Inadmissible to Canada? Now there is a Niagara-based solution to that problem. Sean Polden, a winner of the inaugural Ignite Niagara contest has just launched his new company, Inadmissible.com. Inadmissible.com was featured in the business start-up contest, Ignite Niagara, held in November 2015 and put on by Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce in partnership with Innovate Niagara.
After working in Toronto’s financial district for a large corporate immigration law firm for several years, Polden entered Ignite Niagara and was awarded the People’s Choice Award, sponsored by the St. Catharines Enterprise Centre. About the experience he says, “The Ignite Niagara contest really gave me the momentum I needed to bring my business from concept to reality. It gave me the validation I needed, not only that it could be successful in the market, but that I’d have the support of the community behind me.”
Inadmissible.com is a professional services firm that targets US citizens who are inadmissible to Canada and need a document called a Temporary Resident Permit in order to enter the country. “People need to come for a variety of reasons,” said Polden. “A lot of the time people need to come for only a short time on business. We’ve helped a lot of engineers and business people, but we’re also helping a lot of people coming to visit their family or for tourism-related reasons.”
Polden credits the region’s strategic location as a major tourist destination and, with more than 12.5 million crossings in 2014, the Niagara border is the busiest people crossing in North America. “Being located in a border community is really helpful to my clients and will be especially so as the Buffalo-Niagara-Hamilton mega-region evolves,” says Polden.
“We are delighted to see Inadmissible.com chose Niagara as a location for their business. It reinforces our perspective that Niagara’s bi-national location provides many opportunities for new business development in a variety of sectors,” said Mishka Balson, President and CEO of the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce.
Due to the success of the inaugural Ignite Niagara event, the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce are putting on a second event scheduled for May 11, 2016 from 5pm to 8pm at John Michael’s Banquet & Events Centre in Thorold.
For more information on Inadmissible.com, please visit their website: http://inadmissible.com
The Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce is the champion for the Niagara business community. With over 1,500 members representing more than 45,000 employees, it is the largest business organization in Niagara and the third largest Chamber in Ontario. The Chamber Accreditation Council of Canada has recognized the Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce with its highest level of distinction.
For more information and interviews please contact:
Mishka Balsom
CEO, Greater Niagara Chamber of Commerce
905-684-2361 ext. 227 or mishka@gncc.ca
