NLPNP International Graduate Entrepreneur: PR for Memorial and CNA Graduates Who Run a Business

This category of the Newfoundland and Labrador Provincial Nominee Program (NLPNP) is for international students who stayed in NL after graduating and built a business instead of taking a job. You run the business on your post-graduation work permit, rather than on the special entrepreneur work permit used in the International Entrepreneur category. Once you have operated it for a full year and meet the rules, the province can nominate you for permanent residence.

It is only for graduates of Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic (CNA). Graduates of other schools, and entrepreneurs without an NL degree, should look at the International Entrepreneur category. Graduates who prefer employment can use the International Graduate category.

According to the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism (OIM), you must:

• have completed a degree or diploma from Memorial University or College of the North Atlantic after at least two years of full-time, in-person study, within the last two years
• hold a valid post-graduation work permit (see our PGWP guide)
• own at least 33.3% of a local business and actively manage it for one full year
• have created at least one full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent resident
• run a for-profit business
• score at least CLB 7 in English or French in speaking, listening, reading and writing
• submit a business continuity plan with verified financial documents, at your own cost
• intend to live in NL permanently
• submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA)

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

Starting versus buying

If you started the business, the job you create must be full-time, year-round, not filled by a family member, directly related to the business, and paid a fair wage. If you bought the business, it must have had the same owner for the previous five years, be active and not in receivership, have been bought at fair market value, and keep its existing staff on the same wages and conditions.

You must submit two reports prepared by a licensed Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) in Newfoundland and Labrador who holds a public accountant's license:

You give the CPA written permission, including your ITA number, to send the reports directly to OIM. Reports that do not come directly from the verifier are not accepted. You pay the CPA's fees.

The same exclusions apply as for the International Entrepreneur category. Ineligible businesses include:

• remote businesses run from outside NL or Canada
• property rental, leasing, or 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, or taxi companies
• home-based businesses, unless they clearly benefit NL
• adult content, passive investment, or any business that could harm the program's reputation

You are also ineligible if you are a passive investor, are under a removal order, are banned from entering Canada, or lack legal status.

Timing matters. You need a valid PGWP when you apply and a full year of running the business. Plan your business launch early in your PGWP, and check the validity dates against the one-year requirement and the two-year graduation window.

If your permit is close to expiring, learn about maintained status and talk to a lawyer or licensed consultant (RCIC) about options before your status runs out. Other Atlantic options, such as the Atlantic Immigration Program, require a job offer from a designated employer rather than self-employment.

The category's overview page does not list a provincial application fee as of September 2026. Your main costs are the CPA's Review Engagement and Special Purpose Report, language testing, and federal permanent residence fees, plus the money invested in the business itself. For an overview of all business routes, see invest in Canada.