Is the Canada Start-Up Visa still open?
No. Since June 30, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not accepted any new Start-Up Visa (SUV) applications. The last exception, for founders holding a 2025 commitment certificate, has expired.
Files already submitted are still being processed. IRCC has promised a new, smaller entrepreneur pilot, but it has not published the rules or a launch date. If you want to build a business in Canada now, focus on the pathways that are open today.
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New applications
Closed. The final window ended June 30, 2026.
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Files already submitted
Still being processed. About 47,500 people were waiting as of October 2026, with processing times of more than 10 years.
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SUV work permits
New applications closed December 19, 2025. Extensions from inside Canada are still accepted.
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Replacement pilot
Promised for 2026. No eligibility rules, process or date published yet.
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Self-Employed Persons Program
Paused since April 30, 2024, now extended until further notice.
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Open alternatives
C11, PNP entrepreneur streams with a C60 permit, Intra-Company Transfer and Express Entry.
Key takeaway
Don’t plan around the SUV or wait for the pilot. If your business is ready, compare the open pathways below and choose based on your capital, any business you already own, and whether you can commit to one province.
Ready to look at what replaces it? Our guide to bringing your start-up to Canada after the Start-up Visa compares every route open to founders today.
Why did Canada close the Start-Up Visa?
Demand grew faster than IRCC could process it. The program was wound down in stages over two years.
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Step 01
April 30, 2024: caps and priority rules
IRCC limited each designated organization to 10 start-ups a year and began prioritizing files backed by Canadian capital or Canada's Business Network incubators. The Self-Employed Persons Program was paused.
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Step 02
October 2025: backlog passes 43,000
The inventory reached about 43,200 applications, more than double the level 18 months earlier. New non-priority files faced waits of over a decade.
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Step 03
December 19, 2025: work permits close
IRCC stopped accepting new SUV work permit applications, except extensions from applicants already in Canada.
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Step 04
December 31, 2025: PR intake stops
New SUV permanent residence applications closed, except for founders with a valid 2025 commitment certificate.
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Step 05
June 30, 2026: final window closes
The deadline for 2025 commitment certificate holders passed. The SUV now accepts no new applications.
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Step 06
October 2026: backlog reaches 47,500
About 47,500 people are still waiting for a decision on SUV applications, and processing times exceed 10 years.
The problem was volume, not the quality of most applications. Even after the 2024 caps, new files arrived faster than IRCC could decide them. The closure doesn’t reflect on any individual founder or business.
Views in the immigration bar are mixed. Some see a reset of a sound program. Others point out that a pilot admitting a few hundred people a year is a much smaller program by design. We won’t know which view is right until IRCC publishes the pilot’s rules.
What happens if your SUV application is already submitted?
Your file stays in the queue. The closure stops new intake; it doesn’t cancel files already filed. IRCC has said it will prioritize permanent residence applications from SUV applicants already working in Canada. As of October 2026, about 47,500 people are in the SUV backlog, and processing times exceed 10 years.
Keep your file current
Why it matters
Officers have refused SUV files for minimal business progress or weak evidence of genuine intent. That scrutiny continues after the closure.
What works
Send IRCC documented updates on your business, roughly every six months.
Don't rely on your support letter
Why it matters
IRCC runs its own security, criminality, medical and merit checks. A designated organization's support doesn't guarantee approval.
What works
Build evidence that stands on its own: revenue, contracts, hires and your active role in the business.
Check your family's status
Why it matters
Family work permit rules tightened in January 2025. Dependent children no longer get open work permits as family of a worker.
What works
Confirm each family member's options well before any permit expires.
Review a faster route
Why it matters
A wait of more than 10 years may not fit your plans, your capital or your status in Canada.
What works
Ask a lawyer whether a C11, PNP or Express Entry route could run alongside your SUV file, and how that affects your status.
Will there be a new Start-Up Visa program?
IRCC says it will launch a new, targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs, with details to come in 2026. As of this update, it has not published eligibility criteria, an application process or a launch date.
Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan targets about 500 federal business admissions a year, within a range of 250 to 1,000. That is a fraction of what the SUV handled at its peak. Commentators expect the pilot to favour founders with traction and a Canadian foothold over early-stage ideas.
Our view
Don’t build your Canada plan around a program that doesn’t exist yet. We will update this page when IRCC publishes details.
What made the Start-Up Visa different from other pathways?
No open pathway is a full substitute for the SUV. Knowing what you give up helps you choose.
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Direct path to permanent residence
The SUV led straight to PR. The business did not have to succeed first, as long as your effort was genuine.
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No investment minimum in law
You needed settlement funds but no fixed investment. In practice, most founders needed real capital to win a designated organization’s support.
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Anywhere outside Quebec
You could set up the business in any province or territory except Quebec, which runs its own programs.
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Family included
Your spouse and dependent children were included in your PR application.
Every alternative trades one of these features away. The C11 requires you to run the business before PR follows. PNP streams tie you to one province and usually require a larger investment with performance targets. The ICT needs an existing business abroad. In return, these routes usually move faster and depend less on a third party’s approval.
Which entrepreneur pathways are open right now?
These are the main routes open to founders today. Each leads to permanent residence in a different way.
| Pathway | Best for | How it works | Path to PR |
|---|---|---|---|
| C11 owner-operator work permit | Founders ready to run a Canadian business now | Work permit based on significant benefit to Canada. No fixed investment minimum. Issued for up to 18 months. | Indirect, usually through Express Entry or a PNP once the business is established |
| PNP entrepreneur stream + C60 work permit | Well-capitalized entrepreneurs ready to commit to one province | Expression of interest, business plan and performance agreement. The C60 lets you operate while the nomination proceeds. | Yes, the provincial nomination supports a PR application |
| Intra-Company Transfer (ICT) | Owners or senior managers of an established business abroad | Work permit to open or run a Canadian branch, subsidiary or affiliate of your company | Indirect, through Express Entry or a PNP |
| Express Entry | Skilled professionals who qualify on education, experience and language | Points-based selection for permanent residence. Your business does not need to justify your status. | Yes, a direct PR application |
Program rules and provincial streams change often. Confirm current requirements before you apply.
The C11 has no investment minimum in law and no designated organization to satisfy. You must prove the business brings significant economic, social or cultural benefit to Canada, through jobs, investment and your own experience.
- Since May 27, 2025, C11 permits are issued for a maximum of 18 months.
- You need a controlling interest, at least 51% of the business.
- Time worked on a C11 doesn’t count toward the Canadian Experience Class.
- Renewals are judged on what the business has actually achieved.
Provincial entrepreneur streams vary widely, and many open and close intake during the year. Most expect a detailed business plan, a personal net worth and investment well into six figures, and a performance agreement with job-creation and investment targets.
The C60 work permit is a bridge. It lets you come to Canada and run the business while the province decides on your nomination. It only works alongside a PNP application, and the business must operate in that province.
Compare provincial entrepreneur programs | Read our C60 work permit guide
The ICT suits founders who already own or manage a business outside Canada. You don’t need a designated organization or a provincial nomination. You do need at least one year of full-time work with the foreign company in the last three years, in an executive, senior manager or specialized knowledge role, and a qualifying link between the two companies.
If you are opening a new Canadian office, the first permit is usually limited to one year, and you must show the Canadian business is ready to operate.
If your education, work experience and language scores are strong, Express Entry may be faster and simpler than any entrepreneur route. You immigrate as a skilled worker and build the business after you land.
Check your score before you assume you need an entrepreneur-specific program.
None of these routes is cheap, but most cost less than the SUV did once designated-organization fees were added. Costs vary by pathway, province and business, so treat any figure as a starting point for a conversation. Some provinces run their own variations; our entrepreneur immigration options guide covers each in more depth.
Which pathway fits your situation?
The right route depends on where your business stands today and how much capital and provincial commitment you can offer. Pick the scenario closest to yours.
