Start-up Visa Program
The Start-up Visa Program is tailored for those enterprising and ambitious entrepreneurs and working professionals eager to get a Canada PR visa.
The program’s base is a start-up project proposal that is technology-based, viable and Scalable. It permits the founder and a maximum of 4 co-applicants to apply under the same start-up project. Team Aar Overseas helps identify the founders and the co-applicants who can play a significant role – as per experience, whether business or working – in the project’s success.
Four main eligibility requirements under the Canada Start-Up visa program:
- Have a qualifying business.
- Get a letter of support from a designated organization.
- Meet the language requirements.
- Bring enough money to settle.
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10 Key Advantages
- No minimal education requirements.
- No special skill requirements.
- No minimum net worth requirements.
- No minimum income requirements.
- No minimum investment requirements.
- Unconditional PR visa that permits the PR visa holder to live anywhere in Canada.
- New start-up visa immigrants do not get any financial backing from the Canadian Government.
- Skilled Category professionals and tradespersons are also eligible to apply.
- Eligible to apply for Work Permit after the issuance of Letter of Support*
- Kids can get the benefits of paying the higher study subsidized Tuition fee while being on a work permit*
Exclusive Opportunity: Work Permit for Start-up Visa
If you have applied for permanent residence through the Start-Up Visa Program (SUV), you may qualify for an optional work permit. This permit enables you to begin working on your business while your start-up visa application is under review.
Key details of this work permit include:
- It is exclusively for the Start-up Visa Program.
- It is valid for 1 year.
- It permits you to work solely as an entrepreneur to develop your business.
Immigrate with a Start-up Visa
Canada’s Start-up Visa Program aims to attract immigrant entrepreneurs who have the skills and potential to establish businesses in Canada that:
- Are innovative
- Can create jobs for Canadians
- Can compete on a global scale
Do you have a groundbreaking business idea? If you can secure support from one of the designated organizations, you may be eligible to immigrate to Canada.
Who Can Apply?
Eligibility Criteria
You can apply for the Start-up Visa Program as an individual or as part of a group of up to five owners. To qualify, you must:
- Have a qualifying business
- Secure a letter of support from a designated organization
- Meet language proficiency requirements
- Bring sufficient funds to settle in Canada
What Makes a Business Qualify?
To qualify under this program:
- Each applicant must hold at least 10% of the total voting rights in the business.
- Combined, the applicants and the designated organization must hold more than 50% of the total voting rights.
Once approved, you must:
- Incorporate your business in Canada
- Actively manage your business from within Canada
- Ensure a significant part of your business operations occurs in Canada
Secure a Letter of Support
Designated organizations are vetted business groups that have been approved to invest in or support potential start-ups. To gain their support, you’ll need to:
- Contact the designated organization to learn about their support process
- Demonstrate that your business is worth supporting
- Obtain a letter of support from the designated organization
The organization will also send a commitment certificate directly to the immigration authorities, which will be used to evaluate your application.
Language Requirements
To qualify for the Start-up Visa Program, you need to achieve Canadian Language Benchmark 5 in listening, reading, writing, and speaking (in English or French). Your language test results must come from an approved agency.
Financial Requirements
The Government of Canada does not provide financial support to start-up visa immigrants. You must show proof that you have enough funds to support yourself and your dependents after arriving in Canada. These funds cannot be borrowed and the required amount varies based on family size, updated annually.
Funds Required to Immigrate to Canada (Updated June 3, 2024)
Number of Family Members | Funds Required (in Canadian Dollars) |
1 | $14,690 |
2 | $18,288 |
3 | $22,483 |
4 | $27,297 |
5 | $30,690 |
6 | $34,917 |
7 | $38,875 |
For each additional member | Add $3,958 |
Maximize Your Financial Preparedness
Understand the cost of living in the area where you plan to settle in Canada. Bringing ample funds will make your transition smoother and help you find a home more easily.
Embark on your entrepreneurial journey in Canada with the Start-up Visa Program and take the first step towards building a successful and innovative business that can thrive globally.
Designated organizations
- Venture capital funds
- You must get at least one of these groups to agree to invest a minimum of $200,000:
- 7 Gate Ventures
- Alt Ventures
- Amplitude Ventures Inc.
- York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI) VC Fund
- Apex Innovative Investments Ventures
- Arete Pacific Tech Ventures (VCC) Corp
- BCF Ventures
- BDC Venture Capital
- Extreme Venture Partners LLP
- Golden Venture Partners Fund, LP
- INP Capital
- iNovia Capital Inc.
- Intrinsic Venture Capital
- Lumira Ventures
- Invest Nova Scotia
- PRIVEQ Capital Funds
- Real Ventures
- Red Leaf Capital Corp
- Relay Ventures
- Tangentia Ventures
- Top Renergy Inc.
- Vanedge Capital Limited Partnership
- Version One Ventures
- WhiteHaven Venture
- Westcap Management Ltd.
- Yaletown Venture Partners Inc.
Angel investor groups
You must get one or more investors connected to these groups to agree to invest a minimum of $75,000:
- Canadian International Angel Investors
- Ekagrata Inc.
- Golden Triangle Angel Network
- Keiretsu Forum Canada
- VANTEC Angel Network Inc.
- York Angel Investors Inc.
Business incubators
You must be accepted into one of these programs:
- Alacrity Foundation
- Alberta Agriculture and Forestry
- Agrivalue Processing Business Incubator
- Food Processing Development Centre
- Alberta IoT Association
- Altitude Accelerator
- Bhive
- Biomedical Commercialization Canada Inc. (operating as Manitoba Technology Accelerator)
- Brilliant Catalyst
- DMZ Ventures
- Empowered Startups Ltd.
- Extreme Innovations
- Foresight Cleantech Accelerator Centre
- Genesis
- Highline BETA Inc.
- Invest Nova Scotia
- Innovate Calgary
- Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas
- Innovation Factory
- Interactive Niagara Media Cluster o/a Innovate Niagara
- Intrinsic Innovations
- ISM Arts & Culture Ltd
- Knowledge Park o/a Planet Hatch
- Global Startups Accelerator
- Launch Academy – Vancouver
- LaunchPad PEI Inc.
- Millworks Centre for Entrepreneurship
- NEXT Canada
- Niagara Business & Innovation Fund
- North Forge East Ltd.
- North Forge Technology Exchange
- Pacific Technology Ventures
- Platform Calgary
- Pycap
- Red Leaf Capital Corp
- Roseview Global Incubator
- Spark Commercialization and Innovation Centre
- Spring Activator
- The DMZ
- Think8 Global Institute
- TiE Toronto
- Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC)
- Treefrog
- TSRV Canada Inc. (operating as Techstars Canada)
- University of Toronto Entrepreneurship Hatchery
- ventureLAB Innovation Centre
- VIATEC
- Waterloo Accelerator Centre
- York Entrepreneurship Development Institute
- YSpace (York University)