Who can apply?
Alberta’s Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream (FGES) is for people with:
- A degree completed outside Canada within the last 10 years, with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
- At least 6 months of full-time business ownership, management or incubator/accelerator experience
- CLB/NCLC 5 in English or French
Investment and ownership
| Calgary/Edmonton metropolitan areas | Elsewhere | |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum investment | CAD 100,000 | CAD 50,000 |
| Minimum ownership | 34% | 51% |
The investment can come from your or your spouse’s own equity, or from a recognised Canadian financial institution, venture capital fund or angel investor.
Eligible sectors
Technology, aerospace, financial services, energy, agriculture, tourism, life sciences and pharmaceuticals.
The process
- Prepare a business plan and a 10-minute pitch deck
- Obtain a letter of recommendation from a designated agency
- Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI, CAD 200), invited on a 200-point grid
- File the Business Application within 90 days of invitation (CAD 3,500)
- Sign the Business Performance Agreement and run the business in Alberta on a two-year work permit for at least 12 months
- Submit the final report, receive a provincial nomination and apply for permanent residence