Is Canada's Start-up Visa Still Open in 2026?

01

What happened to the Start-up Visa?

The Minister issued new Ministerial Instructions, dated 5 December 2025 and published in the Canada Gazette on 20 December 2025. From 1 January 2026, and until further notice, the number of new applications accepted for processing in the Start-up Business Class each year is set at zero. IRCC calls these instructions MI 90. The stated reason is to manage "inventory pressures".

The class itself has not been repealed. It remains in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (ss. 98.01 to 98.11), so the program can restart without new legislation.

IRCC's 19 December 2025 notice said the measures "will set the foundation for the transition to a new, targeted pilot program for immigrant entrepreneurs", with more information "in 2026". As at 12 October 2026, no pilot rules, criteria or launch date have been published. The program page still reads "Status: Paused".

02

Who could still apply in 2026?

Only founders whose commitment certificate from a designated organization reached IRCC before 1 January 2026, with every application tied to that commitment filed within six months of it (MI 90). IRCC's page puts the last filing date at 30 June 2026. The program is closed to all other applications.

03

How the investment works

This is how the program worked, and how files already in the queue are judged. The applicant does not invest a fixed sum. A designated venture capital fund, angel investor group or business incubator commits to the business instead (IRPR s. 98.03). Each applicant also needed (s. 98.01(2)):

• a commitment less than six months old when applying;
• Canadian Language Benchmark level 5 in English or French in all four skills;
• settlement funds of their own, set at half the Statistics Canada low income cut-off for the family's size, not counting the designated organization's investment;
• a qualifying business incorporated in Canada, managed actively from within Canada, with an essential part of its operations there (s. 98.06).

Up to five applicants can apply for the same business (s. 98.01(3)). The organization may not charge a fee to assess the proposal (s. 98.04(2)).

Which queued files go first. MI 90 gives priority to applicants where at least one team member holds a Start-up Visa work permit and the commitment came from a venture capital fund investing at least C$200,000, an angel group investing at least C$75,000, or an incubator in Canada's Tech Network or committing at least C$75,000. Other files follow in date order, "as annual admissions (levels) space allows" (Canada Gazette).

04

How long is the wait?

IRCC's own processing time data, updated on 3 September 2026, gives "More than 10 years" for the Start-up Visa, with about 47,500 people waiting. The Self-employed Persons program shows the same estimate. These are IRCC estimates for the queue as a whole, not a promise for any file. Check the live tool before relying on them.

05

Can you still get a work permit while you wait?

Only an extension. IRCC stopped taking new applications for the Start-up Visa work permit on 19 December 2025, except from people already in Canada extending their current permit (notice).

06

Was the program working?

IRCC's 2023 evaluation, covering May 2016 to December 2021, found that gaps in performance data "prevented the evaluation from developing a detailed understanding of the SUV program's full economic impact". It recorded that 230 business owners hired 990 employees from May 2016 to December 2019. It also found that IRCC could detect problematic applications and possible misuse, but had limited investigative capacity to address them. IRCC's stated reason for the pause is the backlog, not the evaluation.

07

What should families from Asia and the Gulf do now?

If you are in the queue. Keep your file current and your designated organization engaged. In our view, a decade-long estimate means you should also consider a provincial entrepreneur stream or another country's program, without withdrawing.

If you were planning to apply. There is no federal route today. Some provinces run their own entrepreneur streams; see our provincial entrepreneur guide. Canada has no investor visa at the federal level; see our Canada investor immigration guide.

Watch for the pilot. In our view, do not pay anyone who claims to offer a place in the new pilot. IRCC has published no rules.

08

FAQ