The C11 is usually the strongest start. You don’t need a third party’s endorsement, and your existing traction is the evidence the significant benefit test looks for.
A PNP entrepreneur stream, paired with a C60 work permit so you can operate while the nomination proceeds, gives you that structure. The trade-off is being tied to one province and a performance agreement.
The ICT is usually the first route to assess. You don’t need to start a new business or find a designated organization, and transfers of owners and senior managers are common.
Be honest about your evidence. A C11 officer will want to see real economic benefit, and PNP streams expect a solid business plan and capital. If your case isn’t strong yet, building more traction before you file is often the better move. See our overview of entrepreneur work permit options.
Don’t overlook Express Entry. If your education, work experience and language scores are strong on their own, immigrating as a skilled worker and building the business after you land can be faster and simpler than any entrepreneur route.
How do you decide between these pathways?
Answer these questions honestly before you commit to a route.
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Is your business already earning revenue, or is it still a plan?
The further along you are, the more the C11 favours you. Earlier-stage founders often need a province’s structured route instead.
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Can you commit to one province?
PNP streams and the C60 require you to operate where you are nominated. The C11, ICT and Express Entry don’t tie you down the same way.
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Do you own a business abroad you could transfer from?
If yes, look at the ICT before anything else.
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How much capital can you commit, and when?
PNP streams usually demand the most up front. The C11 and ICT have no fixed threshold but still need real operating capital.
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Would you qualify as a skilled worker?
If so, run your Express Entry numbers before assuming you need an entrepreneur route.
On timelines: work permits under the C11, C60 and ICT usually take months, not years. PR isn’t automatic, though. It needs a follow-on application once the business is established. PNP streams often take a year or more to reach nomination. Processing times change, so none of these are guarantees.
Frequently asked questions about the Start-Up Visa
No. IRCC stopped accepting new SUV applications on December 31, 2025. The only exception, for founders with a valid 2025 commitment certificate, ended on June 30, 2026.
Only if you filed before the cutoff. A Letter of Support obtained now can’t be used for a new SUV application, because the program accepts no new filings. Ask your incubator or investor whether they expect to take part in the future pilot, but don’t treat a new letter as progress toward PR.
It continues to be processed. IRCC has said it will prioritize applicants already working in Canada. With about 47,500 people in the backlog as of October 2026, other files face processing times of more than 10 years. IRCC has not said existing files will be cancelled.
Family members listed on your PR application remain part of it. Temporary permits are a separate question. New SUV work permit applications closed on December 19, 2025, and family work permit rules tightened in January 2025. Check each family member’s options before any permit expires.
Sometimes. If your business is far enough along, a C11 work permit followed by Express Entry, or a PNP entrepreneur stream, can move faster than a non-priority SUV file. Running two strategies at once affects your status, so review it with a lawyer first.
For most founders, no. There is no confirmed date or eligibility criteria, and the 2026–2028 levels plan targets only about 500 federal business admissions a year. If your business is ready now, waiting is a real cost. If it isn’t ready for any pathway yet, use the time to build traction.
Under the program’s framework, PR can still be granted if you show genuine, ongoing effort to build the business. Success has never been required. Given how long non-priority files may take, plan for your evidence to hold up for years, not months.
The SUV required backing from a federally designated venture capital fund, angel investor group or business incubator, and led directly to PR. PNP entrepreneur streams are run by provinces, set their own investment and job-creation criteria, and usually require a work permit (often a C60) and a period of active operation before nomination.
What should founders do now?
The SUV is closed, and its replacement is not yet defined. For most founders, waiting costs more than it saves. If your business is ready, compare the C11, a PNP stream with a C60 permit, the ICT and Express Entry against your capital, your existing business and your timeline.
If you already have an SUV file, keep your evidence current and get a second opinion on whether a parallel route makes sense. For official dates and any pilot announcement, IRCC’s Start-up Visa page on canada.ca is the final word.
To talk it through, call us at +1 416 895 3026 (Toronto) or +1 888 505-3026 (toll-free).
