IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAM

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IRIC offers a specialized Immigrant Investor Program for those seeking Canadian residency, leading to eventual Canadian Citizenship. Our Program links IRIC and Hampton’s expertise in investment and finance to a range of specialized services that you may be requiring. These comprehensive services are provided through consulting arrangements with leading Canadian tax & accounting firms, legal firms, and banks. Where necessary, special services in real estate and business law can be added.

IRIC- Hampton Immigrant Investor Program is a component of our international private wealth management service.

A Total Service PacKage

IRIC- Hampton Immigrant Investor Division organizes all phases of the investor application, the interview process, and the full financial package to meet the program requirements.

A team of senior consultants supports our skills in investment and financing with specialized advice in immigration law, tax and accounting, and other professions, as may be needed.

We assemble a service team built for your individual needs. Advice is expert, complete and comprehensive.

The individual requirements of an immigrant investor may vary. As an example, a Middle East applicant in his early 40’s, married with one younger child, needed only the financing and immigration law service modules.

Another applicant, an Asian property developer with two children nearing university entrance, needed professional consultation on university education, and introductions to Montreal real estate and property development firms.

Each applicant in the Immigrant Investor Program is given the highly personalized services that they require.

Senior Consultant RelationShips

Immigration Law Specialists
IRIC and Hampton engages a variety of senior immigration law specialists, drawn from the staff of leading Canadian law firms with specialization in the immigration area. The choice of legal specialists may depend on language, and on familiarity with certain countries and points of origin.

Tax and Accounting
We will select one of the major international tax and accounting firms, based on their particular experience in defined geographic areas, and on the presence of their representative offices and experienced staff globally.

International Banking
Depending on the needs and country of origin of the applicant, we will select one of Canada’s major chartered banks as a service partner. Canada’s major banks are federally regulated, have among the highest capital strength ratios among international banks, and operate in all provinces in Canada and in many countries around the world.

Other specialists, as required, in:
Real estate
Business brokerage
Commercial law
Education and social & health services

Three Types Of Immigration Routes

IRIC specializes in Type 1: Investor Immigrants , as described below.

1. Investor Category – Canada seeks to attract investment from wealthy individuals, granting permanent residency status to foreign individuals who (1) have accumulated net worth exceeding C$ 800,000; (2) have at least three years of real experience in starting-up and/or active management of a profitable enterprise; and (3) will make a qualifying investment of C$ 400,000 for five years.

This category, in contrast to the Entrepreneur category (which requires active management, and is conditional upon satisfying the above-mentioned terms), is unconditional, and only requires a passive investment into an authorized investment fund. The fund may offer a variety of financing options, which may reduce the financial commitment of the investor to approximately C$120,000.

2. Entrepreneur Category – Canada wants to attract investment and new businesses, and may grant permanent residency status to foreign business persons who: (1) have experience managing enterprises; (2) have availability of sufficient means [usually at least CDN$300,000] for starting a new enterprise in Canada or acquiring an already existing business or share of a business; (3) will actively participate in the management of a business; and (4) will employ at least one Canadian citizen or resident, who is not a member of the entrepreneur’s family, as a regular employee of the enterprise. Permanent residency is granted conditionally, with the entrepreneur obliged, within a two-year period, to put the enterprise into operation, satisfy the job creation requirement, and make a “significant contribution” to the Canadian economy.

3. Independent Category – Canada seeks to attract young professionals with good knowledge of English or French in occupations that enjoy demand. IT professionals; engineers; financial analysts and managers; marketing, advertising, and management consultants; mathematicians, physicists, chemists, and other occupations in the sciences; lab technology and certain medical professions – each of these specialties may be in demand.

There are, it should be noted, also other forms of immigration, such as family sponsorship (permanent residents/citizens may sponsor family members) and certain other self-employed categories.

Which Immigrant Investor Program ! IS BEST FOR YOU

Two Immigrant Investor Programs are available – one operated be the Federal Government of Canada, and one sponsored by the Government of Québec, Canada’s largest province.

Both programs provide Canadian Residency, leading thereafter to full Canadian citizenship.

In our opinion the Immigrant Investor Program of Québec currently offers proven advantages of speed, lower cost, and greater flexibility.

QUEBEC IMMIGRANT INVESTOR PROGRAM DETAILS

Who Qualifies !

