Immigration Canada

Immigrants given free legal help to start own business

Italian-Immigrants-to-Canad (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By: Nicholas Keung Immigration reporter, Published on Mon Mar 04 2013

Sanjay Pandrala, a horticulturist from India, hesitated to start his pest control and landscaping business because he didn’t know enough about Canadian commercial law.

Should he incorporate his firm? What is his liability if there is an industrial accident? What needs to be included in an employment contract?

While the lack of legal knowledge is a challenge, Pandrala said many small businesses simply can’t afford a corporate lawyer.

“You don’t want to learn about Canadian law the hard way, after a mistake is made,” said Pandrala, who came here in 2007 with a horticulture degree. “It is extremely important that we are aware of all these potential legal issues before we start our business.”

Today, Pandrala is the proud owner of The Bug Man Inc. — which had modest sales of $80,000 last year — and a finalist in Connect Legal’s inaugural Promising Immigrant Entrepreneur Award.

Marion Annau, founder of Connect Legal, said the award is to celebrate the spirit of immigrant entrepreneurs.

“There is an economic shift underway. Self-employment and small businesses are becoming more important to the economy. Many immigrants are getting into self-employment as a way to get ahead,” said Annau, a former Bay St. lawyer.

“But they are not familiar with Canada’s legal system. The better understanding they have, the fewer problems they will have.”

Since its inception in 2010, Connect Legal, working with other community groups, has delivered workshops to more than 700 aspiring immigrant entrepreneurs.

Through its one-on-one lawyer-matching program, it has connected 32 pro-bono clients with its pool of 80 lawyers from six of Canada’s top law firms, including Blake, Cassels & Graydon, and McCarthy Tétrault.

Annau said the lawyers volunteer for less than 50 hours of work per client (jobs count toward the law firms’ billable hour target), offering advice from contract design and reviews to permit and licensing, business structuring, branding and trademarks.

Carolina Velez, owner of Colombia Exotic, an importer of exotic fruits and natural products, said the legal help she got from the clinic was invaluable.

“I did study business and law in university, but it’s Colombian law,” said Velez, another award finalist, who started her company last year, which imports one ton of yellow pitahaya (dragon fruit) a week to sell at Loblaws.

“The lawyer explained to me about my liability, how to protect my interests in the worst scenarios and let me see all the blind spots. There are just a lot of (legal) landmines in business.”

Other immigrant entrepreneur award finalists include: Vibhor Chhabra of Grand Travel Planners Ltd., Igor Chigrin of Win Global Partners and Hardik Kumar Dave of Uniglobe Consulting Inc. The winner will be announced Wednesday.

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2013/03/04/immigrants_given_free_legal_help_to_start_own_business.html

Notice – Changes to the Federal Skilled Worker Program

March 1, 2013 – With new criteria for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) set to take effect in May, many prospective immigrants may already be preparing to apply.

However, future FSWP applicants should be aware that CIC expects to announce three important elements of the FSWP in April that will have an impact on the application process, including:

a cap on the number of applications that will be accepted in the first year;
a new list of priority occupations; and
the organizations that will be designated to conduct educational assessments.

Applicants who prepare their application before this information is announced do so at their own risk. Applications that do not meet the criteria that will be announced in April will not be processed.

On December 19, 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced significant changes to the FSWP. In addition, the Minister announced that the new FSWP would be opened up for applications on May 4, 2013. A pause on applications, except for those from certain PhD students and those supported by a qualifying job offer, has been in place since July 1, 2012.

Cisco eyes Canada investment: ‘The easiest place in the world to do business’

Image representing Cisco as depicted in CrunchBase

Image via CrunchBase

MICHAEL BABAD

The Globe and Mail

Published Wednesday, Feb. 27 2013, 7:38 AM EST

Cisco studies Canada
The chief executive officer of Cisco Systems Inc. appears to love Canada, so much so that he’s considering investing in what he calls “the easiest place in the world to do business.”

Of course, there’s more at play here, primarily his failed attempts to change the U.S. government’s mind on how it taxes companies and the amount of money they hold outside the country.

But, hey, if John Chambers wants to put some of that $46-billion (U.S.) to work here, it’s okay with us.

Mr. Chambers said in an interview with The Financial Times that he was studying the possibility of investing part of Cisco’s cash in Canada and Europe, having given up on pressing the U.S. government on double-taxing repatriated cash.

The chief of the tech giant did not say where or how the cash could be used, only that Canada and Europe would be “likely” targets and that the move could be soon, according to the business publication.

“In terms of our overall approach we’re going to go wherever the start-ups are and where the governments are that really want us,” Mr. Chambers, in Barcelona for a conference, told The Financial Times.

“The easiest place in the world to do business is Canada. Their prime minister gets it. They make it easy for me to invest and do acquisitions there; they have a great education program and they have a great immigration policy.”

Canada Welcomes Record Number of Immigrants through Canadian Experience Class

Retaining the Best and Brightest from Around the World

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Feb. 28, 2013) - Canada's fastest-growing immigration stream welcomed a record 9,353 newcomers in 2012, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister Jason Kenney announced today.

"The Canadian Experience Class (CEC) makes Canada more competitive in attracting and retaining the best and brightest individuals with the skills we need. These are people who have already demonstrated their ability to integrate into the Canadian labour market and society," said Minister Kenney. "The CEC allows these skilled and educated individuals to bring their skills and talents, contribute to our economy and help renew our workforce so that Canada remains competitive on the world stage."

This is 34 percent more than the 2012 target of 7,000. Admissions in the CEC, which targets skilled immigrants, are up 55.2 percent from 2011.

Introduced in 2008, CEC is an immigration option for international student graduates and skilled foreign workers with professional, managerial and skilled work experience in Canada. Unlike other programs, CEC allows an applicant's experience in Canada to be considered a key selection factor when immigrating to Canada.

Recently, Citizenship and Immigration Canada streamlined the CEC work experience requirement to make the program faster and more flexible for applicants. As of January 2, 2013, applicants require 12 months of full-time Canadian work experience and now have more time, up to 36 months, to earn it.

NEW PROGRAM TO SUPPORT IMMIGRANT ENTREPRENEURS IN CANADA

Canada (Photo credit: palindrome6996)

The federal government recently announced a new Start-Up Visa Program geared toward recruiting innovative immigrant entrepreneurs who will help create new jobs and support economic growth.

Start-Up Visa Program

Beginning April 1, 2013, the new program will link immigrant entrepreneurs with private sector organizations that have experience working with start-ups. These relationships will be created to help entrepreneurs navigate the Canadian business environment and launch innovative companies that employ people in Canada.

What is Required?

Foreign entrepreneurs will require the support of a Canadian angel investor group, venture capital fund or a business incubator before they can apply to the Start-Up Visa Program. They must also meet the language proficiency and educational requirements of the program.

Initially, Canada’s Venture Capital & Private Equity Association and the National Angel Capital Organization will be partners in the program, and only members of these organizations will be able to participate in the program at its outset. These partner associations will help the federal government ultimately determine which of their members should be eligible for the visa program.

How to Apply

Applications open on April 1, 2013 with the pilot program running up to five years. Those interested in applying should visit the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website for more details.