over there", etc.). I imagine they didn't do so well.
• k-mcgrady 13y ago
  The education requirements are strange especially considering they only require one year. e.g. I started my business in the final year of high school and although I got accepted, decided not to attend University. I would be denied a visa. However someone who decided to drop out at the end of their first year of University would be accepted for a visa. Doesn't seem to make much sense. Does anyone know how strict these requirements are yet?
• mathattack 13y ago
  Seems like a shot across the bow of their Southern neighbors. The US needs to get our act in gear. Vancouver and Toronto are already world class cities.
• 3pt14159 13y ago
  If anyone is doing a story on this I have photos from the announcement that are CC released :) http://500px.com/zachaysan/sets/startup_visa http://500px.com/zachaysan/sets/startup_visa
• danielsiders 13y ago
  I would rather have temporary worker visas for startup employees. Our biggest labor problem has been the difficulty of getting programmers who didn't go to college into the US. We'd move to Canada in a heartbeat if we could get the developers we wanted colocated with us. How about N temporary worker visas/amount of VC funding?
  • mwnz 13y ago
    Having lived in numerous countries as a foreign programmer (neither from the U.S or Canada), I can assure you that it is significantly easier to move to Canada than the U.S. Their highly skilled migrant program is a lot more friendly to... highly skilled migrants. In fact, most countries are.
  • cunac 13y ago
    Your complaint is because US based developers are expensive? I hope that you don't think developers in Canada are dime a dozen.
    • danielsiders 13y ago
      No, I'd like to be able to bring awesome people from Russia, the Czech Republic, Israel, etc who often don't have college degrees. If Canada would let me do that, I'd move my startup to Canada.
      • cunac 13y ago
        Canadian IT labour market is not so bad so you should profit by fact of moving here and have access to current pool and relatively lower wages then in SV. Is should actually remove both of your pain points cost and qualified labor. Start packing :-)
        • danielsiders 13y ago
          The issue isn't general supply, but specific engineers. Half our team is Canadian now, but many of the people we'd like to work with but can't are located elsewhere and Canadian immigration law is very unfriendly to immigrants without college degrees.
• bishnu 13y ago
  The conditional on Canadian funding thing is killer. There is so little VC in Canada.
  • untog 13y ago
    Well, I suppose this is a two way street. Hopefully something like this would kick-start Canadian VC funding, as they'll have a lot of very qualified international applicants knocking down their doors.
    • mjn 13y ago
      My guess is that's part of the purpose, to use the visas as a carrot to improve deal flow to Canadian angels/VCs. Could also be that they think companies funded by Canadian investors will be less likely to jump ship to the U.S. later, versus if they were funded by a Valley-based firm. (As for why the investors have to be from an approved list? Probably to avoid sham "angel investors" fake-funding their acquaintances, or outright selling visas.)
      • potatolicious 13y ago
        > "(As for why the investors have to be from an approved list? Probably to avoid sham "angel investors" fake-funding their acquaintances, or outright selling visas." This is a valid concern, though I'm worried it will swing the pendulum in the other direction also - that it basically gives non-regulated, non-governmental, non-accountable entities the ability to wield immigration as a stick. That or allow an existing cabal of VCs to lock out competing, upstart VCs.
    • jt2190 13y ago
      You would think it would be that simple, but you really need to look at it from the investor's point of view: What is my ROI if invest my money this way instead of that way? More unattractive investments won't help the tech startup community grow. My suspicion[1] is that the thing that will really fix this is changing the way that investors are taxed on their capital gains and losses. [1] Been a while since I lived in Canada, but IIRC capital gains and losses are not taxed like they are in the US.
• kamakazizuru 13y ago
  looks great - does any one here have any experience with any of the listed VCs/Angels? I can only spot 1-2 familiar names..
• galactus 13y ago
  The canadian "citizen and immigration" service is seriously understaffed (thanks, Mr. Harper!). Some consequences of this: * It currently takes more than two years in average to process a citizenship request. * The CIC stopped accepting any new application from canadian citizens or permanent residents to sponsor their parents or grandparents for permanent residency. So, this all sounds good in paper, but Im skeptical about how well it will work in reality.
