CanadaBusiness permanent residenceThe programme is closed

Start-up visa in Canada

A programme for entrepreneurs backed by an organisation designated by Canada — a venture capital fund, an angel investor group or a business incubator. The candidate proves that the business is innovative, creates jobs for Canadians and can compete on the world market; an idea or personal capital alone is not enough. Approval gives permanent residence: the person may work for any employer or run a business. New applications are not being accepted — the department is processing those already filed and preparing a pilot replacement.

Visa term

Approval gives indefinite permanent resident status; the PR card is issued for 5 years.

Residence

730 days in Canada in every 5 years.

Yes — while intake was open it led to permanent resident status

Source: canada.ca — Start-up Visa Program

Which organisation suits your start-up

Support for the start-up visa comes from three types of organisation on the official IRCC list — they determine how much money has to be raised and how quickly the application will be considered.

Venture capital fund

The fund invests 200,000 Canadian dollars or more in the company
Suitable for start-ups that have already attracted the interest of institutional investors
Applications with such an investment are considered as a priority

Angel investor group

A group of private investors invests 75,000 Canadian dollars or more
Suitable for companies at an earlier stage, for which a smaller cheque is enough
These applications also go into the priority queue

Business incubator

The incubator takes the entrepreneur into its acceleration programme without a cash investment
Priority goes to incubators that have declared an investment of 75,000 Canadian dollars or more
Suitable for the earliest start-ups, for which mentoring matters more than money

When this programme is not suitable

You have no 2025 commitment from an organisation and are only starting to look at business immigration

Watch for the announcement of the targeted pilot programme for entrepreneurs that IRCC is preparing as a replacement

You need residence without months of searching for an investor or a place in an incubator

Consider the programmes for skilled specialists through Express Entry

The start-up has already raised money, but none of the investors or incubators is on the official IRCC list of designated organisations

Look for a provincial programme for entrepreneurs — the entrepreneur stream of the Provincial Nominee Program

What it costs

Application processing and the right of permanent residence (applicant)The standard payment, covering the application processing fee and the one-off right of permanent residence fee	2 495 CAD
Biometrics for one applicant	85 CAD
Application processing without the right of permanent residence feeThe same main fee, but with the right of permanent residence fee paid separately by the applicant after approval	1 895 CAD
Accompanying spouse or partner (including the right of residence)A separate fee for each spouse or partner included in the application with the principal applicant	+1 590 CAD
Accompanying spouse or partner without the right of residence feeThe same fee for a spouse or partner, but without the right of residence — that is paid separately after approval	990 CAD
Accompanying dependent child	+270 CAD
Biometrics for a family of two or more applicantsThe maximum biometrics fee whatever the number of family members giving biometrics at the same time	+170 CAD
Total government feesThe sum of the mandatory rows in the table. “Accompanying spouse or partner (including the right of residence)” adds 1 590 CAD; “Accompanying dependent child” adds 270 CAD; “Biometrics for a family of two or more applicants” adds 170 CAD; the “Application processing without the right of permanent residence fee” branch replaces the “Application processing and the right of permanent residence (applicant)” line — 1 980 CAD. Charges with no official price list are in the list below.	2,580–4 610 CAD

Paid separately

The designated organisation's investment in the company — This is a condition of the support from the venture capital fund, angel investor group or incubator, not a government fee — the money does not go to IRCC
Translation services and notarisation of documents — The rate is not regulated by IRCC and is paid separately to the service provider
The medical examination by an authorised doctor — The cost is set by the panel physician and is not part of the IRCC government fee

Documents to gather

The forms are completed in the Permanent Residence Portal account, and the PDF forms and supporting documents are uploaded there as well.

The Generic Application Form for Canada (IMM 0008)
Schedule A — Background/Declaration (IMM 5669)
Additional Family Information (IMM 5406)
Supplementary Information — Your travels (IMM 5562)
The Document Checklist (IMM 5760)
Schedule 13 — Business Immigration Programs (IMM 0008 Schedule 13)
The letter of support from the designated organisation
Language test results from an approved agency
A valid passport or travel document
Proof of funds for the first period in Canada
Police certificates for countries of residence of six consecutive months or more since the age of 18
Photographs meeting the IRCC standard
The receipt for payment of the fee

How the process runs

Before filing documents with IRCC, the entrepreneur must obtain the support of a designated organisation.

