What is business immigration to Canada?
Business immigration covers the Canadian programs for people who start, buy, run or invest in a business, and for companies that move key staff to Canada. It includes entrepreneur work permits, intra-company transfers, provincial entrepreneur streams and the Express Entry routes that executives use to become permanent residents.
The rules tightened in 2025 and 2026. The Start-Up Visa is closed to new applicants, the Self-Employed Persons Program is paused, and entrepreneur work permits are shorter and reviewed more closely. Good business cases still succeed, but there is less room for a weak plan.
At a glance
Key takeaway
Choose your program by who you are (founder, buyer, transferee, executive or employer), and plan your permanent residence route before you file the first work permit. The first permit is only step one.
Which business immigration program fits you?
Start with the description that sounds most like you. Each card opens a detailed guide.
Founders and business buyers
You start or buy a Canadian business and run it yourself. The C11 work permit is the main federal option for owners who bring a clear benefit to Canada.
Provincial entrepreneur streams
Start or buy a business in one province, meet a performance agreement, then get nominated for permanent residence.
Transferring staff or opening an office
Move an executive, manager or specialist from your foreign company to a related Canadian company, or send someone to open a new Canadian office.
Executives seeking permanent residence
Senior managers with at least 12 months of Canadian work experience can be invited through a dedicated Express Entry category.
Employers hiring foreign talent
Hire foreign workers through LMIA-based or LMIA-exempt work permits, including the Global Talent Stream.
How do C11, intra-company transfer and provincial entrepreneur permits compare?
These are the three most common ways business owners and executives get a first work permit. For a wider comparison that also covers treaty permits, see our guide to entrepreneur work permit programs.
| Feature | C11 entrepreneur | Intra-company transfer | Provincial entrepreneur (C60) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Founders who own and run a Canadian business | Companies moving existing staff to a related Canadian company | Entrepreneurs ready to commit to one province |
| Key requirement | At least 51% ownership, active management and a credible business plan | At least 1 year of continuous full-time work for the foreign company in the last 3 years, as an executive, manager or specialist | Provincial approval, the required investment and a signed performance agreement |
| First permit | Up to 18 months | Up to 3 years (1 year when opening a new office) | Length based on the province’s support letter |
| Spouse work permit | Possible if the job is TEER 0 or 1 and at least 16 months remain on the permit | Possible for executives and managers with at least 16 months remaining | Possible if the job is TEER 0 or 1 and at least 16 months remain on the permit |
| Route to permanent residence | Not automatic. Plan a provincial or Express Entry route; C11 time does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class | Express Entry: Canadian experience can count toward the Canadian Experience Class or the senior manager category | Provincial nomination after you meet the performance agreement |
| Detailed guide | C11 work permit guide | ICT work permit guide | C60 work permit guide |
Summary only. Each program has more conditions, and rules change often. Confirm your situation before you apply.
What has changed in business immigration recently?
Several programs closed or narrowed in 2025 and 2026. If you researched your options more than a year ago, check them again.
Start-Up Visa
What changed
IRCC stopped accepting new commitment certificates at the end of 2025. Only founders with a valid 2025 certificate could still apply, and the deadline was June 30, 2026.
What it means for you
New founders need another route, such as C11 or a provincial entrepreneur stream. IRCC has promised a replacement entrepreneur pilot, but it had not opened as of October 2026.
Self-Employed Persons Program
What changed
New applications stopped on April 30, 2024. In December 2025, IRCC extended the pause with no end date.
What it means for you
Do not build your plan around this program. Ask which routes fit the work you actually do.
C11 entrepreneur permits
What changed
Since May 27, 2025, C11 permits are issued for up to 18 months. Renewals are judged on what the business has actually achieved, not on the original plan.
What it means for you
Your business must show real progress quickly. A thin plan or a slow start puts the renewal at risk.
Spouse and child permits
What changed
Since January 21, 2025, a spouse can get an open work permit only if the principal works in a TEER 0 or 1 job (or a listed TEER 2 or 3 job) with at least 16 months left on the permit. Dependent children no longer get open work permits.
What it means for you
Check family eligibility before you choose a job title or a permit length.
Express Entry for senior managers
What changed
In 2026, IRCC added an Express Entry category for senior managers with at least 12 months of Canadian work experience in the last three years. The first draw, on March 5, 2026, invited 250 candidates.
What it means for you
Executives already working in Canada, for example on an intra-company transfer, may have a faster path to permanent residence.
Owner-operator LMIA
What changed
The owner-operator LMIA shortcut ended in 2021. An owner can still be named on a regular LMIA, but it needs full recruitment and advertising.
What it means for you
Most business buyers now use C11 or a provincial entrepreneur stream instead.
How do business owners and executives become permanent residents?
For most people, permanent residence is a two-step plan: come to Canada on a work permit, then qualify for permanent residence from here.
