Whether you are just considering Ontario as a place for you and your family or are in the process of planning your move, the following links will help you find the information you need:

Ontario is a province of immigrants. We welcome approximately 60% of all immigrants to Canada. Nearly 40% of Canadians live in Ontario. Ontario offers a wide variety of urban and rural lifestyle choices, from bustling metropolitan areas to quaint towns and farming communities. In short, Ontario offers incredible possibilities and opportunities.

There have been many success stories among Ontario's business immigrants, who come from all countries around the world. Click here to see a sampling of just a few of these motivated and driven businesspersons and discover the world of opportunities Ontario has to offer! Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) makes decisions on all immigrant applications.

Exploratory trips to Ontario allow you to come and explore Ontario, to see whether Ontario will suit you as an immigration destination. If you decide thereafter to immigrate, this trip will be one point in your favour when your application is assessed by CIC. A visitor visa needs to be obtained for many nationals in order to make this trip.

There are several classes of immigration, which can be broadly summarized into economic, family and refugee classes. The BIS advises intending and new immigrants within the business immigration subsection of the economic class. CIC ultimately decides who qualifies for immigration to Ontario.

Business immigrants, in most cases, require past ownership of a successful business, including the employment of workers. Senior management experience and self-employment may suffice for investors and self-employed applicants. Rules must be carefully examined before applying.

Professionals and highly skilled workers may qualify as economic immigrants under this class, which attracts the largest percentage of immigrants to Canada each year. It is traditionally easier to qualify as a skilled worker than as a business immigrant. You should consider all immigrant categories before the choosing the one most appropriate for yourself.

Assuming that you have a good medical history and a clear criminal background, basic issues to be considered before moving to Ontario include the type of community in which you want to live, professional regulations pertaining to your field of work, and other basic issues such as health insurance, drivers license requirements and customs requirements.

You can find settlement information in a wide variety of places on the internet. A good place to start is www.settlement.org, which serves as a repository for information and links to government and other websites and service providers.

Permanent Residents must be physically resident in Canada for 2 years every 5 year period in order to maintain status. Narrow exceptions exist if you accompany your citizen spouse, or are employed outside Canada by a Canadian business or the public service.