Swiss immigrants to Canada tend to come to the country primarily through the Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) worker programs but are also a good fit for the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP).
Canada’s only passive investment immigration program, the QIIP allows foreign nationals to gain their permanent residence in the country by investing in that province.
In the first 11 months of last year, 200 Swiss men and women became new permanent residents of Canada.
The FSW program helped 70 Swiss gain their permanent residency in Canada and another 15 arrived through the CEC program in the first 11 months of last year.
In the first 11 months of last year another 30 immigrated to Canada through Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) and 60 through family sponsorships.
The QIIP allows foreign nationals to gain permanent residence in Canada simply by investing $1 million with IQ Immigrant Investisseurs Inc., a Quebec crown corporation, without having to establish or actively manage a business in the province.
Swiss nationals who choose to immigrate to Canada through the QIIP must additionally pay a non-refundable financial contribution of $200,000 and intend to settle in the French-speaking province of Quebec.
Successful applicants are then issued a selection certificate from Quebec for Canada immigration, which allows them to obtain their Canadian permanent residence following health and criminality checks by federal immigration officials.
The eligibility criteria include:
- language proficiency
- a legally acquired personal net worth of $2 million;
- two years of suitable management or business experience within the five years preceding the application;
- mandatory Residency;
- investment of $1.2 million into a passive government-guaranteed investment for a period of five years bearing no interest;
- a high school diploma, and;
- the intention to settle in the province of Quebec.