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Step 01
Choose your entry route
Match your role (owner, transferee or employee) to the right work permit. This choice shapes every later step.
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Step 02
Build the business or the experience
Run the business you proposed, or gain skilled work experience in Canada. Keep records: officers look at what actually happened.
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Step 03
Meet the permanent residence criteria
Provincial streams nominate you once you meet your performance agreement. Executives usually apply through Express Entry: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the senior manager category.
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Step 04
Apply for permanent residence
After an Express Entry invitation, you have 60 days to submit a complete application. Provincial nominees apply to IRCC after they are nominated.
Job offers in high-wage occupations earn Express Entry points again
Job offers stopped adding Express Entry points on March 25, 2025. From November 3, 2026, a qualifying job offer in a high-wage occupation earns 50, 70 or 100 points, and no LMIA is needed. An occupation counts as high-wage when its national median wage is at least 1.3 times the overall median. It is judged by the occupation, not your own salary.
Separately, 12 months of Canadian work in these occupations can add 20, 40 or 70 points. You get whichever is higher, not both. Self-employment, including time on a C11 permit, generally does not count as Canadian work experience. Read our November 2026 Express Entry update or our guide to Express Entry for senior managers.
What mistakes lead to business immigration refusals?
Most refusals we review come from a few avoidable problems. Our guides to immigration business plans and business visitor rules cover two of them in detail. If you already have a refusal, see our guide to immigration refusals.
Choosing the program that is easiest to explain
Why it hurts
The officer assesses the program you applied under, not the one that fits you best. A mismatch is a common reason for refusal.
What works instead
Start from your role and goals, then compare programs side by side.
A generic business plan
Why it hurts
Officers look for realistic numbers, real market evidence and proof that you can run this business.
What works instead
Build the plan around your own experience and current market data.
Working on visitor status
Why it hurts
Business visitors can attend meetings and conferences, but cannot enter the Canadian labour market. Crossing that line can lead to refusal or removal and can hurt future applications.
What works instead
Confirm what your trip allows before you travel, or get the right work permit first.
No plan for permanent residence
Why it hurts
Work permits are temporary. C11 time does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class, and family permits depend on job level and permit length.
What works instead
Map your permanent residence route before you file the first application.
How can a business immigration lawyer help?
Sobirovs Law Firm has helped business clients come to Canada for more than 14 years. Our team works on both sides of business immigration: entrepreneurs and investors, and companies bringing talent to Canada.
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Choose the right program
We compare federal and provincial options against your role, capital, timeline and family plans.
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Build a business plan officers believe
We help you present your business experience and numbers so they meet the program’s managerial or entrepreneurial test.
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Prepare a complete, consistent application
Corporate records, ownership documents, job descriptions and forms that all tell the same story.
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Answer officer concerns
If IRCC sends a procedural fairness letter, a clear and timely response can save the file.
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Plan family status and permanent residence
We map your spouse’s and children’s status and your permanent residence route from the start.
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Help after a refusal
We review the refusal reasons and advise whether to reapply or seek judicial review.
Business immigration to Canada: frequently asked questions
Yes, but most routes start with a work permit rather than direct permanent residence. Founders usually apply for a C11 work permit or a provincial entrepreneur stream. The Start-Up Visa is closed to new applicants.
There is no open federal investor program. The federal Immigrant Investor Program ended in 2014. Quebec runs its own investor program with separate rules and limited intake periods. Most investors now qualify by actively running a business in Canada, through C11 or a provincial entrepreneur stream. See our page on residency by investment.
Since May 27, 2025, a first C11 work permit is issued for up to 18 months. You can apply to extend it, but the officer will judge the renewal on what your business has actually achieved.
Possibly. Since January 21, 2025, your spouse can get an open work permit only if you work in a TEER 0 or 1 job (or a listed TEER 2 or 3 job) and at least 16 months remain on your permit. Dependent children no longer qualify for open work permits.
Yes. The intra-company transfer lets a foreign company move an executive, manager or specialist to a related Canadian company. The employee needs at least one year of continuous full-time work with the company in the last three years. Companies opening a first Canadian office can also use it. See how to move your company to Canada.
Not for business visitor activities such as meetings, conferences or negotiating contracts, as long as you do not enter the Canadian labour market. You may still need a visitor visa or an eTA, depending on your citizenship. See our business visitor guide.
IRCC stopped accepting new commitment certificates at the end of 2025. Founders with a valid 2025 certificate had until June 30, 2026 to apply for permanent residence. IRCC has promised a replacement entrepreneur pilot, but it had not opened as of October 2026. Read our Start-Up Visa update.
It depends on the program, the province and your country of residence. Work permits can take weeks to months. Provincial entrepreneur streams often take a year or more before you reach the permanent residence stage. After reviewing your file, we give you a realistic timeline.
Where can I learn more about each business immigration route?
This page is the starting point. Each guide below explains one route in detail.
