Entrepreneurs see their last chance to apply for permanent residence through the Start-up Visa program
Immigrant entrepreneurs who received a valid commitment certificate from a designated organization in 2025 have until June 30, 2026, to apply for permanent residence (PR) under Canada's Start-up Visa (SUV) program.
Those already in Canada on a SUV-specific work permit are currently being prioritized for PR, in accordance with efforts to reduce the temporary resident population by transitioning eligible individuals to PR.
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Those who did not have a certificate issued to them by an eligible business incubator, venture capital fund, or angel investor group by December 31, 2025, do not qualify for this final deadline.
Canada’s immigration department stopped accepting new SUV program applications on December 31, 2025, effectively closing the program to all applicants except those with a valid 2025 commitment certificate.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) also stopped accepting new applications for the optional SUV open work permit on December 19, 2025. As of this date, only OWP extensions are being accepted.
When IRCC announced these measures late last year, the government noted they are in place for the “transition to a new, targeted pilot program for immigrant entrepreneurs,” as well as due to its excessive business application inventory.
At the time, and currently still, the wait time for a newly submitted SUV application is more than 10 years. About 46,600 people are currently waiting for their applications to be finalized as of the time of this writing.
IRCC has not provided any further details on the replacement entrepreneur program, as of the time of writing.
How to apply for PR if you have a 2025 commitment certificate
All applications for a SUV must be submitted by June 30.
Prior to applying, read the SUV application instruction guide (IMM 5759), verify your eligibility, and gather the required documentation.
SUV eligibility requirements include:
- Having a qualifying business;
- Having secured a valid 2025 commitment certificate from a designated angel investor group, venture capital fund, or business incubator;
- Possessing a Letter of Support from the designated organization backing your business;
- Meeting at least a Canadian Language Benchmark level 5 across all four language abilities;
- Having sufficient settlement funds that are available and unencumbered (must not be the investment capital in your company); and
- Intending to reside outside of Quebec.
You can apply as an individual or as part of a group of up to five owners, but together with the designated organization you must hold more than 50% of the voting rights in the qualifying business.
Once you have confirmed your eligibility, you can submit a complete application with the required documentation attached, which can be found in the SUV Business Class document checklist (IMM 5760).
You may submit the application yourself or hire a licensed representative, such as an immigration lawyer, to submit the application on your behalf.
If submitting the application yourself, you must do so through the Permanent Residence Portal.
If you use a representative, the application must include a Use of Representative form (IMM 5476), and be submitted by the representative through the Representative Portal.
Applications must be submitted online, unless you (or your representative, if applicable) qualify for an exception.
Each business partner must submit their own application; IRCC won’t begin processing any partner’s application until all co-applicants in the group have applied.
Those already in Canada on an SUV work permit may apply for an extension to continue working while they await processing of their PR application.
- Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
- Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