  • Zikes 13y ago
    Since this is permanent residency and not citizenship, shouldn't it be a fair amount less effort and paperwork on immigration's part?
    • galactus 13y ago
      Actually you typically apply for citizenship after you become a permanent resident, and it takes less effort (from the candidate, at least). But in any case, it is the same service that is in charge of both citizenship and permanent residency, and they are understaffed. Perhaps they will give more priority to Startup visas processing than to other types of visa.
    • herge 13y ago
      Permanent residency is the major step towards canadian citizenship, and the biggest bottleneck. Citizenship is (from what I heard) relatively straightforward after waiting the necessary number of years.
• mjhea0 13y ago
  i know that business taxes are relatively low, but what about personal incomes taxes? how will this affect having to pay double taxes (both us and canada). i believe you can write off the taxes you pay overseas, but you have to pay the difference in us taxes.
  • refurb 13y ago
    You'll never pay a dime of US taxes, since Canada has a tax treaty with the US and income taxes in Canada are higher than those in the US. Also, Canada has higher gasoline and alcohol taxes and double digit sales taxes in most provinces. Also, tax deferred retirement plans have lower limits than the US. That said, healthcare costs are minimal in Canada, which are a huge plus for entrepreneurs who may not always have a steady income stream. That said, if you're moving from a high tax US state (CA) to a low taxes Canadian province (Alberta), the difference isn't that great. Keep in mind that if you have a Roth IRA in the US, it gets complicated. Canada doesn't recognize Roth IRAs thus there are tax complications.
    • orbitur 13y ago
      > You'll never pay a dime of US taxes, That's not true. You can only get an exclusion on the first $97,000USD you make outside of the US, so YMMV. In Vancouver or Toronto, you'd be pushing it.
      • refurb 13y ago
        Not true. The US and Canada has a tax treaty which means any Canadian taxes you pay count against US taxes owed. In other words, you only have to pay US taxes if your tax liability is lower than what it would be in the US. Since Canadian income taxes are higher than US income taxes, you'll never have to pay US income taxes (baring some odd financial situation).
  • elchief 13y ago
    I paid almost exactly the same income tax in Florida as I did in British Columbia. But I got free health care in BC. Gas, cigarettes and booze are definitely cheaper in the USA though.
• mjhea0 13y ago
  i'd like to hear more about the startups that have made the move from the us to canada. from my perspective, this seems great for startups looking to get into the us market by making a stop in canada, growing, and then attracting us investors. it will be interesting to see the long-term affects this has. will startups stay? also, i would love to see an article about the canada startup community in general. canada's economy is well-balanced and from what i can tell pretty risk-adverse. how well people respond to the influx of startups that must take risks, gamble, and move quickly in order to survive?
• untog 13y ago
  Theoretically this is fantastic. I'm in the US on an H1B visa and there's no clear path for me to be able to start my own company. My visa still has a couple of years left on it, but this is something I will be watching closely. Of course, the US could implement a similar program in a heartbeat. And by "in a heartbeat", I mean "never, because the government in this country is utterly dysfunctional".
  • kareemm 13y ago
    You can start a company with a US business partner on an H1B if you're a minority owner.
    • nell 13y ago
      So, a H1B holder working for an employer can start a company if they hold a small equity?
      • hpagey 13y ago
        Yes, in US anyone can start a company, but the catch is, you can't work for it without proper work authorization. So, practically, this means you can't start a company if you are going to take an active operating role within the company.
        • zerr 13y ago
          Any reasoning behind it?
          • hpagey 13y ago
            That's the law. The reason is, you can be a passive investor in a company, similar to buying stock in a company. This is allowed on any type of visa including H1B. But, if you are taking an active role, you are working for your own company and you cannot work for a company without work authorization. The work authorization could be CPT, OPT, EAD or H1B ( there might be other forms of work authorization I am only aware of these few).
• deleted 13y ago
  [deleted]
• rogerchucker 13y ago
  Let's say an average person has a great idea but to come up with that idea she had to go through a lot of schooling and industry experience. Also she needed to earn enough to have a solid 11-13K bank balance. I have a feeling to attain these objectives that person would have to be in her mid-30s. How does a person at that age naturally adapt to a new country, when all she has experienced and adapted to so far is another culture in another country?
