Delta007:

Immigrating to Canada as a Visitor is fine; however, a Visitor's Status (keyword is Status) only allows you to stay in the country for a maximum of 6mths (unless stated otherwise - usually less); then, you have to re-enter the country again. You have to realise a Visa is an entry document; so even if you are given a 1 day Visa or 20yr Visa, you can only stay in the country for 6mths before you re-enter. You are not allowed to work, school, business, etc. The only ways you can become a Permanent Resident (PR) from a Visitor's status is:

- Switch to a Study Visa: If you have an undergrad and have been hoping to develop yourself some more, then applying for a Masters program might not be a bad idea. You may be able to run your business (depending on its nature) and carryout your program at the same time. Switching to a Study Visa while being in Canada on a Visitor's Visa is relatively easy. You get the admission and send the application and all related documents to the nearest embassy (usually Buffalo). As a Nigerian, you'd be required to do medicals; all these could take 4-5mths before you finally get a Study Visa; and remember, you can only stay in the country for 6mths. This means you need to get the process going immediately you get in; perhaps get the admission before you get in. What this does, is that it enables you to buy time while you put in a PR application and it's being processed. When you graduate, you are also eligible for a 3yr work permit which is more than enough time to get your PR status. Now, as a businessman, you probably have some experience so you may qualify for a couple categories; however, this process could take 6mths for some and it could take 2yrs for the others. Funny enough, you can apply from Nigeria; however, it's only one office in Accra that processes all applications for W.Africa so you are pretty sure that it would take you more than 2yrs before you get a decision.

- Marry someone in Canada and get her/him to sponsor you: If you came in on a Visitor's Visa and got married in Canada, your spouse could sponsor you, regardless of your status. This means that even if you overstayed (which frankly, I do not advice), and eventually fall in love with someone and legally get married, you can become a PR if your spouse agree to sponsor you. Now, this is an area which alot of people exploit, not just Nigerians (Indians, Pakistanis, Carribeans, etc) and the Canadian Immigration is quite aware of it. Hence, the onus is always on you and your spouse to prove that your relationship is genuine and not just for papers. There are also restrictions on who can sponsor and your sponsor (spouse) will be responsible for your upkeep for 3yrs.

- Get a job and get your company to sponsor you: If you are one of those sought-after professionals or you are in that line of field, there's a likelihood you could get a job and the company would sponsor you to get a work permit. These cases are rare but very possible. Most firms these days try to stay away from all these immigration wahala so they'd tell you to come back when you get your papers. However firms that are desperate do make the effort to get you the right papers. In your case, they'd also need to go the extra mile and prove that no Canadian has applied for the job or those who applied are not qualified enough for the job. If you can get a work permit, then you bought yourself time and it's a much easier route to get a PR status.

There are some business loopholes you could exploit but it's not an easy task.

My advice: If you think of improving your skills, you may want to go the study route; perhaps this is the right time since you are still single. However, if that's not your cup of coffee, you may want to start by putting in an application from Nigeria for a PR status. While you make your money in Nigeria, the clock is ticking on your application. Perhaps in 3yrs, you may be approved and you may have a much better perspective of how you want your business to evolve as well as your future family plans. It may not be a wise idea to kill a cash cow just because you want to move to an unknown. You may also want to get a Visitor's visa and travel to see how things are so as to put plans together and put a good struture to your business so that you do not always need to be onground to get maximum revenue. Or wait till when you get your PR status so that you can move relatively easily and operate your business from both ends. I hope I made some sense. Goodluck!

Delta007:

Immigrating to Canada as a Visitor is fine; however, a Visitor's Status (keyword is Status) only allows you to stay in the country for a maximum of 6mths (unless stated otherwise - usually less); then, you have to re-enter the country again. You have to realise a Visa is an entry document; so even if you are given a 1 day Visa or 20yr Visa, you can only stay in the country for 6mths before you re-enter. You are not allowed to work, school, business, etc. The only ways you can become a Permanent Resident (PR) from a Visitor's status is:

- Switch to a Study Visa: If you have an undergrad and have been hoping to develop yourself some more, then applying for a Masters program might not be a bad idea. You may be able to run your business (depending on its nature) and carryout your program at the same time. Switching to a Study Visa while being in Canada on a Visitor's Visa is relatively easy. You get the admission and send the application and all related documents to the nearest embassy (usually Buffalo). As a Nigerian, you'd be required to do medicals; all these could take 4-5mths before you finally get a Study Visa; and remember, you can only stay in the country for 6mths. This means you need to get the process going immediately you get in; perhaps get the admission before you get in. What this does, is that it enables you to buy time while you put in a PR application and it's being processed. When you graduate, you are also eligible for a 3yr work permit which is more than enough time to get your PR status. Now, as a businessman, you probably have some experience so you may qualify for a couple categories; however, this process could take 6mths for some and it could take 2yrs for the others. Funny enough, you can apply from Nigeria; however, it's only one office in Accra that processes all applications for W.Africa so you are pretty sure that it would take you more than 2yrs before you get a decision.

