Canada’s Start-Up Visa Work Permit: Closed To New Applicants, Extensions Only

On This Page, You Will Find:

• What Changed With The Start-Up Visa Work Permit
• Who Can Still Get A Start-Up Visa Work Permit
• What The Start-Up Visa Work Permit Allows
• How To Apply To Extend A Start-Up Visa Work Permit
• What Happens While Your Extension Is Processed
• Where The Start-Up Visa Permanent Residence Stream Stands
• The New Entrepreneur Pilot: What Is And Is Not Known
• Options For Entrepreneurs Who Missed The Deadline
• Frequently asked questions

The Start-Up Visa work permit is closed. As of December 19, 2025, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) stopped accepting new applications for the optional open work permit that Start-Up Visa (SUV) applicants could use to work in Canada while their permanent residence application was assessed.

One narrow route survives. Entrepreneurs who already hold a work permit issued in the Start-Up Visa category may still apply to extend it while IRCC processes their permanent residence application. Everyone else – including entrepreneurs with a commitment certificate but no SUV permit, and applicants outside Canada – is out of scope.

This page previously set out how to apply for the SUV open work permit. That guidance no longer describes a route anyone can take. What follows is the current status of the start-up visa work permit, the extension rules IRCC still applies, and where entrepreneurs stand while Canada designs a replacement program.

What Changed With The Start-Up Visa Work Permit

IRCC announced a package of business immigration measures on December 19, 2025, tied to sustainable immigration levels and the Talent Attraction Strategy in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Three changes matter here.

• The optional work permit closed on December 19, 2025. IRCC stopped accepting applications that day, except from people already in Canada applying to extend an existing SUV work permit.
• New permanent residence applications stopped after December 31, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. The only exception was applicants holding a valid 2025 commitment certificate from a designated organization. Those applicants had until June 30, 2026 to file. That deadline has passed.
• Designated organizations stopped issuing commitment certificates after December 31, 2025. There is no way to obtain a new letter of support for the existing program.

Canada.ca now lists the Start-Up Visa Program status as “Paused” and the work permit pages as “Closed to new applicants.” The pause on the separate Self-Employed Persons Program was extended until further notice; that program is also shown as paused.

For background on how the suspension unfolded, see our coverage of the Start-Up Visa suspension and the 2026 entrepreneur pilot.

Who Can Still Get A Start-Up Visa Work Permit

Only extensions are available, and only to a defined group. To apply to extend, IRCC requires that you:

• hold a valid work permit issued in the Start-Up Visa Program category, or previously held one and are eligible for restoration of status;
• have already applied for permanent residence through the SUV program;
• are an essential member of your entrepreneurial team;
• intend to live in a province or territory other than Quebec;
• can show your work or business has provided, and will continue to provide, a significant economic benefit to Canada;
• have enough money to support yourself and any family in Canada; and
• have enough separate money to continue developing your business.

If your commitment certificate was issued to an entrepreneurial team, every member of that group must still have a permanent residence application pending before any of you can get a work permit. One withdrawn or refused team application can block the rest.

IRCC defines significant economic benefit as job creation, product or service innovation, a boost to remote economies, or training opportunities for Canadians. The department warns that a work permit may be refused if the application does not include documents showing you are an experienced entrepreneur and that your business delivered at least one of those benefits. This is the point where extension applications most often fall down: officers want evidence of what the business actually did, not what the business plan projected.

What The Start-Up Visa Work Permit Allows

The permit itself has not changed for those who hold one. It is valid for up to three years and lets the holder work as an entrepreneur developing their own business, and also work for almost any employer in Canada to supplement income. That dual capacity is what distinguishes it from the closed, employer-specific permits that SUV candidates were limited to before 2024. If you want the general rules that govern this permit type, see our guide to open work permits in Canada.

Family members already in Canada with a permit holder can apply to extend their own status. A spouse or common-law partner may apply for an open work permit if eligible, and dependent children may apply for a study permit. Each family member files a separate application.

How To Apply To Extend A Start-Up Visa Work Permit

Extensions are filed through IRCC’s standard work permit extension process, not through a dedicated SUV portal. IRCC asks applicants to prepare the following before applying:

• proof that you – and all team members, if applicable – submitted a permanent residence application, such as an acknowledgment of receipt letter, a courier receipt with proof of payment, or online submission confirmation with proof of payment;
• your letter of support from the designated entity;
• proof of enough money to support yourself and your family, meeting the minimum income requirement for your family size for 52 weeks, in funds that are accessible, transferable and not limited by debts;
• proof of separate funds to start or continue your business;
• medical examination results; and
• a valid police certificate, if required.

IRCC also recommends including a business plan that shows what you have done since receiving your commitment certificate, a detailed staffing plan, proof of exploratory research such as supplier discussions or site selection, your résumé, and evidence you can perform your role in the business.

Apply before your current permit expires. If it has already expired, restoration of status is the only route back, and it carries its own deadline and conditions.

What Happens While Your Extension Is Processed

If you file the extension before your existing permit expires, you can generally keep working under maintained status while IRCC decides. Confirm the conditions on the IRCC extension page rather than assuming – maintained status has limits, and leaving Canada during processing can affect it.

Once you have applied, family members in Canada can apply to extend their visitor status, work permit or study permit. Applications for the principal applicant and family are handled separately, so track each one.

Where The Start-Up Visa Permanent Residence Stream Stands

IRCC continues to process permanent residence applications accepted before the cut-offs. The department has said it is prioritising permanent residence applications from people already in Canada holding a SUV-specific work permit, as targets in the Immigration Levels Plan allow. That prioritisation is a stated intention constrained by admission space, not a guaranteed processing time.

Practically, holding a valid SUV work permit and remaining in Canada now carries weight it did not carry before. Applicants in the inventory who let their permit lapse move outside the prioritised group.

The New Entrepreneur Pilot: What Is And Is Not Known

IRCC said in December 2025 that details of a new targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs would be communicated in 2026. As of the date of this article, no eligibility criteria, intake dates or application process have been published.

What has been published is a commitment. IRCC’s 2026-27 Departmental Plan states the department is creating a new high-impact Start-Up Visa pilot that will replace the existing program and address problems observed in it, with eligibility criteria and streamlined program elements focused on elite entrepreneurs. That wording signals a smaller, more selective program than the one it replaces – but it is a planning document, not a program launch.

No designated organization, consultant or law firm can enrol you in a program that does not yet exist. Treat any offer to secure a place in the new pilot, or to bank a commitment certificate against it, with caution. Our reporting on Canada’s planned high-impact start-up visa pilot tracks what has been confirmed.

Options For Entrepreneurs Who Missed The Deadline

Entrepreneurs without a pending SUV application have no federal start-up route open at present. The realistic alternatives are provincial and employer-based:

• Provincial entrepreneur streams. Most provinces and territories run their own business and entrepreneur nomination streams with separate criteria, investment thresholds and work permit support. These operate independently of the federal SUV pause. See provincial entrepreneur programs.
• Quebec business programs. Quebec selects its own business immigrants and was never part of the Start-Up Visa Program.
• Employer-supported work permits. Founders with in-demand skills may qualify through employer-driven routes, intra-company transfers or trade agreement provisions, then pursue permanent residence through Express Entry.
• Express Entry. Entrepreneurs with strong language scores, education and skilled work experience may score competitively as skilled workers regardless of their business plans.

Each of these has its own risk profile. Given how quickly the federal picture shifted between December 2025 and mid-2026, verify status on canada.ca before committing money or relocating.

Frequently Asked Questions