Canada

Start-up Visa Program. Permanent residence for founders backed by a designated Canadian venture fund, angel group or incubator; closed to new applicants since 31 December 2025 while Ottawa designs a replacement pilot.

Free, with the law behind every answer

Start-up Visa Program

Nothing for new applicants today. When open: a work permit while the file was pending, then permanent residence outright.

Who qualifies

A letter of support from a designated venture-capital fund (at least C$200,000 invested, about $144,000), a designated angel-investor group (at least C$75,000, about $54,000), or a designated business incubator (acceptance into the program, no minimum investment).
IRCC, Start-up Visa Program, Ministerial Instructions 7
Each applicant holds at least 10% of the voting rights, and applicants plus the designated organisation together hold more than 50%; Canadian Language Benchmark 5 in English or French; settlement funds.
IRCC, Start-up Visa Program
In April 2024 IRCC capped each designated organisation at 10 supported start-ups a year and prioritised those backed by Canadian capital; processing passed 37 months; on 31 December 2025 the program closed to new applications, with holders of a valid commitment certificate given until 30 June 2026 to file. A "High Impact Start-up Pilot" is promised, with no criteria or date published as of September 2026.
IRCC, Program delivery update: Start-Up Visa, cap and prioritization

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Not taking new families today.

Nothing to file. Watch IRCC’s Start-up Visa page for the High Impact Start-up Pilot.

This program is closed right now: intake stopped on 31 December 2025 and the replacement pilot has no rules, fee schedule or opening date.

Options open to you today →

What it takes.

Savings: About $54,000.
Time: Not applicable; closed to new intake. Files already in the 42,000-person backlog were running past 3 years before closure.
Cost: About $2,500–4,000 in government fees per applicant plus $10,000–30,000 in legal and designated-organisation fees, on top of the investment; moot while closed.
The hard part: This program is closed right now: intake stopped on 31 December 2025 and the replacement pilot has no rules, fee schedule or opening date.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2031.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
5 years, renewable for 5 years at a time.
2030
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2031
Citizenship

Language: English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark 4, ages 18–54.
Civics: The citizenship test, ages 18–54: rights and responsibilities of citizens, Canada’s history, geography, government and symbols.
Time away: At least 1,095 days physically in Canada in the 5 years before applying. Each day there as a temporary resident before permanent residence counts as half a day, up to 365 days. Tax returns filed for 3 of those years. Keeping permanent residence itself needs 730 days in Canada in every 5 years.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Closed: the program took its last applications on 30 June 2026. Files already in are still processed and lead straight to permanent residence (the permit shown is the 5-year PR card).
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: As a permanent resident, 730 days in Canada in every rolling five-year period.
Tax: Permanent residents become Canadian tax residents on worldwide income once they have residential ties (a home, spouse or dependants in Canada).

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Nothing to file. Watch IRCC’s Start-up Visa page for the High Impact Start-up Pilot.Open canada.ca ↗

Not open today.

Start-up Visa Program isn’t accepting new applications.

Options open to you today →

ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

Cover

POSTERN

Canada

Free, with the law behind every answer

Start-up Visa Program

Nothing for new applicants today. When open: a work permit while the file was pending, then permanent residence outright.

Who qualifies

A letter of support from a designated venture-capital fund (at least C$200,000 invested, about $144,000), a designated angel-investor group (at least C$75,000, about $54,000), or a designated business incubator (acceptance into the program, no minimum investment).
IRCC, Start-up Visa Program, Ministerial Instructions 7
Each applicant holds at least 10% of the voting rights, and applicants plus the designated organisation together hold more than 50%; Canadian Language Benchmark 5 in English or French; settlement funds.
IRCC, Start-up Visa Program
In April 2024 IRCC capped each designated organisation at 10 supported start-ups a year and prioritised those backed by Canadian capital; processing passed 37 months; on 31 December 2025 the program closed to new applications, with holders of a valid commitment certificate given until 30 June 2026 to file. A "High Impact Start-up Pilot" is promised, with no criteria or date published as of September 2026.
IRCC, Program delivery update: Start-Up Visa, cap and prioritization

You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Not taking new families today.

Nothing to file. Watch IRCC’s Start-up Visa page for the High Impact Start-up Pilot.

This program is closed right now: intake stopped on 31 December 2025 and the replacement pilot has no rules, fee schedule or opening date.

Options open to you today →

What it takes.

Savings: About $54,000.
Time: Not applicable; closed to new intake. Files already in the 42,000-person backlog were running past 3 years before closure.
Cost: About $2,500–4,000 in government fees per applicant plus $10,000–30,000 in legal and designated-organisation fees, on top of the investment; moot while closed.
The hard part: This program is closed right now: intake stopped on 31 December 2025 and the replacement pilot has no rules, fee schedule or opening date.

Dollar figures are converted from the local currency at the rate the program’s research used; the official figure is in the local currency.

Citizens by 2031.

If your first permit is issued in 2027 and you keep living there, this is the road.

2027
First residence permit
5 years, renewable for 5 years at a time.
2030
Apply for citizenship
With a language test and a civics test.
2031
Citizenship

Language: English or French at Canadian Language Benchmark 4, ages 18–54.
Civics: The citizenship test, ages 18–54: rights and responsibilities of citizens, Canada’s history, geography, government and symbols.
Time away: At least 1,095 days physically in Canada in the 5 years before applying. Each day there as a temporary resident before permanent residence counts as half a day, up to 365 days. Tax returns filed for 3 of those years. Keeping permanent residence itself needs 730 days in Canada in every 5 years.
Two passports: Yes. You keep your U.S. citizenship.

Closed: the program took its last applications on 30 June 2026. Files already in are still processed and lead straight to permanent residence (the permit shown is the 5-year PR card).
How long the decision takes isn’t published; we allow a year.

The law behind these dates

Living there.

Time you must spend there: As a permanent resident, 730 days in Canada in every rolling five-year period.
Tax: Permanent residents become Canadian tax residents on worldwide income once they have residential ties (a home, spouse or dependants in Canada).

We never file a tax return. We tell you what applies and brief the professional who does.

Start today.

Nothing to file. Watch IRCC’s Start-up Visa page for the High Impact Start-up Pilot.Open canada.ca ↗

Not open today.

Start-up Visa Program isn’t accepting new applications.

Options open to you today →

ISSUED TO

YOUR FAMILY

Cover