- Marry someone in Canada and get her/him to sponsor you: If you came in on a Visitor's Visa and got married in Canada, your spouse could sponsor you, regardless of your status. This means that even if you overstayed (which frankly, I do not advice), and eventually fall in love with someone and legally get married, you can become a PR if your spouse agree to sponsor you. Now, this is an area which alot of people exploit, not just Nigerians (Indians, Pakistanis, Carribeans, etc) and the Canadian Immigration is quite aware of it. Hence, the onus is always on you and your spouse to prove that your relationship is genuine and not just for papers. There are also restrictions on who can sponsor and your sponsor (spouse) will be responsible for your upkeep for 3yrs.

- Get a job and get your company to sponsor you: If you are one of those sought-after professionals or you are in that line of field, there's a likelihood you could get a job and the company would sponsor you to get a work permit. These cases are rare but very possible. Most firms these days try to stay away from all these immigration wahala so they'd tell you to come back when you get your papers. However firms that are desperate do make the effort to get you the right papers. In your case, they'd also need to go the extra mile and prove that no Canadian has applied for the job or those who applied are not qualified enough for the job. If you can get a work permit, then you bought yourself time and it's a much easier route to get a PR status.

There's also the business category but it's a much tougher sell unless you have more than $300k in your account at the moment.

My advice: If you think of improving your skills, you may want to go the study route; perhaps this is the right time since you are still single. However, if that's not your cup of coffee, you may want to start by putting in an application from Nigeria for a PR status. While you make your money in Nigeria, the clock is ticking on your application. Perhaps in 3yrs, you may be approved and you may have a much better perspective of how you want your business to evolve as well as your future family plans. It may not be a wise idea to kill a cash cow just because you want to move to an unknown. You may also want to get a Visitor's visa and travel to see how things are so as to put plans together and put a good struture to your business so that you do not always need to be onground to get maximum revenue. Or wait till when you get your PR status so that you can move relatively easily and operate your business from both ends. I hope I made some sense. Goodluck!

Hotstepper:

@agathamari, Canada population is not declining, where did u get da info from?
do u know dat in Toronto now dat its still like summer,
da weather in Canada is just like da one u will see in most US cities and in terms of weather a sof early this year stats, Canada is third after US and Russia
Canada is good but he cannot make 10,000 dollars a month

leye1234:

@poster,
I just don't understand how some people are buying your STORY. For the life of me, If its true you are making one million a month, why in the world will you be thinking of relocating?

paddy_lo:

ol boy this poster,i dont believe u,but if u are for real heres what u should do,

take a 2 months vacation to canada,get someone to run your business while u are away,pick any city over there that u may like to settle down in and do your vacation there,i promise u after 2 months u will have an idea of how life is and how u might adjust,again if u make #12m a yr (about $80,000),u can afford the vacation

now here is my advice,STAY HOME, the cash flow from your business makes u in the upper class of earners even here in america,talkless of canada
there is nothing here that u cant get over there even cheaper,due to cost of living and low or no direct taxes in nigeria
u talk about your wife and kids,well me i am single too and i will go home to naija to get married,but if u insist your wife can always travel out with u and give birth abroad to get the kpali u desire for your kids
u say u are scared of nigeria,well my man nobody is safe anywhere,we just pray that we dont live through another terrorist attack here in the states,its a recurring theme
about your business and plans to set up one in canada,have u heard of estate taxes?,do u know that when u die most of your wealth is taken over by the government,thats why most rich people here have foundations where they donate their wealth to after they die,u cant even pass it on to your kids,there is a limit on how much u can give them, in nigeria your wealth is yours if u die your houses and land and so on is passed to your kids
and even if u pass your houses on to your kids here if they cant pay the property taxes on it(for ever),it will be seized and sold

my guy stay in naija and enjoy your money,maybe u should move to abuja or lekki,if u need that yankee feeling,
i am telling u all this cause am young and not married too,but i was lucky i came here immediately after i graduated from uni in naija and i have a unique perspective on both places,if u down on your luck with no way out,then its good to emigrate,but if u living large back home,then u would be a FOOL to leave that and come here
for me it was always a need to visit yankee,and i have satisfied that need so am not staying for long,plus i have strong family ties back home

that is another thing u should consider,it may sound like fun just uprooting yourself and marrying someone from anywhere in the world like u claim u want,but its hard to break from your family back home,move to a different country marry someone from a different culture and live happily ever after,its mostly easier said than done,and for most ppl here divorce is not a big deal,

good luck

leye1234:

@poster,
I just don't understand how some people are buying your STORY. For the life of me, If its true you are making one million a month, why in the world will you be thinking of relocating?