  • wellboy 13y ago
    I think the Canadian VCs can take care of that, also since they are not lending the money, because it's an investment, not a loan. The founder doesn't have to return the money, if the money is gone and the company fails, the money is gone.
  • geoka9 13y ago
    Most of the new immigrants I know in Canada are in their early 30s. It turns out that this is the age when you are most likely to qualify for the skilled worker immigrant visa, based on your education, experience and savings.
  • bzmwillemsen 13y ago
    Adapting to a new country is going to be hard no matter what country you go to. Canada is very well known for successfully mixing immigrants from many different cultural backgrounds into Canadian culture, there are many free programs in place, as well as many support groups. Canada's extremely diverse.
• frankcaron 13y ago
  While this is great in theory, it's likely not going to lead to anything other than one marquee Toronto Star story about the foreign entrepreneur who found success in Canada. Canadian VCs are far too risk averse and conservative; that's why the uptick of start-ups in all areas of the country, even Toronto's own would-be "Valley" of Liberty Village and the Junction, hasn't fielded much in the ways of success. Until Toronto VCs start taking more risks and going down the road of helping people experiment (much like YComb itself), I don't see this doing much other than acting as a talking point for why Canada is a good place to live. (I say this as a Torontonian who has worked almost exclusively for start-ups in the GTA and is now moving to San Fran to work for another one).
  • wellboy 13y ago
    You know they could have not introduced a startup-visa, because they thought they have too little VC. Instead they said, damn we really want young entrepreneurs to succeed and start a change. We don't have much VC money, but let's freaking execute by introducing a startup visa and that way state an example for the U.S. to follow.
    • gyardley 13y ago
      The government of Canada isn't doing this to set an example for the United States to follow. They're doing this because they want to grow the Canadian economy. In fact, they'd be quite happy if the United States doesn't follow their example, because that will help Canada compete. See, for instance, this billboard in Silicon Valley: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/2013/2013-05-17/photo.asp?p=0 http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/media/photos/2013/20...
    • orbitur 13y ago
      The U.S. doesn't need any examples to follow since the machine seems to be running quite well. If anything Canada needs to set itself apart because we're losing too many entrepreneurs to the pretty neighbour below us.
  • geoka9 13y ago
    > much like YComb itself AFAIK, YC doesn't invest anywhere close to $200k; so it's probably not fair to compare.
• jhull 13y ago
  If an American VC firm opens an office in Toronto, does that count as Canadian VC money? Seems like a good idea for American VCs to open incubators in Canada. Would allow them to global deal flow while only worrying about the regulations of Canada. Plus its quicker to fly there.
  • bzmwillemsen 13y ago
    The Angel's and VC's need to be "designated." So simply starting a firm in Canada may not grant the firm access to this program. Looking through the very short list of "designated" VC's it is quite obvious (from a Canadian's point of view) that these are all very well established Canadian companies.
• tomjen3 13y ago
  There is only one problem with this: it is Canada, not the US. Why would I want to do a start-up in Canada, rather than say the UK or Germany or Chile?
  • kenster07 13y ago
    Care to elaborate?
    • tomjen3 13y ago
      Yes, what does Canada offer that the UK doesn't? Same language, both have a Queen both have a functional government that mostly respects other peoples rights. The US has a great ecosystem for start-ups. Does Canada?
      • rdouble 13y ago
        If you're from another commonwealth country it's a lot easier to migrate to Canada than it is the USA. Regarding what could be more attractive than the UK: there's more open space, cheaper housing, better schools, mountains, etc.
        • klipt 13y ago
          I don't think Canada gives any preference to immigrants from Commonwealth countries.
  • cgh 13y ago
    Standard of living/quality of life? Proximity to the US?
• sneak 13y ago
  Ha, low taxes. They forgot the big one: * FREE SNOW
• icco 13y ago
  Pretty interesting. Is there an equivalent to 500 or YC in Canada? What are the best tech cities in Canada? I know Vancouver and Quebec have universities with good CS programs, but that's about it.
