Visas & Advice Detail
Sowing visa seeds
Canadian immigration consultant Sara Green overviews the visa options for those wishing to own a farm in Canada
A common misconception that we run into is that some people are of the impression that purchasing a farm in Canada will put their application in a priority queue and overcome the inability to qualify for one of the other immigrant streams.
Moreover, foreign nationals wishing to purchase farmland in Canada will find they face restrictions on the parcel size of farmland they may own. Foreign ownership of land is a provincial jurisdiction so the amount of farmland a non-resident can purchase will vary from province to province. For example, in Saskatchewan the limit is ten acres, Alberta it is 20 acres and in Manitoba it is 40 acres.
If a foreign national wants to purchase or establish a farm in Canada, they will need to apply for permanent residency through either the Federal Self-Employed Stream or one of the Provincial Immigrant Nominee programmes that support farm ownership applicants.
Federally, the Self-Employed Stream, which is a class within the Business Immigrant Stream, represents a small portion of the number of economic immigrants Canada processes. In 2008 out of 149,007 economic immigrant principal applicant's granted permanent residence status in Canada, 164 were self-employed, which included those self-employed in agricultural / farm ownership and those who are self-employed in sports or cultural sectors.
There are several differences between the self-employed applicant requirements and that of federal skilled workers. Persons applying under the self-employed category need to meet the definition for the category and demonstrate that they have the relevant experience as a farm owner / operator for a minimum of two years. In addition, they will have to provide proof that they are able to make a minimum investment of CDN$400,000 for the purchase of an agricultural enterprise and meet the point criteria set for business class immigrants. The processing fees for the principal applicant are higher than for skilled workers: CDN$1050 versus CDN$550. Contrary to popular belief, processing times are not any faster for those who qualify under the definition of self-employed farmer. The current processing times for this category at the London High Commission are two-to-three years.
Some of the provinces have immigrant nominee programmes to support the self-employed farmer. Processing times range from 12 to 18 months (as indicated on provincial websites). Saskatchewan and Manitoba are two of the most popular destinations for self-employed farmers. As with all provincial immigrant nominee programmes there are differences, so it is important for potential applicants to fully investigate the programme specific to the province they seek nomination from. There are some similarities in the programmes for Saskatchewan and Manitoba, such as an exploratory visit to the province, farm operation knowledge and experience, presentation of a business case for your farm enterprise and the requirement to sign a performance agreement.
Moreover, the applicant will need to make a 'good faith' deposit of CDN$75,000 to the province. This deposit is returned when conditions of the performance agreement are met and may be forfeited if the conditions are not met within a specified period.
Minimum net worth requirements for Saskatchewan are CDN$500,000, while for Manitoba the requirement is CDN$350,000. Manitoba also has a Young Farmer Nominee Programme for applicants under the age of 40, where net worth requirements are reduced to CDN$150,000. The principal applicant or their spouse / partner have to demonstrate they have marketable skills that would supplement the farm income.
The self-employed federal programme or one of the available provincial immigrant nominee programmes are viable alternatives for those who meet the criteria and are unable to qualify under the federal skilled worker category. Potential applicants need to do their due diligence to compare the federal and provincial programmes to determine which programme is the best fit for them.
Sara Green owns and runs Alberta Immigration with her husband Warren. For further information, visit: Alberta Immigration.