1
Pitching the business to a designated organisation
The entrepreneur looks for a venture capital fund, angel investor group or business incubator from the official IRCC list and agrees support — each organisation has its own selection process and must be approached directly.
2
Obtaining the letter of support and the commitment certificate
The organisation that decides to support the start-up issues the applicant with a letter of support and itself sends the commitment certificate to IRCC.
3
Filing the full package through the permanent residence portal
The applicant opens a case in the account, completes the forms, attaches the document checklist, the letter of support, the language certificate and the proof of funds, and pays the fee — the package then goes to IRCC for consideration.
4
The completeness check on the application
The office checks that the forms are completed and signed correctly, that the fees have been paid and that all the documents are attached; incomplete applications are returned without consideration.
5
Biometrics
within 30 days of the request letter
Applicants aged 14 to 79 give fingerprints and a photograph at a visa centre once they receive the request from IRCC.
6
Security checks, the medical examination and police certificates
IRCC checks the applicant against the security databases, requires a medical examination for the whole family and police certificates for periods of residence of six consecutive months or more since the age of 18.
7
The decision on the application and the passport request
After approval IRCC asks for the passport to be sent in so that the permanent resident visa can be issued.
8
Obtaining permanent residence
The applicant receives the confirmation of permanent residence (COPR) and enters Canada — from that moment the count of resident days begins for keeping the status and for future citizenship.

Timelines and rights

Work

A permanent resident works for any employer and runs their own business. IRCC has closed the separate work permit for start-up founders to new applicants.

Who you can bring with you

A spouse or partner and dependent children are included in the same permanent residence application as the principal applicant.

A spouse or common-law partner

Included in the joint application; the government fee has a separate line for them — with or without the right of permanent residence, where residence is not needed for them.

A dependent child

Included in the parent's application for a separate, lower processing fee — with no right of permanent residence fee.

Renewal and the grace period

The permanent resident card is normally issued for five years, and occasionally for one. It has to be renewed when less than nine months remain before it expires or once it has expired; the application is made through the same permanent residence account together with the card application form and the document checklist, and the minimum processing time is three weeks.

How it differs from the routes next to it

The comparison is built from the official terms of the routes themselves — the source links sit on their own pages.

	Start-up visa	Asylum and refugee status	Refugees referred by the UN
Visa term	Approval gives indefinite permanent resident status; the PR card is issued for 5 years	Not a status that is renewed; if the claim is accepted the person becomes a protected person	Arrivals come straight in as permanent residents (PR)
Work	A permanent resident works for any employer and runs their own business	The 2026 reforms speed up the issue of a work permit	As a PR — the right to work immediately, with no permit
Residence	730 days in Canada in every 5 years	The claim is made from inside Canada or at a port of entry	The PR obligation: 730 days in every 5 years

What comes next: permanent residence and citizenship

Route to citizenship

Citizenship is applied for after 1,095 days of presence within 5 years.

Frequently asked questions about Start-up visa

Is it possible to apply for the start-up visa at the moment?

No. Since 1 January 2026 IRCC has not been accepting new applications. The only exception applied to those holding a commitment from a designated organisation issued in 2025 — those applicants had to file by 30 June 2026. IRCC continues to process applications already filed while preparing a targeted pilot programme for entrepreneurs as a replacement.

Is it necessary to invest your own money in the business?

No, the programme requires no personal investment. The mandatory minimum investment is provided by the designated organisation: a venture capital fund from 200,000 Canadian dollars, an angel investor group from 75,000 Canadian dollars, while a business incubator takes the entrepreneur into its acceleration programme without a cash investment.

How many days in Canada are needed in order not to lose permanent resident status?

A permanent resident must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days in every five years. The days do not have to be consecutive, and in some cases part of the time spent abroad also counts.

How soon after moving can a citizenship application be made?

Citizenship can be applied for once a permanent resident has been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years preceding the application. Part of the time spent in Canada with temporary status before permanent residence may also count, subject to a limit on the number of days.

Does the programme provide a separate work permit before permanent residence?

It used to be possible to obtain an open work permit for up to three years in order to develop the business in Canada while the permanent residence application was being considered. Since 19 December 2025 IRCC has stopped accepting new applications for such a permit — the only exception is for those already in Canada extending a permit they hold.

Other ways to move to Canada

Every route in one list — migration programmes: Canada.

The terms and the amounts are checked against official sources — the link sits under each section.Last checked on: 7 August 2026.