  • elchief 13y ago
    Ottawa is a tech hub, as that's where the federal gov't is. Waterloo is also important, as that's where our "MIT" is, and Google etc have offices there. All the easy money's in Calgary due to oil.
    • orbitur 13y ago
      Google also has offices in Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver. I think there's even another one between Toronto and Vancouver.
    • analyst74 13y ago
      Unfortunately all that easy money in Calgary is not going into startups, its sister city Edmonton has a much better and rapidly growing startup scene.
  • brunoc 13y ago
    Toronto, Waterloo, Vancouver, Montreal In Montreal: Founder Fuel http://founderfuel.com/en/ http://founderfuel.com/en/
    • codydjango 13y ago
      Founder fuel was exceptional this year.
      • todsul 13y ago
        I thought so too. Certainly not the technical breadth of YC, but on par in terms of uniqueness of ideas, founder quality and traction. I thought our YC batch was a force to be reckoned with, but wow, this year's FonderFuel batch was killer.
• thehme 13y ago
  This is really interesting. I wonder why the US has not encouraged this more.
  • eshvk 13y ago
    There is a startup visa; I believe half a million or so is the minimum investment required.
  • untog 13y ago
    Because Congress is incapable of passing laws, even ones they agree on. http://startupvisa.com/ http://startupvisa.com/
• vijucat 13y ago
  This might seem a bit superficial, but one of the reasons I fear a move to Canada is the weather; not the weather per se, but whether someone like me born in a tropical country would adjust well to the cold? I'm concerned that I would relapse into a depression ushered in by the winter blues (used to be depressed in my 20s, not sure why, it went away after 30, not sure why either), and lose my productivity. As a separate topic, it's slightly unsettling how much the ability to work hard defines many of us. For context, I was born in South India and currently live + work in Hong Kong. In Hong Kong, the temperature is around the same number as you see for, say, Victoria, BC, except for that the former is in Celsius while the latter is in Fahrenheit! :-)
  • cgh 13y ago
    Temperatures in Canada are measured in Celsius, not Fahrenheit. So that could be the source of your confusion.
    • foobarbazqux 13y ago
      However there's no confusion about how cold -40 is!
      • jacquesm 13y ago
        Just having an outdoor heater that needed daily refuelling (in itself a small miracle) was an excellent way to learn how to guess the temperature by the effects on eyelids, lips, ears and nose. -40: move (while you can), especially if there is some wind to go with it.
      • WildUtah 13y ago
        In Canada, it might be -40 K.
  • potatolicious 13y ago
    I can't speak for you, obviously, but I was born in Taiwan and moved to Canada as a child. The first winter was pretty brutal, but mostly because my family had to basically learn how to dress for winter weather, entirely from scratch. But it's a complete non-issue now. Keep in mind it also depends on where you settle in Canada. My family settled in Vancouver where the weather is fairly mild and rarely below freezing. If you are in, say, Ottawa (which also has a tech presence), you will sometimes see -20C to -30C weather. That's much rougher to deal with. There are many Indian-Canadians who live in Vancouver as well as the Toronto area (among other places, but those two seem to be where the concentration is), you may be able to reach out to some of them and figure out the climate problem.
• devb0x 13y ago
  I don't have that kind of money. Is it easy to get a VISA as a developer?
  • potatolicious 13y ago
    Skilled immigration is a popular track for immigration to Canada. How easy it is depends on how highly you score based on the government's criteria: http://www.workpermit.com/canada/points_calculator.htm http://www.workpermit.com/canada/points_calculator.htm The primary contributors to points is education background, linguistic ability (English and/or French), work experience, and age. It takes a fair amount of time (compared to H-1B or other US work visas), since this is considered actual immigration, not just a work permit (those are available too). If you are accepted you become a full-fledged permanent resident (with all of the social benefits afforded to all Canadians), not a temporary worker with a ticking clock.
    • gabemart 13y ago
      Unless I'm reading the form incorrectly, it looks as if an eligibility requirement is 1 year of work experience in a very limited range of fields, given here: http://www.workpermit.com/canada/employee_list.htm http://www.workpermit.com/canada/employee_list.htm Am I correct in thinking that if you don't have experience in one of these fields, you're not eligible to even apply?
