What it really costs.The Canada Start-up Visa cost in 2026, step by step
Far less than an investor programme, and far more than the figure in the advertisements. This page separates every line so you know where the money goes — and which charges should not exist at all. The programme itself is paused.
By Farjad P.DUpdated Figures checked against IRCC’s fee list on
The Canada Start-up Visa is paused. IRCC stopped accepting new applications on June 30, 2026. 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. IRCC says a targeted entrepreneur pilot will replace the programme, but has not published its criteria, its cap or an opening date. IRCC, Start-up Visa Program.
Routes open todayThis page is a reference, not an application guide. It describes the Start-up Visa as it stood before the pause, for two readers: anyone with an application already in progress, and anyone comparing it with the entrepreneur pilot IRCC says will replace it. These rules belong to the paused programme and do not apply to that pilot.
How much does the Canada Start-up Visa cost?
Read the four figuresThere is no set minimum investment. IRCC’s fees are $2,495 for a principal applicant and $4,795 for a family of four with biometrics. Settlement funds of $15,263 or more are your own money, not a fee. With an organization, preparation and extras, a typical family spends $30,000–$70,000 in our market observation.
- Minimum investment
- $0
- none set by IRCC
- IRCC fees, one applicant
- $2,495
- processing + right of PR fee
- Settlement funds
- $15,263
- one person; yours to keep
- Typical family total
- $30–70k
- market observation, excluding funds
This programme does not ask you to invest. Unlike the provincial entrepreneur programmes or the US EB-5, the Start-up Visa sets no minimum investment of your own. Capital that goes into the company, if any does, comes from the designated organization, not from your pocket.
Three kinds of cost, plus funds. Government fees are fixed and transparent; preparation and the designated organization come in ranges; side costs run higher for applicants from sanctioned countries. Settlement funds are not a cost: they are money you must have and take with you.
What are IRCC’s government fees for the Start-up Visa?
Set up your householdThe principal applicant pays a $1,895 processing fee and a $600 right of permanent residence fee. A spouse or partner pays $990 plus $600, each dependent child $270, and biometrics cost $85 per person, capped at $170 for a family. For a family of four that is $4,795, before medical exams.
Is a spouse or partner coming with you?
Dependent children
IRCC's own figures only. Medical exams, police certificates, translations and travel are not included: they are charged by others and vary.
IRCC fees for 1 person
- Your processing fee$1,895
- Your right of permanent residence fee$600
- Biometrics$85
$2,580
Government fees, CAD. The right of permanent residence fee is normally paid when the application is approved.
Settlement funds you must also hold
$15,263
Not a fee: your own money, not borrowed, which travels with you.
| Fee | Amount | When or how |
|---|---|---|
| Principal applicant: processing fee | $1,895 | Paid with the application |
| Principal applicant: right of permanent residence fee | $600 | Normally paid on approval |
| Spouse or partner: processing fee | $990 | Paid with the application |
| Spouse or partner: right of permanent residence fee | $600 | Normally paid on approval |
| Each dependent child | $270 | Per child |
| Biometrics | $85 | Per person; $170 maximum for a family applying together |
| Work permit (optional) | $155 | Plus the $100 open work permit holder fee |
IRCC raises its fees from time to time; check the day’s figure on IRCC’s fee list.
The smallest, clearest part of the bill. Government fees for a family of four come to $4,795 on today’s list — the most transparent line in the whole budget.
Not IRCC’s figures: the medical exam is charged by the panel physician and varies by doctor and country, usually $200–$400 per person in our observation.
What does a designated organization charge for the Start-up Visa?
Read the three modelsIt depends on the type. Most incubators charge a programme fee, from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars; $10,000–$40,000 is the common range we see. Angel groups invest at least $75,000 in you and venture capital funds at least $200,000, in exchange for equity. No organization sells a letter of support.
Incubators
$10k–$40k
common programme-fee range we see
The fee pays for a real programme: mentoring, space, access to a network. It is not the price of the letter of support.
Angel investor groups
$75,000+
they invest in you
They pay you, not the other way round — in exchange for equity. Some charge a due-diligence fee.
Venture capital funds
$200,000+
they invest in you
An investment of at least this much in exchange for equity, with no direct fee to you.
