Canada and the Globalized Immigrant

Canada's current immigration policy, titled theImmigrant Investor program, is aimed at attracting investors and entrepreneursto immigrate to Canada and invest in its economy. The goals, objectives andresults of this innovative immigration program are analyzed. Ten Chinese business owners in the Chinatown section of Montreal who weremembers of the Centre d' Integration Chinois de Montreal, and had enteredCanada in the entrepreneur program within the last five years, were interviewedusing semi-structured interview questionnaires. The interviews revealed that immigrant investors were reluctant to invest inknowledge-based technology industries and manufacturing. Instead, they followedethnic business strategies that resulted in co-ethnic and service providingbusinesses that hire co-ethnics.Fear of financial risk, bank loanrefusals, and the familiarity factor had contributed to the entrepreneurialimmigrant's business patterns. Also, the two-year time limit for setting up abusiness often resulted in the immigrant businessmen setting up businesses thatdid little benefit to the economy and often competed with existing businesses.(VRS)