      • potatolicious 13y ago
        That is correct. The skilled immigration program is not a catch-all for smart people, it's specifically designed to grow the economy in a planned direction, as well as to fulfill shortages that are anticipated to/already exist.
        • gabemart 13y ago
          I'm actually no longer sure that I am right, unless you have another source. The website states [1]: > You must have at least one year of full time experience in the last ten years in a management or > professional or highly skilled occupation. These are listed as Skill Type O, Skill Type A or Skill > Type B on the National Occupation Classification List. You will find further details in our > skilled worker guide. At first reading, it would seem that only "shortage occupations" [2] meet this criterion. However, the precise language would suggest that any occuption with an NOC skill type of 0, A or B qualifies. That would suggest any job with a NOC code beginning with 0 or with the second digit 1 or 2 would qualify [3]. Please let me know if I'm wrong about this. [1] http://www.workpermit.com/canada/points_calculator.htm http://www.workpermit.com/canada/points_calculator.htm [2] http://www.workpermit.com/canada/employee_list.htm http://www.workpermit.com/canada/employee_list.htm [3] http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/FAQ.aspx http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/FAQ.aspx
• jathu 13y ago
  YES! FUCK YES! Go Canada!
• jacquesm 13y ago
  Some bits and pieces of info for those considering this: - remember to sign up for OHIP (or the local equivalent) as soon as you arrive, there is a time limit on how long you can wait before signing up after arriving in Canada. If you don't do this in time you will not be covered. - Canada has some pretty severe weather in the winter, everywhere except for the area around Niagara falls and Vancouver. The latter is the better spot all year round. Big cities are your only chance to mitigate the worst of this, rural life is brutal. - Don't make any irreversible moves (giving away stuff, actually moving) until all the paper work is done. I made the mistake of believing a bunch of government officials during my own move to Canada on an entrepreneurship visa and it cost me dearly. - Elsewhere in this thread someone asks why not go to the US, well, (1) free (and good) healthcare, (2) a bit more laid back business climate. That said, the laid back atmosphere and the different venture capital climate make it a lot harder to get off the ground in Canada. Cost of living is slightly lower than in the US for most parts of Canada. - Outside of Waterloo, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and maybe Quebec City it's going to be hard to find qualified employees. In Ottawa you'll be bidding against the government. - No matter where you want to go in Canada you'll have to score reasonably well on the French language test. Even if that's the only time in Canada you'll ever use your French. (imho this is a ridiculous requirement, and that's with 5 years of French under my belt and a ton of exposure, you simply don't need it unless you plan on living in Quebec). - Paperwork processing in Canada can be terribly slow, it is basically the luck of the draw whether your paperwork will be processed in weeks, months, years or even decades! (no kidding...). I could go on like this for a while, if you have any specific questions about moving to Canada (but not about this program) feel free to ask.
  • xordon 13y ago
    > Canada has some pretty severe weather in the winter, everywhere except for the area around Niagara falls and Vancouver. Niagara falls is still brutally cold and snowy in the winter. The only place you won't freeze your ass off is the west coast of BC. aka Victoria/Vancouver. > Cost of living is slightly lower than in the US for most parts of Canada. Unless you are in Vancouver, where it is quite expensive to live. Housing, food, fuel... There are very few places in the US that are as expensive to live as Vancouver. Housing prices are a joke, literally: http://www.crackshackormansion.com/ http://www.crackshackormansion.com/ > the laid back atmosphere and the different venture capital climate make it a lot harder to get off the ground in Canada It is harder to get VC funding in Canada than it is south of the border. From what I've seen startup's in the US/Silicon Valley that may get 20million, you can expect ~1million in Canada, and most won't even look at you unless you already have paying customers. I don't really know all the factors that cause this but investors are much more conservative here.
