Canada Startup Visa

To qualify, the applicant must obtain a commitment certificate from a designated organization. The proposed venture must be a qualifying business in which the applicant holds at least 10% of the voting rights, and together with the designated organization jointly holds more than 50% of the voting rights. The applicant must intend to actively and ongoing manage the business from within Canada, with an essential part of operations conducted in Canada, and the business must be incorporated in Canada. The applicant must also meet a minimum of CLB 5 in English or French, show sufficient settlement funds to support themselves and their dependents, and be in good health with no criminal record.

The applicant must receive one of the following: an investment of at least CAD 75,000 from a designated angel investor group; an investment of at least CAD 200,000 from a designated venture capital fund; or acceptance into a business incubator program by a designated business incubator.

The spouse or common-law partner of the applicant qualifies as a dependent. Children also qualify as dependents if they are under 22 years old and do not have a spouse or partner.

Permanent residents in Canada have the right to live, work, and study anywhere in Canada permanently, access most social benefits including public healthcare coverage, apply for citizenship after 3 years of permanent residence, sponsor family relatives to Canada, and be protected under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Dual citizenship is also permitted.

The designated business incubator conducts a due diligence assessment on the applicant's qualifications. The applicant then confirms their interest to work with the designated business incubator. Permanent residence and work permit applications are submitted together. Once the work permit is approved, the applicant travels to Canada to activate it and begin working with the incubator on the venture. Upon approval of the permanent residence application, the applicant and dependent family members obtain permanent residence status in Canada.

Work permit applications typically take 8 to 12 weeks depending on the applicant's country of residence. Permanent residence processing times may vary by case due to differences in case complexity, fluctuations in immigration targets, application inventory levels, and IRCC processing capacity.

There is no formal residence requirement under the SUV program. However, since the program requires the applicant to provide active and ongoing management from within Canada and conduct an essential part of the business in Canada, the applicant may need to stay in Canada to satisfy these program requirements.