The red line: a letter of support is not for sale. This is where most confusion and most abuse happen, because there is no single rule. An organization that sells a “guaranteed letter” is either not on IRCC’s list or at risk of being removed from it, and its files are scrutinised. A payment with no real programme behind it is not a cost; it is the purchase of a high-risk file. How to vet an organization.
How much does preparing the Start-up Visa business plan cost?
Read the packageOn the market, professional preparation of the package runs from a few thousand dollars to about $15,000, depending on how deep the work goes and how much you do yourself. The package is a business plan with real Canadian market research, a three-to-five-year financial model and a pitch deck that tells the story in ten minutes.
The standard is a committee’s, not an officer’s. A Canadian incubator committee sees dozens of applications a month. Your package needs real Canadian and North American market research, a financial model whose assumptions you can defend, and a deck that holds a room for ten minutes.
A translated feasibility study is not a business plan. A study written for a bank at home and translated into English is cheaper, and it gets turned down. We quote our own fee only in a consultation, after an initial assessment, because it depends on the work actually needed.
Which Start-up Visa costs do applicants forget?
Read the eight linesCertified translations, travel for biometrics and the medical, language tests that are often taken twice, a regulated immigration consultant or lawyer, incorporation and first-year accounting, and money-transfer charges. General estimates skip these lines, but they are real, and they run higher for applicants from sanctioned countries.
| Cost | Range we see | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Incubator programme fee | A few thousand to tens of thousands; $10,000–$40,000 is the common range we see | For the programme itself, not for a letter |
| Business plan, financial model and pitch deck | A few thousand to about $15,000 | Depends on depth and how much you do yourself |
| Regulated immigration consultant (RCIC) or lawyer | $5,000–$15,000 for a Start-up Visa file | To file and follow the application |
| Certified translations | Several hundred; over $1,000 for document-heavy files | Authentication by the issuing country is extra |
| Travel for biometrics and the medical | $1,000–$3,000 for a family | When there is no visa centre in your country |
| Language test (IELTS or CELPIP) | About $300 per sitting | Often taken more than once |
| Incorporation and first-year accounting | A few hundred to about $2,000 | In the first year |
| Medical exam | $200–$400 per person, usually | Set by the panel physician and the country |
What is a realistic total budget for the Start-up Visa?
Read the totalCounting every line above but not settlement funds, a typical family’s total, in our observation, falls between $30,000 and $70,000 — the lower end through an incubator, the upper end on heavier routes. Add settlement funds, roughly $15,000–$30,000 depending on family size, and the real capital needed to launch the business in Canada.
Two decisions move the range most: how much of the preparation you do yourself, and which designated organization you choose. Getting those two right saves more money than any negotiation.
Ask for a range, not a number. Anyone who gives you a low, fixed figure is either leaving costs out or will charge them later.
When do you pay each Start-up Visa cost?
Walk to step 5Preparation comes first, then the designated organization’s programme. Processing and biometrics fees are paid when you file; medical exams, police certificates and translations go to other organizations along the way; and the $600 right of permanent residence fee per adult is normally paid on approval.
Step 1 of 5 · You, or advisers you hire
Prepare the business
A business plan with real Canadian and North American market research, a three-to-five-year financial model on defensible assumptions, and a pitch deck that tells the story in ten minutes. An incubator committee sees dozens of applications a month; yours has to meet that standard.
Market range: a few thousand to about $15,000, depending on depth and how much you do yourself.
- Range
- market, not official
Which Start-up Visa fees are signs of a scam?
Sort all eightWalk away from a guaranteed letter of support for a set price, a visa guarantee or a verbal refund promise, a large payment before any assessment, an agency’s “exclusive” designated organization, a ready-made team or startup, and cash or personal-account payments with no contract. None of these exists in any law.
Fair practice or red flag? · 0/0 right so far
An incubator programme fee for real mentoring, space and network access
Fair practice · An incubator programme fee for real mentoring, space and network accessFair. Most incubator programmes charge a fee, and it pays for the programme. It does not buy the letter: you can pay and still not be supported.
A “guaranteed letter of support” for a set price
Red flag · A “guaranteed letter of support” for a set priceRed flag. A letter of support is the result of an assessment, not a product. A seller of guaranteed letters is either not on IRCC’s list or at risk of removal from it, and its files are scrutinised.
