Browse opportunities the way you would browse projects: search, filter, open a profile and compare. Listings are examples for investigation—not recommendations—and availability must always be confirmed.
An existing business can create immediate operations and cash flow, but good businesses do not wait indefinitely for a buyer to arrange immigration status.
That is why advance planning matters. If the immigration strategy is considered before the acquisition, an entrepreneur can move more quickly when a good opportunity appears. We can help connect buyers with businesses, assess immigration fit and coordinate commercial and legal due diligence.
Finding a promising business is only the beginning. Sellers and their agents commonly require a non-disclosure agreement before releasing financial statements, leases, contracts, customer information or other confidential records.
Some sellers are also reluctant to engage with a foreign buyer. They may anticipate additional complications, question whether the buyer is ready and able to proceed, or simply want to avoid spending time on an inquiry that may not be serious.
Having our firm make the approach can show that the inquiry is organized and genuine. Sellers, brokers and their advisers know our reputation and understand that we are familiar with both the transaction and the immigration objectives.
We know the questions to ask, the documents to request and the issues that should be identified early—from financial results and lease terms to employees, assets, liabilities and transfer restrictions.
Reported business income may not tell the whole story. We can help examine owner-specific and discretionary expenses and, with accounting input where appropriate, assess normalized earnings and the owner's discretionary income.
Our firm can coordinate confidentiality, document collection, commercial and legal due diligence, professional advisers and the immigration strategy so that each part of the process works together.
These are some of the many businesses we have come across recently that may be worth investigating for people planning to immigrate to Canada through business ownership. They illustrate the range of opportunities and asking prices in the Canadian market; they are not recommendations, and we do not know whether every business is still available.
If an opportunity interests you, we can approach the seller or broker, confirm availability, obtain the confidential information and help assess both the business and its immigration fit.
Many small and mid-sized Canadian businesses are marketed at approximately 2.5 to 3.5 times maintainable EBITDA—earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. If earnings remain stable, that valuation may suggest recovery of the purchase price over roughly 2.5 to 3.5 years before financing costs, taxes, working capital, reinvestment and other expenses. It is a valuation guide, not a guaranteed payback period.
Interested in buying a Canadian business? We can help you investigate the opportunity, structure the transaction and align it with a workable immigration strategy.
Contact us to learn more