Federal  Entrepreneur Program – Start-up Visa

Get your business idea funded and immigrate to Canada permanently. Canada’s new Start-Up Visa Program is the first of its kind in the world, linking immigrant entrepreneurs with experienced private sector organizations that have expertise in working with start-ups.

Note: The Province of Quebec establishes its own immigration requirements. If you plan on living in Quebec, you must first apply to the Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities (MICC) for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ).

Get your business idea funded

Before you apply for the Start-up visa, you must convince a designated angel investor group or venture capital fund to invest in your business idea. If the investor organization decides to fund your business idea, they will give you a letter of support.

You must include your letter of support with your application as proof that an angel investor group or venture capital fund supports your business idea.

Language requirements

Being able to communicate and work in English, French or both will help your business in Canada.

You must prove your ability in English or French in these four areas:

- speaking
- reading
- listening
- writing

You must meet the minimum level of CLB 5 in either English or French for all four language abilities.

If you do not meet the minimum language skills, your application will be refused.

Education requirements

You must provide proof of your education with your application. Specifically, you will need:

- proof of having completed at least one year of post-secondary education
- proof that you were in good standing during at least one year while you were attending a post?secondary institution

Your proof of education may be in the form of transcripts and a letter of good standing, or certificate or diploma or degree.

Have sufficient settlement funds

The Government of Canada does not provide financial support to new start-up business visa immigrants.

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You must be able to use this money to support the costs of living for your family.

You will need to provide proof of your funds when you submit your application for immigration.

The amount of money you need to support your family is determined by the size of your family. These amounts are updated every year.

If you are interested in this program, start your process today by completing the following questionnaire (estimated 10 mins):

CLICK HERE TO PRE-QUALIFICATION QUESTIONNAIRE