Last week the Canadian Government revealed its Economic Action Plan for 2012. They have announced their commitment to supporting entrepreneurs, innovators and world-class research.

 

Jason Kenney, Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister stated: “Our government’s top priority remains jobs, growth and long-term prosperity. Canada cannot afford to lose out in the competition for foreign entrepreneurs among immigrant-receiving countries”.

He went on to express the country’s aim to proactively target a new type of immigrant. The entrepreneur who has the potential to build innovative companies that will have the ability to compete on a global scale and create jobs for Canadians.

In order to support their plan to attract people who will benefit the Canadian economy, the government have announced plans to build a fast and flexible economic immigration system which will focus on meeting the emerging needs of the Canadian economy. Changes will be made to the Business Immigration Programmes and there will be increased emphasis on targeting active investment in Canadian growth companies and more innovative entrepreneurs.

In order to make it easier for people with the desirable skills to gain access to the country, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) have announced that they want to consult with industry groups about setting up a start-up visa programme for innovative entrepreneurs in the coming months. The scheme will involve linking foreign entrepreneurs with private sector companies that have experience in working with start-ups.

Stewart Buchanan of the CanadaBuyingGuide.com commented: “The Canadian economy has recovered well from the global financial crisis and has practically replaced all of the jobs that were sadly lost during that time. After this initial speedy recovery, things appear to have slowed down a little, mirroring what is going on in the US.

“Canada is competing with other countries who understand how important it is to encourage the best minds to move to their shores. The advantage of Canada is that as well as there being a lot of opportunity, it is a great place to live. Since me and my partner moved here, we haven’t looked back. I’m sure that these new provisions will lead to the arrival of some great minds and will result in a real boost to the Canadian economy.”

The retail sector is the single largest employer in Canada, accounting for almost two million workers. Health care, social assistance and manufacturing are the next biggest employers. However, there has been a big shift towards natural resources. Mining, quarrying and the oil and gas sectors have seen a big rise in head counts in recent years. At the other end of the scale, jobs in real estate and education have been shrinking.

In March, Canada added more than 82,000 jobs with the gains coming from its two largest provinces, Ontario and Quebec.

For details of properties for sale in Canada, visit the Canada listings on Rightmove Overseas. Preparation for anyone considering a move to Canada should include planning for the transfer of your pounds into Canadian dollars. For information on how to do this safely and save money when doing so – giving you more to spend on shopping – speak to currency exchange specialist Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in Canada, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘Canada Property Buying Guide’