NLPNP International Entrepreneur: Start or Buy a Business in Newfoundland and Labrador

This category of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) uses a work permit first model:

1. You submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). If selected, you receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
2. You apply with a business plan and a verified net worth report, and attend an in-person interview.
3. If approved, you sign a Business Performance Agreement with the province and apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for a work permit.
4. You move to NL, start or buy the business, and actively manage it every day for at least one full year.
5. If you meet the agreement, the province can nominate you, and you apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

Passive investors are not eligible. You must be involved in daily operations.

The Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM) says you must:

• be 21 to 59 years old
• have at least a Canadian high school diploma or equivalent, verified by an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) done within the last five years
• have at least C$600,000 in personal and business assets that can be transferred to Canada
• be ready to invest at least C$200,000 in a business and own at least 33.3% of it, or invest C$1 million in equity
• create at least one full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• have business experience: either 2 or more years of owning (25% or more) and managing a business in the last 5 years, or 5 or more years in a senior management role in the last 10 years
• score at least CLB 5 in English or French (CELPIP, IELTS, or TEF accepted)
• submit a business plan with verified financial documents, at your own cost
• intend to live in NL permanently and actively manage a business that benefits the province

Applicants focused on regional development or high-demand sectors such as agriculture, aquaculture, technology, or natural resources get priority.

Both are allowed.

Which businesses are not allowed?

The province excludes remote businesses run from outside NL, property rental and investment businesses, real estate, insurance or business brokerages (unless they clearly benefit NL), regulated professional services or self-employment, payday loans, check cashing, money exchange, ATMs, pawn shops, taxi companies, home-based businesses (unless they clearly benefit NL), adult content, passive investment, and anything that could harm the program's reputation.

If you apply from outside Newfoundland and Labrador, you must visit the province before submitting your application. The visit lets you research the market and, if buying, meet the owner. You pay your own travel costs for the visit and for an in-person interview.

You must also submit a Net Worth Verification Report prepared by one of the province's designated verifiers (the province lists accounting firms including MNP, KPMG and BDO). You give the verifier written permission, with your ITA number, to send the report directly to OIM. Reports sent any other way are not accepted, and you pay the verifier's fees.

The province states there is no fee to apply under this category. You still pay for:

• the net worth verification report and business plan
• language tests and an ECA
• travel for the exploratory visit and interview
• federal work permit and permanent residence fees
• your investment, which carries normal business risk

Business immigration is complex and expensive to get wrong. Talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you commit money, and read our scam protection guide. If you studied in NL and already run a business, the International Graduate Entrepreneur category has different rules.

• Nova Scotia Entrepreneur: by invitation only, with its own net worth rules.
• New Brunswick Business Immigration: a work-permit-first stream with lower net worth.
• PEI Business Work Permit: few or no invitations in 2026.
• The federal Start-Up Visa closed to new applicants at the end of 2025.

Our invest in Canada hub compares business routes.