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10 Countries That Give Visas To Entrepreneurs

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Being an entrepreneur has its perks, and one of them includes the benefits of getting visas from top nations in the world. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development reports that over 40 countries now offer special startup visas to help entrepreneurs grow their businesses and expand globally.

A Start-Up Visa gives entrepreneurs from other countries the chance to build and grow their businesses in a new place, often in fields like tech, health, or clean energy. The idea is to bring in fresh talent and innovative ideas that can boost the local economy, create jobs, and solve real-world problems.

These visas usually last between 2 and 3 years and can open the door to permanent residency or even citizenship if the business does well and meets certain goals.

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Here are 10 countries that offer visas to entrepreneurs.

Canada

Canada’s Start-Up Visa Program targets innovative entrepreneurs who can create jobs and compete globally. To qualify, applicants must secure support from a designated organisation like a venture capital fund and meet language and financial requirements. Successful applicants receive permanent residency from the start.

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READ ALSO:Nigeria Ranks World’s 102nd Happiest Nation, US, Germany Not Among 20 Top Counties

United Kingdom

The UK offers the Innovator founder visa, which replaced the old Start-Up and Innovator visas. It is aimed at entrepreneurs with innovative, scalable business ideas endorsed by an approved body. Applicants do not need investment funds upfront but must prove their idea is new and viable. It can lead to permanent residency after 3 years.

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United States

While the US does not have a formal startup visa, the International Entrepreneur Parole program allows foreign founders of high-growth startups to stay in the US temporarily. Founders must show substantial funding from investors or government grants and the potential for job creation. It is not a direct path to a green card but can be a stepping stone.

Portugal

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Portugal offers the Startup Visa for non-EU tech entrepreneurs who want to build innovative companies in the country. Applicants must be accepted into a certified incubator and show they plan to create jobs and meet minimum income or profit potential. It leads to residency with a path to citizenship after 5 years.

READ ALSO:UK Hosts European Ministers For Ukraine Ceasefire Talks

Singapore

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Singapore’s EntrePass targets foreign founders launching venture-backed or innovative startups in sectors like tech, biotech, or sustainability. Applicants must be backed by a government-recognised incubator or VC. It is a renewable visa with the potential to apply for permanent residency through various local schemes.

Australia

Australia’s Business Innovation and Investment Visa Subclass 188 includes a Business Innovation Stream for start-ups. Applicants must show a viable business plan and access to funding. This visa can lead to permanent residency under the Subclass 888 visa.

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Germany

Germany does not have a specific start-up visa, but entrepreneurs can apply for a self-employment visa if they present a strong business plan with economic benefit to Germany. Berlin especially is a hub for start-ups. After 3 years of successful business activity, permanent residency is possible.

READ ALSO:Europe Woos US Scientists Fleeing Trump’s Policies With Paris Conference

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Spain

Spain offers a startup visa under its Entrepreneur Law for non-EU founders with innovative business ideas. Applicants must prove the idea is of high economic interest and submit it to Spain’s trade and investment office for approval. It grants a residence permit and can lead to long-term stay and citizenship.

Ireland

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Ireland’s Start-Up Entrepreneur Programme is for non-EU founders with high-potential start-ups, particularly in areas like tech or life sciences. Applicants must have a minimum of 50000 euros in funding and a scalable business idea. It offers a 2-year residency that can be extended and eventually lead to permanent residency.

France

France runs the French Tech Visa for Founders, which is part of its broader French Tech program. It targets foreign entrepreneurs with an innovative start-up idea backed by a recognised incubator or accelerator in France. It is a 4-year renewable residence permit and includes a fast track to bring family members too.

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Tanzania Protesters Loot Singer Juma Jux Fashion Store

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Tanzanian protesters have reportedly looted singer Juma Jux’s fashion store.

Unrest erupted on Thursday after a disputed general election marked by disqualification and detention of the key opposition figures in Tanzania.

The protesters are demanding cancellation of the election results, alleging irregularities in the country’s presidential election.

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READ ALSO:Police Rescue Suspected Phone Thief From Being Lynched In Delta

Amid the development, a controversial post by an X user Bolaji Fesomade alleged that the singer store valued at $780 million has been set ablaze by protesters.

Reacting to the report, Juma Jux’s wife, Priscilla Ojo on her Snapchat account, dismissed the claims, noting that the store was looted and not burnt.

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She simply wrote; “Looted not Burnt”.

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12 Feared Dead In Kenya Light Aircraft Crash

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A small plane travelling from Kenya’s coast crashed on Tuesday, according to the country’s aviation authority, with the 12 people on board feared dead.

