C11 Business Owner Work Permit and Owner-Operator LMIA

Section 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) allows a work permit for work that would create or maintain significant social, cultural or economic benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) uses administrative codes for specific situations under this rule. C11 is the code for business owners who want to start or run their own business in Canada and who seek only temporary residence.

These permits are issued through the International Mobility Program, so no LMIA is needed. Because you own the business, you are both the employer and the employee, and you must meet the rules for both roles.

Minimum share of the business you must control

51%

Normal maximum length of a C11 permit

18 months

Period your support funds must cover, at the low income cut-off for your family size

18 months

IRCC's instructions define two kinds of business owner. A self-employed person works for themselves and rarely hires anyone outside their family, usually doing the operational work too. An entrepreneur organizes and runs a business, takes on greater than normal financial risk and hires employees other than family members. If a business employs only the owner and family members, IRCC treats the owner as self-employed, whether or not the business is incorporated.

IRCC's program delivery instructions for C11 say you must show all of the following, and that the officer must also be satisfied that every general work permit requirement in section 200 of IRPR is met:

• Control of the businessYou control at least 51% of the business in Canada.
• Temporary or seasonal stayYour work is temporary or seasonal and you plan to leave Canada within a set time. Year-round businesses need a transition or exit plan, for example hiring a manager to run the business after you leave.
• Significant benefitYour work will generate significant economic, social or cultural benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents. For self-employed people, benefits to local clients, such as a service not normally available in the area, can count.
• Support fundsFunds available to you, unencumbered by debt, equal to the low income cut-off for your family size for at least 18 months, or for your whole stay if shorter.
• Separate business fundsMoney to start or run the business that is separate from your support funds, including enough to pay yourself, with proof of where it came from.
• Offer of employmentAn offer of employment to yourself submitted through IRCC's Employer Portal under C11, and proof that the employer compliance fee was paid, before you apply for the permit.
• Ability to do the workExperience, education, training, licences and language ability that match the duties of running this business.

In the offer of employment, entrepreneurs use the generic code 88888 with the job title Entrepreneur. Self-employed applicants should use the National Occupational Classification (NOC) code that matches the work they will actually do.

IRCC tells officers to check whether your business plan is a concrete plan to start the business, or only a detailed market analysis of the industry. A strong plan answers practical questions:

• LocationIs it in a large city or a rural area? The impact of the same business changes with the location.
• Product and suppliersWhere will you buy what you sell? If you import, have you costed duties and taxes, and how does your product improve on what is available in Canada?
• FinancesHave you costed set-up, supplies and the first wages, and can you cover them without relying on immediate sales?
• Marketing and customersHow will you find customers, and are you creating a new market or taking customers from established Canadian businesses?
• Jobs and wagesAre the jobs significant for the area and enough to start the business, and are wages at the median or higher so they do not push wages down?
• Your backgroundDo your skills, knowledge and language ability make the business more likely to succeed in Canada?

An owner-operator LMIA is the common name for an LMIA that your Canadian business requests from Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for a position you will fill yourself. ESDC's program requirements pages do not set out a separate owner-operator category, so the application is assessed under the same rules as any other LMIA. IRCC's C11 instructions point to this route for owners with less than 51%, who must apply as employees.

Only an employer in Canada can apply. ESDC checks that the business and the job offer are genuine and legitimate, using four factors: the business provides a good or service in Canada, the job meets a reasonable need of the business, the business can fulfill every term of the offer including wages, and it has no compliance issues. A negative finding on any factor makes the LMIA negative. ESDC also requires a real employer-employee relationship, in which the employer hires the worker, directs their duties and pays them.

For a high-wage position, ESDC requires at least three recruitment activities: an advertisement on Job Bank and two other methods suited to the occupation, one of them national in scope. Advertising must run for at least 4 consecutive weeks within the 3 months before the LMIA application. A transition plan to recruit, retain and train Canadians is also mandatory for high-wage positions.

1. 1

   Build your evidence

   Prepare a concrete business plan, proof of ownership, proof of support funds and separate business funds with their source, an exit or transition plan, and documents showing your experience and any licences the work requires.

2. 2

   Submit the offer of employment

   As the employer, create the offer to yourself in IRCC's Employer Portal, select code C11 (Business Owner, Temporary Purpose), explain the benefit to Canada and pay the employer compliance fee. You get an offer number that starts with A.

3. 3

   Apply for the work permit

   Apply online with the offer number and your supporting documents. IRCC encourages online applications even if you could apply at a port of entry, because of the complexity of the file.

4. 4

   Officer decision

   The officer decides whether the work brings significant benefit and whether you will leave at the end of your stay. If they have concerns about the temporary nature of your stay, they may refuse or limit the permit to a specific season or period.

5. 5

   Run the business and keep records

   Keep records of hiring, spending and sales. You will need them if you apply to extend.

C11 itself does not lead to permanent residence, and IRCC says business owners cannot live in Canada permanently simply because they own a business. These are the realistic routes:

Since November 3, 2026, a job offer used for Express Entry no longer needs an LMIA. Officers still check that the offer is genuine, including whether the employer is active in the business and can fulfill the terms of the offer.

Once a province formally nominates a business candidate, the candidate can switch from a C60 permit to a provincial nominee work permit (code T13) with the nomination and a support letter from the province.

Support funds are separate from these fees. They must equal the low income cut-off for your family size for at least 18 months, and Statistics Canada updates the cut-off every year. The processing times below come live from IRCC for work permits and from ESDC for LMIAs. ESDC's LMIA times do not include the advertising period.

Your permit is tied to your business, the occupation and the location in the offer of employment. Because you are both employer and employee, you are also bound by the employer conditions that come with the offer, so keep wages, duties and working conditions as described.

You can apply from inside Canada for another permit for the same business, but the officer must again be satisfied that you will leave and that your work still brings significant benefit. IRCC expects you to show:

• How your work during the previous permit created significant benefits, and how the next period will too.
• Why you need more time, for example circumstances you could not foresee, illness, or not yet finding a manager to run the business after you leave.
• What you have done to carry out your business plan.