To qualify under the Québec Immigrant Investor Program, you must:

• Have a minimum net worth of C$ 800,000 acquired through lawful economic activities;
• Have at least three years of management experience (planning, supervision and control of human, material or financial resources) in a profitable and lawful business ( which could be agricultural, industrial or commercial), or in government or with an international agency;
• Undertake to invest, for five years, CDN $400,000, through a securities broker recognized by the Québec Securities Commission. Here, a Deposit and Investment Agreement is signed with the securities broker. The funds are invested with a subsidiary of Investissement Québec,[an agency of the Québec Government, for the purpose of financing a development program for Québec-based small and medium-sized businesses. This investment is fully guaranteed by the Government of Québec.
• Declare and intent to settle in the Province of Québec.

The Financing Options

1- Full Funding
The investor deposits the full CDN $400,000. No further payment is required.

At the end of 5 years, the CDN $400,000 is returned to the investor, with no accrued interest. [The $400,000 has been placed in government bonds for the 5-year term.]

2- Using Financed FundingThe investor pays CDN $ 120,000, *See Note Below
No further payment is required by the investor. No balance of the CDN $120,000 is repaid to the investor at the end of the five year term.
The CDN $120,000 finances a closed end 5 year term borrowing of $400,000 from a chartered bank – a loan that is initiated and then repaid with no further costs to the applicant investor.
The financing option is particularly attractive to those applicants who wish to retain the maximum amount of capital for investment in their ongoing business affairs.

Note: The current financed funding cost of CDN $120,000 will change if the overall rates of interest in the Canadian banking system change due to the central Bank of Canada raising or lowering the prime bank rate in Canada.There is one fee which the Applicant must pay directly to the Federal and Provincial government. This fee is currently at $5000 for one individual, with small additions of approximately $ 600 for each dependant.

Legal Services Needed

If the immigrant investor applicant uses the full funding route of CDN $ 400,000, the applicant would directly pay for the specialized immigration legal services outlined below.

If the applicant uses the financed funding option, IRIC and Hampton Securities pays for expert immigration legal counsel to complete the steps outlined below.

Specialized local consultants, affiliated with Hampton Securities, may apply a consulting fee for their additional services in processing the application file.

Reviewing Your Application File
Legal counsel experienced in the Immigration process reviews your application and supporting documentation prior to submission.

Preparation for the Selection Interview
This legal counsel then individually prepares the candidate for the selection interview.

Assisting at the Immigration Interview
Your immigration counsel will attend and assist during the interview for the Canada Immigrant Investor program.

The benefits of skilled legal assistance:
Experienced legal counsel on your application file is essential to guide the process, and facilitate the progress of the application. Immigration law and regulations change continually. This highlights the importance of up-to-date and skilled legal counsel.

The application Processus

• A comprehensive range of government programs to support business and technological development
• Close integration with US markets and NAFTA
• A vibrant and multicultural society
• Excellent universities and technical institutions

Quebec ’s Immigrant Investor Program offers a unique five year tax advantage. Before arriving in Canada, the investor can establish an offshore trust that will avoid income taxes for five years. A comprehensive insight into life in Québec can be found on the following web site.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will any further payments be required?
Whether you select to deposit CDN $400,000 or whether you opt for our financing option, there are no further amounts that will be payable by you to the Immigrant Investor Program at iric-Hampton Securities.

If I use the full funding method, how do I know that my investment is secure?
In the case of the Québec Program, the investment is guaranteed by a CDN $ 400,000 five-year Term Note payable to the order of the Investor. This note is issued by IQ Immigrants Investisseurs inc., a subsidiary of Investissement Québec, an agency of the Québec government. The note is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Government of Québec.

In the case of the Canada Program, the investment is guaranteed by a five-year Non-transferable Zero Interest Promissory Note. This note is fully and unconditionally guaranteed.

If I select the financing option, am I personally liable for the financing loan?
No. All financing loans to immigrant investors are made on the basis that the financing bank shall have no legal recourse against the immigrant investor in repayment of the loan. The financing Bank assumes all risk as to the loan – which, because the funds are ultimately secured by a Government obligation, is not a risk.

