Investor entry to Canada
Investors arriving in British Columbia often have capital, experience and a limited understanding of how business is done here. We advise on the business side: what to buy or build, what it is worth, how to structure and finance it and how to run it. The immigration side always sits with a regulated immigration consultant or lawyer, with whom we work closely.
What you leave with
You own or have launched a viable BC business with a plan, financing and professional team in place.
Who it is for
- Investors and entrepreneurs planning to move to BC and run a business here
- Business owners abroad expanding into Canada
- Newcomers already in Canada who want to buy or start a business
What we deliver
- A Canadian Market Entry consultation on how your sector, pricing, hiring and regulation work in BC
- Acquisition search and screening, or a startup feasibility study, depending on your route
- Independent valuation of any target and support through offer, diligence and closing
- A business plan and financial model for lenders, partners and your immigration professionals
- Introductions to lawyers, CPAs, bankers and regulated immigration consultants
How it runs
01Market entry
A 75-minute consultation covers your goals, capital, experience and timing, and what is realistic.
02Route
We decide together whether to buy, start or expand, and coordinate with your immigration professional.
03Transaction or launch
We run the acquisition or the startup build alongside your lawyer and CPA.
04Operate
We stay on to help you run the business in Canada during the first period.
Engagement and fees
Starts with a 75-minute Canadian Market Entry consultation at $449, by video from anywhere or in person in Vancouver. Acquisition, valuation and advisory are then priced under our standard BizSell.ca and consulting terms. Every engagement is scoped after a call and confirmed in writing. See consultations and fees.
What we do and what we do not
We are business advisers. We help you choose, value, buy, start, finance and run a company in British Columbia. We do not give immigration advice, we do not select immigration programs and we do not promise any immigration outcome. That work belongs to regulated immigration consultants and lawyers, and we work alongside them so the business plan, the financials and the transaction documents are what they need. An adviser who promises you both a business and a visa is promising something they cannot control.
Buying versus starting in a new country
Buying an established BC business gives you staff who know the market, customers who are already paying and a track record a lender can read. It also means inheriting someone else's problems in a legal and tax system you are still learning. Starting fresh gives you control and a clean slate but no revenue, no team and a longer road to profit. Expanding a foreign business into Canada works when the demand is real here and fails when it is assumed.
Running a business in Canada for the first time
Employment standards, payroll remittances, sales taxes, workplace safety, leases, insurance, banking and the pace at which deals get done are different here. Newcomer owners who assume their home-country playbook will transfer lose time and money. Ali has founded eight companies since 2007 and moved to Vancouver in 2019, so he has been through the newcomer learning curve himself, and his team of more than thirty specialists has helped many newcomers through the first period. We bring that to your hiring, systems, marketing and lender relationships.
Industries where we run this most
Questions about this service
Can you help me get permanent residence through a business?
No. Immigration advice and applications belong with regulated immigration consultants and lawyers, and nobody can promise an immigration outcome. We help you build or buy a real, viable business and work alongside your immigration professional.
Should I buy a business before I arrive?
Usually not without seeing it, meeting the staff and understanding the market. Many investors complete the search and valuation remotely, then visit for site inspections and final negotiation. We work by video from anywhere.
How much capital do I need?
It depends on the route and the business. We discuss your budget in the first consultation and tell you what it can buy or build in BC. Lenders expect newcomers to show their own equity and relevant experience.
Do you work with investors who are not moving to Canada?
Yes. Some clients acquire or start a BC business as an investment and hire a manager. The advisory, valuation and structuring are the same. Tax and residency questions go to your CPA and lawyer.
Start with a confidential conversation.
Tell Ali where the business is and what you want to happen next. You leave with a straight read on value, timing and the two or three moves that matter, whether or not we work together.