• joshaidan 13y ago
  There are a lot of smaller cities in Canada, i.e. cities that are not Vancouver, Toronto, Waterloo, Ottawa, etc. that are trying very hard to build their own start-up communities. You may want to consider these places if it suits your idea. For example, I live in Thunder Bay, Ontario, and there are a lot of grants specific to our region because we're considered a northern community. Since we're smaller, there's less competition, and more people will be willing to help you and promote your startup. Also, if you're startup is involved in medical research, definitely consider Thunder Bay because there is a big medical research community and it's one of the areas the city is trying really hard to build up. Take a look at these websites for more information: http://www.nwoinnovation.ca/ http://www.nwoinnovation.ca/ http://www.tbrri.com/ http://www.tbrri.com/ (for medical related startups) Lastly, the cost of living in places like Thunder Bay (in particular housing) is much more affordable.
  • jacquesm 13y ago
    Housing in Thunder Bay is much more affordable because it's in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful place, great steakhouse but not exactly a start-up hotbed. Of course, if you really only need an internet connection and a couch then it might actually be an advantage but for most start-ups (apparently outside the medical research ones but those are few and far between) access to facilities, a nearby university, a pool of schooled talent to pick from and capital are their lifeblood.
    • joshaidan 13y ago
      There is a university in Thunder Bay: http://lakeheadu.ca http://lakeheadu.ca The advantage with Thunder Bay is that people are trying to develop it into a hotbed for start-ups, and will do a lot to see your startup succeed. Quick examples of Thunder Bay startups: http://cinevate.com http://cinevate.com, http://qwantech.com http://qwantech.com (big in the mining industry, also doing work in autism support systems), http://flightop.com http://flightop.com
  • splicer 13y ago
    Thunder Bay and Waterloo have pretty much the same population (~100K). That said, both are giant cities compared to Zeballos (population of 125): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeballos,_British_Columbia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeballos,_British_Columbia
• jrn 13y ago
  Stop complaining about vc, or culture; Canadians regularly blow billions on prospective mining companies on tsx-v. which never report any revenue. Alberta spearheaded a funding model in the oil patch in the 90s, which is now accessible to the other provinces, which I believe could be useful in the tech sector. The capital pool company, http://www.tmx.com/en/listings/listing_with_us/ways/capital_company.html http://www.tmx.com/en/listings/listing_with_us/ways/capital_... We get a bunch of proven tech execs together, they issue shares, then they have 24 months to go find something worth buying and growing. So instead of serial entrepreneurs, I believe we could also foster midlevel serial ceo's for instance I would buy stock in a jaquesm, pg or whoever, headed shell company to go and buy out some up and coming tech. At least I think you could kickstart building a company out of aquihiring zombie startups. I would do this but I'm a no-name.
• neilrahilly 13y ago
  The best thing the Canadian government could do for Canadian tech entrepreneurship would be to work with the US government to make it easier for Canadians to work in the States and Americans to work in Canada. That, more than anything, would help the skills, knowledge and resources required to build good software companies flow between Toronto and SV.
• joshsharp 13y ago
  Surprised nobody has mentioned http://startupvisa.ca/ http://startupvisa.ca/ which has a list of investors and a lot of help on the whole process.
• hbharadwaj 13y ago
  I wonder what the impact would be across the different types of startups. I see this as a boon for foreign entrepreneurs but there are associated downsides as well. For one as an example, if you are planning to start a service based start-up, you may have to manually grab users until your start-up picks up steam. Based on the numbers from International Telecommunications Union, US has 10 times more online users. I am pretty sure online services and in general start-up success is also tied to your market size. Heck, the first thing they taught me in Management Consulting is to size up the market. I am sure you can get a Temporary Business Visitor visa to the US but as always, this complicates the story. All in all, as someone from India, looking to start something, I am thrilled by the news but I am not going to apply until I run out of all options in the US. Just my $0.02. Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_...
• oscargrouch 13y ago
  Nah.. Think i will pass.. i prefer establish myself in Rio (already a brazillian citizen by birth .. rsrs) better weather.. same level of funding .. but it kind of have make me wonder.. for some time.. (pretty good news anyway)
• falk 13y ago
  If Canada wants to attract start-ups, they should get rid of software patents.
• dshanahan 13y ago
  I'm an American who started a startup in Vancouver, BC before this Visa existed. If anyone has any questions about doing that or would like suggestions/introductions to people in the area let me know.