A “visa guarantee”, or a refund promised only verbally
Red flag · A “visa guarantee”, or a refund promised only verballyRed flag. Nobody can guarantee an IRCC decision. A genuine refund undertaking is written into the contract, says which failure at which stage it covers, and lists its exclusions there. If it is only spoken, or nobody can say which refusal it covers, it does not exist.
IRCC’s own fees, paid online to IRCC
Fair practice · IRCC’s own fees, paid online to IRCCFair. Government fees are fixed and published: $2,495 for a principal applicant including the right of permanent residence fee. They are the smallest and most transparent part of the bill.
A large up-front payment before anyone has assessed your business
Red flag · A large up-front payment before anyone has assessed your businessRed flag. A firm that names a final price before seeing your business has not assessed your business.
“Our exclusive designated organization”
Red flag · “Our exclusive designated organization”Red flag. Designated organizations are independent and publicly listed. No agency has one of its own.
A “ready-made team” or “ready-made startup” for sale
Red flag · A “ready-made team” or “ready-made startup” for saleRed flag. Nominal founders and rented businesses collapse in the interview, and a misrepresented application can lead to a ban on entering Canada.
Cash, or a transfer to a personal account, with no contract
Red flag · Cash, or a transfer to a personal account, with no contractRed flag. No contract, no record and no way back.
What else do founders ask about the Start-up Visa cost?
Open three answersFive answers: the cheapest realistic route, whether you must invest your own money, what an incubator fee pays for, paying from a sanctioned country, and how we charge.
What is the lowest possible cost of the Canada Start-up Visa?
If you write the business plan yourself, find a low-cost incubator and apply single, the route can be done for roughly $15,000–$20,000 plus settlement funds, in our observation of the market. That low end also carries lower odds, because the quality of the package feeds directly into whether you get a letter of support.
Do I have to invest my own money in the startup?
IRCC sets no minimum. But a startup with no launch capital at all is not credible to a designated organization or to an immigration officer. The right amount depends on the business model, and your financial model has to justify it.
Is the incubator fee the price of the letter of support?
No, and if it is presented that way, treat it as a warning sign. The fee pays for the incubator’s actual programme. The letter of support is the outcome of an assessment of your business and may not be issued even if you have paid for the programme.
Can I pay the costs from a sanctioned country such as Iran?
IRCC fees are paid online by international credit card, and Iranian cards do not work. Most other costs also need an account or card in a third country. Solve this early.
How much do you charge?
We quote after a free initial assessment, based on the work your case actually needs — there is no single price for everyone. We do not sell letters of support or visas; we sell preparation. If the assessment shows the route is not for you, we tell you that.
Where these figures come from
Sources
- IRCC — Fee list Start-up Visa processing fees, the right of permanent residence fee, dependants, biometrics and work permit fees. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
- IRCC — Start-up Visa Program Programme status: paused on 30 June 2026, files already accepted still processed. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
- IRCC — Start-up Visa: who can apply Voting rights, CLB 5, the settlement funds table (updated 29 July 2025), the cap of 10 group applications and the 6-month filing window. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
- IRCC — Start-up Visa: how to apply Fees paid with the application, the right of permanent residence fee on approval, and costs paid to other organizations. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
- IRCC — Designated organizations The $200,000 and $75,000 investment minimums. Checked 29 Oct 2026.
Talk it through
Get your budget read in a free session.
Bring your numbers. We will tell you which costs are real for your case, which ones you can do yourself, and whether Canada is the right route while the Start-up Visa is paused. If it isn’t, we will say so.
Also on this programme: requirements and documents and designated organizations.
- Free · 60 minutes
- Online, Google Meet
- Link sent after booking
Or reach us directly
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Regulatory Notice: The programme's status on this page was read off canada.ca on 12 September 2026, and fees, language tests, settlement funds and the designated-organization page were re-checked on 29 October 2026. The Start-up Visa has been paused since June 30, 2026; nothing here is an invitation to apply. Government fees are IRCC’s; every other money figure on this page is a market range we have observed, not an official figure and not a VisaRoads price. This page is provided for informational purposes only. VisaRoads Inc., an Ashavid company, is a strategic business advisory firm — we are NOT an immigration law firm. IRCC revises its pages without notice — always verify current rules and figures at canada.ca.