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VANCOUVER — Canada has received just six applications for its pilot immigration program for millionaires, far fewer than for its investor class visa that was scrapped last year amid criticism it was allowing rich Chinese to buy their way into Canada.

“I knew it wasn’t going to work. It was poorly designed,” said Richard Kurland, a Vancouver immigration lawyer who filed an Access to Information request for the data.

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Canada said in December it was looking for 50 wealthy foreigners to join the pilot run of the Immigrant Investor Venture Capital (IIVC) plan, under which applicants must be far richer than those who entered under the previous program.

Canada’s history is full of new beginnings: It is the story of many of our ancestors who came to this country in search of opportunity, peace or security.





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Kurland said the revamped program will likely “wither on the vine and quietly go away” given the clear lack of demand from would-be immigrants who balked at the high price tag and uncertainty about their investment.

Despite the low number, an official at the Citizenship and Immigration department said the government would not consider going back to a program similar to the previous investor class visa.

“We believe it is important to continue testing demand, because we know that the IIVC pilot program can deliver significant benefit (to) Canada,” a spokesperson said in an email.

Under the new program, would-be immigrants must invest a minimum of C$2 million ($1.5 million) in Canada for a 15-year period and must have a net worth of at least C$10 million. Among other criteria, they must also meet a new requirement that they speak English or French.