START-UP VISA
Innovative and new ideas are eligible for the Start-Up Program
Key Features
Investment
No investment required
Net Worth
No net worth required
Outcome
Canada’s Start-Up Visa Program offers Canadian permanent residence to qualified immigrant entrepreneurs.
Requirements
- Qualifying business plan.
- Commitment Certificate and Letter of Support from the incubator.
- Sufficient settlement funds
- Proficiency in English or French at minimum Canadian Language Benchmark level 5
Business Ownership Requirements
For the candidate to qualify for permanent residence:
- The intended business must be incorporated and carrying on business in Canada.
- The candidate must own at least 10 percent of the voting rights in the corporation.
- No other person can hold 50 percent or more of the voting rights in the corporation
Processing time of the program
If an entrepreneur has a feasible start-up business project, it will take about 6 months to secure a commitment letter of support from a designated entity. Once the letter of support is received, the application for PR can be submitted. It will take approximately 18-months to finalize the application to visa issuance.