Off topic: Buying a Canadian PR Card?

[Delicia 1]

My husband works in the construction business in Canada. There are many illegals in the trade (both in Canada and the U.S.) and my husband meets them daily at his job sites. Anyway, my husband was talking to one the other day and who knows how they got on the topic, but this this illegal from Central America is in the process of working his way up to a very high limit $$ Visa credit card. His current limit is just under $100K. His last purchase was a new car which he bought with the Visa and then paid he bill off entirely immediately. Then he turned around and sold the car for cash. This man lives like a monk, doesn't spend money on anything other than food and he rents a place to sleep on the floor. He saves and saves and saves until he can buy something big, charges it on his Visa, then pays the Visa off, and sells the item, rinse and repeat. I know getting a credit card is easy and doesn't require any kind of status in the country as I have had them offered to me while living there.

The reason this man is doing this is he is under the belief that for $300K, you can buy Canadian citizenship. As long as you are not inadmissible for criminal or health reasons, you can bypass the rest of the application process (he would be deported if he applied and subsequently denied as he doesn't have immediate family in Canada nor does he qualify as 'skilled labor') and even bypass the PR time requirements. He plans on getting enough of a credit line to buy his citizenship.

Is he crazy or has other people heard these rumors?

[trailmix 77]

Citizenship Canada does have an immigration class for investors, entrepreneurs and self-employed persons, this is probably what he is referring to:

The Entrepreneur Program seeks to attract experienced business persons who will own and actively manage businesses in Canada that contribute to the economy and create jobs. Entrepreneurs must:

show that they have business experience

have a minimum net worth of C$300,000 that was obtained legally and

respect the conditions for entrepreneurs after they arrive in Canada.

More info here

[trailmix 77]

Oh just out of interest, the you can buy U.S. permanent residency too

I would think most western countries offer some kind of investment visa/pr.

[Delicia 1]

I guess now all I have to do is win the lottery to get my husband here.

[Krikit 1,164]

have a minimum net worth of C$300,000

Wow. It's gone up. Last time this came up it was "only" 100k. Scary how time flies. LOL