How long does it take for the Selection Certificate and the Permanent Resident visa to be issued?
There is no standard time period for the issuance of either the Selection Certificate. or the Permanent Resident Visa. The processing time by either the Québec Immigration authorities, or the Canadian immigration authorities can vary from 10 months to 24 months. This will depend on the volume of files being processed, as well as the completeness of the required documentation submitted with the Applicant’s immigration application.

Is my family included in my application for a Selection Certificate?
The application for a Québec Selection Certificate and the application for Canadian Permanent Residence includes the immigrant investor applicant, his or her legal spouse and any dependent children of the applicant or the spouse under 22 years old. Unmarried children 22 years of age or older may be included if they have been consistently enrolled in full-time studies since attaining the age of 22 years old, and if they are entirely in the financial care of their parents.

What is “permanent residence” in Canada?
Obtaining “permanent residence” or “permanent resident status” in Canada is also known as “immigrating to Canada” or becoming a “landed immigrant.”

The successful end result of the immigration process is the issuance of an immigrant visa.

Persons to whom an immigrant visa has been issued then present themselves to an Immigration Officer at one of Canada’s official ports of entry in order to become landed immigrants.

What benefits do I have if I am a permanent resident of Canada?
Canadian permanent residents/landed immigrants and citizens enjoy all of the same rights and privileges, such as health care, elementary and secondary education, with three exceptions:

Once I am a permanent resident of Canada, do I have to stay in Canada?
Within any five (5) year period, a permanent resident must be:

• physically present in Canada for at least 730 days - two years in that five year period
• or outside of Canada, accompanying a Canadian citizen, who is his or her spouse or common-law partner or a child accompanying a parent
• or outside of Canada, employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business,
• or an accompanying spouse, common-law partner or child of a permanent resident, who is outside Canada and is employed as a full-time basis by a Canadian business.

Do I have to live in Québec?
Investors in our program will receive a Permanent Resident Visa from the Government of Canada. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, part of the Constitution of Canada (which has precedence over other Canadian laws), guarantees mobility rights, or free movement within Canada: “Every citizen of Canada and every person who has the status of a permanent resident of Canada has the right a) to move to and take up residence in any province; and b) to pursue the gaining of a livelihood in any province.”

What are the steps leading to citizenship?
Under the Program, you may receive:
An unconditional Canadian Visa.

Once your Canadian Visa application is approved, you and your family will be entitled to:

• Permanent Residence status upon entering Canada;
• The right to work and travel anywhere in Canada;
• The right to enter and leave Canada freely;
• The privilege of applying for full Canadian Citizenship three years following your permanent landing in Canada.

What is the difference between the Immigrant Investor Program vs. the Entrepreneur Program?
The Immigrant Investor Program differs from the Entrepreneur Program, another Canadian immigration option. Some differences have been covered in this web site’s panel entitled “Overview of the three types of immigration routes”

The Entrepreneur Program may be suitable for individuals who have the necessary expertise and the willingness to invest in a start-up business. Many potential immigrants do not chose this program because of risks inherent in start-ups, or because they do not yet have firsthand experience in running a Canadian business.

The Immigrant Investor Program avoids these concerns, and allows applicants to make passive arms length investments (under government financial guarantee), while they establish themselves and research the Canadian business environment.

About IRIC AND Hampton Securities

IRIC and Hampton Securities offers a specialized Immigrant Investor Program for those seeking Canadian Residency, leading to eventual Canadian citizenship.

IRIC, a member of the SCCI and Hampton Securities, a member of the IDA, NASD, CIPF, SIPC, and the Toronto, Montreal and Boston Stock Exchanges, conducts international institutional agency operations, specialist/market maker trading, and private wealth management.

Partnership Values

The structure and service ethic of IRIC and Hampton Securities is based on a partnership that shares five core values.

Experience: Our partners have experience and expertise and understand how the support and strength derived from shared goals benefits the firm's clients.

Excellence: Our partners have a depth of ability in all the investment services we offer clients.

Permanence: Our partners believe in building long term relationships both with our clients and each other.

Profitability: Our partners believe that superior management and profitability is the key to attracting those colleagues who

have the professional capabilities our clients need.

Growth: Our partners believe that solid planned growth is the clearest measure of ability and achievement. Thus, we continue to welcome investment professionals and to expand our services around the world, while at the same time maintaining our unique flat management structure.