The small plane was en route to Kichwa Tembo — a private airstrip located in the Maasai Mara National Park — from the tourist hotspot of Diani when it came down at around 5:30am local time (0230 GMT).

“The aircraft had 12 persons on board,” a statement from the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) said.

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It gave no further details, but said that government agencies were already on site to establish the cause of the accident.

READ ALSO:Putin Admits Russia Caused Azerbaijani Plane Crash

The Guardian reports that plane crashes are fairly common in Kenya in the last 18 months. On March 5, 2024, a mid-air collision between a Safarilink Aviation commercial flight and a 99 Flying School training aircraft occurred over the Nairobi National Park, resulting in two fatalities.

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The incident took place shortly after both aircraft had departed Wilson Airport. The collision involved Safarilink Aviation Flight 053, a De Havilland Canada Dash 8 carrying 39 passengers and five crew members, and a 99 Flying School Cessna 172M.

AMREF Aircraft Crash

In August, a light aircraft belonging to the AMREF Flying Doctors crashed into a residential area in Mwihoko, Ruiru, Kiambu County, killing six people and injuring at least two others.

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The aircraft, a Cessna Citation XLS (registration 5Y-FDM), had taken off from Wilson Airport and was en route to Hargeisa, Somalia, when it went down under unclear circumstances.

READ ALSO:Fire On Board Forces Lagos-Atlanta-bound Aircraft Diversion To Ghana

AMREF Flying Doctors CEO Stephen Gitau issued a statement confirming the incident. Mr Gitau noted that the aircraft departed Wilson Airport at 2.17 PM before crashing in Mwihoko. He stated that the organisation is “cooperating fully with relevant aviation authorities and emergency response teams to establish the facts surrounding the situation.”

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Foreign Couple Killed in Kenyan Plane Crash, Earlier in January, a light aircraft crash killed a foreign couple aboard. The accident involved a Cessna 185 aircraft that departed from Nairobi and was en route to Mbaruk in Nakuru County. It went down in the lakeside town of Naivasha at approximately 5:14 p.m. local time (1414 GMT).

At the time, Naivasha Police Deputy Chief Charles Mwai suggested that poor visibility due to fog in the area might have been a contributing factor. Aviation experts have been called to the scene to conduct an investigation.

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UK Police Arrest Asylum Seeker Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed

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The UK police on Sunday arrested an Ethiopian asylum seeker and convicted sex offender, whose crimes had sparked anti-immigration protests, after he was accidentally released from prison in an embarrassing blunder by British authorities.

London’s Metropolitan Police said officers arrested Hadush Kebatu in the north of the capital on Sunday morning, nearly 48 hours after he was mistakenly freed around 30 miles (48 kilometres) away.

Kebatu, 38, had served the first month of a one-year sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl and a woman, but was reportedly due to be deported when the Prison Service error occurred on Friday.

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His high-profile case earlier this year in Epping, northeast of London, sparked demonstrations in various English towns and cities where asylum seekers were believed to be housed, as well as counter-protests.

READ ALSO:UK Police Hunt Asylum Seeker Mistakenly Freed For Sex Offence

Commander James Conway, who oversaw the manhunt for him, said “information from the public” led officers to the Finsbury Park neighbourhood of London, where he was found.

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He was detained by police but will be returned to the custody of the Prison Service,” he added.

Kebatu is now expected to be deported.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Friday he was “appalled” by the “totally unacceptable” mistake that saw him freed rather than sent to an immigration detention centre.

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The Telegraph newspaper said he was wrongly categorised for release on licence and handed a £76 ($101) discharge grant.

READ ALSO:Alleged Misappropriation: MFM Accuses UK Agency Of Discrimination

Police had appealed Saturday for Kebatu to turn himself in, after reports emerged that he had appeared confused and reluctant to leave the prison in Chelmsford, eastern England.

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A delivery driver described seeing Kebatu return several times in a “very confused” state, only to be turned away by staff and directed to the railway station.

The driver told Sky News he saw Kebatu outside the jail, asking, “Where am I going? What am I doing?”

He was starting to get upset, he was getting stressed,” the driver said.

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READ ALSO:UK Is A Home, Not Hotel, Kemi Badenoch Tells Immigrants, Starmer’s Govt

The father of Kebatu’s anonymous teenage victim told the broadcaster that “the justice system has let us down.”

Police arrested the asylum seeker in July after he repeatedly tried to kiss a 14-year-old girl and touch her legs, and made sexually explicit comments to her.

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He also sexually assaulted an adult woman, placing a hand on her thigh, when she intervened to stop his interactions with the girl.

He was staying at the time at Epping’s Bell Hotel, where scores of other asylum seekers have been accommodated, and which became the target of repeated protests.

AFP

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