Hotstepper:

@agathamari, kool down 4 Jesus
even in US, people make less dan 20,000 a year and read my post again, I said he wont make up to 10,000 a month (depending on da nature of the biz)
b/w, the stats of the weather came out last year cuz I wrote a paper on dat and yes, its that part of da US that they mentioned 2 put Canada in 3rd place
Do u know that last week, Washington State had to close some of their airports cuz of snow/bad weather and no snow yet in Canadian cities and Toronto is still like summer/spring
B/w, try going to OHIO, INDIANA, CHICAGO, BOSTON, MD, VA, DC, NY, NJ and environs and it da same weather as most of Canadian States and even a city like Vancouver does not even experience winter really cuz its mostly rain in Vancouver, in fact in dat BC area

agathamari:

HELLO! I was BORN in OHIO, In AKRON  I have lived in 8 us states as well as in st johns and ottawa in canada.  I m a f*cking american, I married a nigerian.  Currently at this moment the weather in vancover is in celcius 7 degrees, toronto is -2.  The expected high for toronto is 8 degrees for today.  This sound like summer to you? These are some of the warmer areas of canada.  How about yellowknife where it is -14C at the moment.   States like michigan, new york, ohio, pennsylvania have “lake effect” which means their weather patterns are exadurated by the great lakes and the moisture coming from them when it mixes with the polar currents coming down from CANADA! The pacific Northwest (includes british columbia) weather paterns are effected by the ocean currents coming UP from MEXICO.  The first snowfall for toronto was OCT 8th and nearly 1/4 of canada has forcasted snow or freezing rain for today.  Your statemnt the DEPENDING ON HIS JOB he might make $10,000 a month makes it sound like he has a chance at it.  Be serious now, 2% of “westerners” make $120,000 a year or more while 1 in 6 people cant even put food on the table.  The streets arnt paved in gold over there and coments like yours  feed this belief system.  Oh btw the below picture is from vancouver, but I forgot they don’t get a winter so that must be sugar or something

Hotstepper:

@agathamari , no need to be rude
my stand still remains, most US cities apart from da ones in da South have Canada weather cuz I have been to alot of dem, b/w, that they say da weather is gonna be this 2day, does not mean it is gonna be, I am currently in Toronto now so I can tell u how da weather is,
Last xmas, I was in Ohio, Chicago, Indiana and their weather was nuthing less dan that of Toronto. When it comes 2 alberta etc, its da same with Alabama,
so cool down and I have lived in Ottawa myself and by da way, I'm Canadian born so am not just talking 4 talking sake
overall, take it easy as we aint fighting

leye1234:

@poster,
I just don't understand how some people are buying your STORY. For the life of me, If its true you are making one million a month, why in the world will you be thinking of relocating?

Why would he need to lie ? did you Skip the part where he Said he needed Quality life and not all about the Money ? 

Hotstepper:

@agathamari , no need to be rude
my stand still remains, most US cities apart from da ones in da South have Canada weather cuz I have been to alot of dem, b/w, that they say da weather is gonna be this 2day, does not mean it is gonna be, I am currently in Toronto now so I can tell u how da weather is,
Last xmas, I was in Ohio, Chicago, Indiana and their weather was nuthing less dan that of Toronto. When it comes 2 alberta etc, its da same with Alabama,
so cool down and I have lived in Ottawa myself and by da way, I'm Canadian born so am not just talking 4 talking sake
overall, take it easy as we aint fighting

I have envisaged that the first 2 years might be rough but i have enough funds to last me for 5 years, and I believe I would have found my feet by that time, I plan on sending stuffs sellable down to Nigeria to keep my cash flow but lots of people have advised me to stay.

The choice is yours, what you'll probably gain going to Canada will be a canadian passport, I really don't see you making up to 1m naira per month in Canada in the short run, but if you have enough capital and have brilliant business orientation you could start to make more than that in the long run, so if you believe you can do this, i'll advise you to go for it while keeping tab on your business in Nigeria.