Canada
Start-Up Visa.
IRCC paused the Start-up Visa Program on 30 June 2026 and is not accepting new applications. Applications filed before that date are still being processed, and if you are eligible you can still apply for an open work permit while yours is assessed. There is no way to start a new Start-up Visa application today. IRCC, Start-up Visa Program.
Everything below describes how the Start-up Visa worked before it was paused. We keep it for two readers: anyone with an application already in progress, and anyone comparing it with the entrepreneur pilot IRCC says will replace it. The requirements below do not apply to that pilot, which IRCC has not published yet.
Routes open todayDesignated Organizations
You could never apply directly to the government. You first needed a Letter of Support from an organisation on IRCC’s list, which then sent a commitment certificate to IRCC directly. Taking on new founders is paused for these organisations too.
Two rules that decided more applications than the investment amounts: since April 1, 2024 IRCC considered only 10 complete group applications per organisation per year, returning later ones and reimbursing the fees; and a group counted against that cap even when one member failed the completeness check. IRCC, who can apply.
Incubators
Most Popular- Acceptance into the program
- No investment required of you
- IRCC prioritised incubators holding $75,000 committed capital, so the rest were a slower lane
Angel Groups
High Traction- $75,000 CAD confirmed investment
- Group must be on IRCC’s list
- Eligible for priority processing
Venture Capital
Elite Tier- $200,000 CAD confirmed investment
- Intense due diligence
- Eligible for priority processing
Most applications fail before they start.
The #1 reason for rejection is not a bad idea—it's a "non-genuine business intent". Immigration officers are trained to spot founders who just want a visa.
The "Active Management" Trap
Approval came with obligations: incorporate in Canada, manage the business from inside Canada, and keep an essential part of operations there. We build the paper trail that shows it.
IP Ownership Structure
We structure the cap table so it clears the voting-rights rules — 10% each, more than 50% together with the organisation — and still survives an investor’s diligence.
What the program required
Figures below are IRCC’s own, read from canada.ca on September 12, 2026.
Voting Rights
Each applicant had to hold at least 10% of the total voting rights, and the applicants together with the designated organisation more than 50%. Up to 5 owners could apply on one business.
Language Test
Canadian Language Benchmark 5 in all four abilities — listening, reading, writing and speaking — in English or French, from an approved test.
Settlement Funds
Proof of funds you did not borrow: $15,263 for one person, $28,362 for a family of four. IRCC's table, updated July 29, 2025, and revised yearly.
Letter of Support
A designated organisation had to support the business and send a commitment certificate to IRCC directly. Outside Quebec only — Quebec runs its own programmes.
How an application was built
Ask us about your fileVet
Viability Audit
Build
Docs & Financials
Pitch
Interview Prep
Win
Letter of Support
Land
PR Application
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I apply for the Start-up Visa today?+
No. IRCC paused the program on 30 June 2026 and is not accepting new applications. The last route in required a valid 2025 commitment certificate and a filing by that date. Anyone offering to register you for the Start-up Visa, or to reserve you a place in the program that replaces it, is selling something that does not exist.
I already applied. What happens to my file?+
IRCC says it will keep processing applications it accepted before 30 June 2026. A pause is not a refusal. It does not shorten the queue either, and IRCC's own processing-time figure for this program is not being published at the moment, so we will not quote one.
Can I still get a work permit?+
IRCC's pages say that if you are eligible you can still apply for an open work permit so you can work while your application is processed — an open permit, not one tied to a single employer. Extending an existing Start-up Visa work permit is a separate route and is marked closed to new applicants, so it is for people who already hold one. Check both against IRCC before acting.
What is the pilot that replaces it?+
IRCC has said the pause is a transition to a targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs, with details to be announced. It has not published a cap, a processing target, eligibility criteria or an opening date. Figures in circulation — a cap of around 2,000 a year, a 12-month target — come from immigration trade press, December 2025, not from IRCC. You cannot plan on them.
Could I live anywhere in Canada?+
Anywhere except Quebec, which selects its own economic immigrants under its own programs.
What if the startup failed after approval?+
Permanent residence granted under this program was not conditional on the business succeeding. That is not the same as nothing being asked of you: approval came with obligations to incorporate in Canada, manage the business from inside Canada and keep an essential part of operations there. A file that misstated any of it is a different question, and one for a lawyer rather than for us.
How much does your service cost?+
On a retainer, and it depends on whether you need the business built from scratch or only interview preparation. Book a call and we will quote your case rather than a range that fits nobody.
Sources
Every status, rule and figure on this page is Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s own, read on September 12, 2026. Where we state an opinion we say so. Verify before you act — IRCC revises these pages without notice.
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