Start-Up Visa Program: 2026 Status and What Happens Now

The Start-Up Visa Program gave permanent residence to entrepreneurs who wanted to build an innovative business in Canada, outside Quebec, with the support of a designated venture capital fund, angel investor group or business incubator. In the law it is called the start-up business class, set out in sections 98.01 to 98.10 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR).

The pause comes from Ministerial Instructions signed on December 5, 2025 and published in the Canada Gazette on December 20, 2025. They took effect on January 1, 2026 and set the number of new start-up business class applications IRCC will accept at zero, until further notice. IRCC calls these Ministerial Instructions 90 (MI90).

Last day for new applications without a 2025 commitment

Dec 31, 2025

Last day for holders of a 2025 commitment certificate

June 30, 2026

IRCC's 2026 admissions target for all federal business programs

500

1. April 30, 2024

   Annual cap and priority processing

   IRCC capped applications at 10 start-ups per designated organization a year and prioritized start-ups backed by Canadian capital or a Canada's Tech Network incubator.

2. October 3, 2024

   Open work permit replaces the employer-specific permit

   Applications made before this date were for an employer-specific permit that allowed work only for your start-up.

3. December 19, 2025

   Work permit closed

   IRCC stopped accepting new applications for the optional Start-Up Visa work permit. Extensions for people already in Canada on that permit continue.

4. December 31, 2025

   New applications stopped

   At 11:59 p.m., IRCC stopped accepting new applications, except from entrepreneurs with a valid commitment made in 2025.

5. January 1, 2026

   Ministerial Instructions 90 in force

   New applications set at zero until further notice.

6. June 30, 2026

   Last deadline passed

If IRCC accepted your application into processing, the pause does not cancel it. MI90 tells officers to process accepted start-up business class files, including files received before January 1, 2026, in three priority groups. Within each group, files are processed first in, first out, by the date IRCC received them, as yearly admission spaces allow.

A group file moves only as one unit. IRCC does not process any team member's application until it has received the applications of every person listed on the commitment certificate. If a team member whom the commitment names as essential is refused or withdraws, section 98.08(2) of IRPR says the other members' applications must also be refused.

A commitment certificate is the document a designated organization sends directly to IRCC to confirm its support for your start-up. Under MI90, a certificate could support a new application only if all of these conditions were met:

• Received in timeIRCC received a valid commitment certificate before 12:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time on January 1, 2026.
• Within the organization's capIRCC had not already accepted applications supported by 10 other commitment certificates from the same designated organization in 2025 and 2026.
• Whole team within six monthsEvery application linked to the commitment reached IRCC within six months of the commitment date on the first valid certificate. The commitment date cannot be later than the date the certificate was sent to IRCC.
• No late changesAn updated certificate is accepted only until the day before IRCC receives the first team member's permanent residence application. After that date the commitment is locked, and a new certificate does not restart the six-month period.

Because the last six-month window ended on June 30, 2026, an unused commitment certificate can no longer support a new application. A certificate dated in 2026 was never covered by the exception.

IRCC still publishes its list of designated business incubators, venture capital funds and angel investor groups, last updated on September 21, 2026. The list matters for files in process, because the type of organization decides the priority group: venture capital funds had to invest at least $200,000 and angel investor groups at least $75,000. Designated organizations set their own process for receiving proposals from entrepreneurs and their own criteria for assessing them.

Officers assess accepted files under the regulations as they stand. You must still meet every requirement, from application to decision:

• CommitmentA commitment from one or more designated organizations that was less than six months old on the day you applied (IRPR 98.01(2)(a)).
• LanguageCanadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in English, or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 5 in French, in all four abilities, from an approved test less than two years old when you applied.
• Settlement fundsMoney of your own, not borrowed, to support yourself and your family. A designated organization's investment in your business does not count.
• OwnershipEach applicant holds at least 10% of the voting rights, and the applicants and the designated organization together hold more than 50%. No more than five applicants can apply for the same business.
• Qualifying businessAfter you become a permanent resident, the business must be incorporated in Canada, you must actively manage it from inside Canada, and an essential part of its operations must take place in Canada (IRPR 98.06).
• AdmissibilityMedical exams, police certificates and biometrics for you and your family members, and a plan to live outside Quebec.

The optional Start-Up Visa work permit let entrepreneurs come to Canada and build their business while IRCC processed their permanent residence application. The current open version is valid for up to 3 years and lets you work on your business and for almost any other employer to supplement your income.

IRCC closed the permit to new applicants on December 19, 2025. It also now gives priority to the permanent residence files of people already in Canada on this permit. To extend it, you must continue to meet these conditions:

• Current permitYou hold a valid work permit issued in the Start-Up Visa category, or held one and are eligible to restore your status.
• Pending permanent residenceYou applied for permanent residence through the Start-Up Visa Program. If your commitment was given to a team, every member's application must still be pending.
• Essential memberYou are an essential member of your entrepreneurial team.
• Outside QuebecYou intend to live in a province or territory other than Quebec.
• Significant economic benefitYou show that your business has provided, and will keep providing, a significant economic benefit, such as job creation, product or service innovation, a boost to a remote economy or training for Canadians. Without supporting documents, IRCC may refuse the extension.
• FundsYou have enough money to support yourself and your family for 52 weeks at the minimum income for your family size, plus funds to keep developing the business.

IRCC's December 19, 2025 notice said the pause sets the foundation for a new, targeted pilot program for immigrant entrepreneurs, with more information to come in 2026. IRCC's 2026–27 Departmental Plan describes a new high impact start-up pilot that will replace the Start-Up Visa and focus its eligibility on elite entrepreneurs. The Deputy Minister's 2026 transition binder calls it the High Impact Start-up Pilot.

Routes that are open today for entrepreneurs who want permanent residence:

• Provincial entrepreneur streams, for example in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Northwest Territories and Yukon. You usually start on a provincially supported work permit and are nominated after meeting a performance agreement.
• Quebec's Entrepreneur Program, which includes a stream for innovative businesses supported by a Quebec organization.
• Express Entry, if you qualify as a skilled worker. Since November 3, 2026, a job offer no longer needs a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to count.

A business owner work permit (code C11) lets you run your own business for a limited time, but it is meant for a temporary stay and does not lead to permanent residence by itself.

The processing times below come live from IRCC. IRCC's Start-Up Visa time covers only files it has already accepted. IRCC says its backlog comes from a mismatch between the number of applications and the admission spaces available. The work permit time shown is the general time for permits applied for inside Canada, which includes extensions.

If IRCC approves your file, you pay the right of permanent residence fee if you have not already, confirm your permanent residence and receive a permanent resident card. You must then run the business as the regulations expect: incorporated in Canada, managed actively from inside Canada, with an essential part of its operations in Canada.

If you came to Canada on a Start-Up Visa work permit, keep your status valid until you become a permanent resident, for example by applying to extend your permit before it expires.