Canada is drawing a line under its Start-Up Visa programme, freezing new entries as it prepares to replace it with a narrower, more selective entrepreneur pilot in 2026.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed it will stop issuing new Start-Up Visa commitment certificates after December 31, 2025, and has already suspended applications for SUV-linked work permits.
In practical terms, that shuts out most new founders from the scheme with immediate effect.
This follows months of challenges inside Canada’s business immigration system. By late 2025, the Start-Up Visa queue had grown to more than 6,700 pending applications, with processing times stretching beyond three years.
Officials now admit the programme had become too broad, producing uneven results and limited job creation in some cases.
From Ottawa’s point of view, the pause is about control and reset. IRCC says it needs space to clear existing files and redesign how it attracts foreign founders.
The replacement, due in 2026, will sit under Canada’s Talent Attraction Strategy and is expected to focus on entrepreneurs with stronger funding, clearer business plans and a higher chance of long-term economic impact.
What changes right now is simple. Only founders already in Canada on SUV-specific work permits can apply for extensions, and they will be prioritised for permanent residence if they fall within annual immigration targets.
Anyone hoping to enter the programme afresh after 2025 will be turned away, with one narrow exception. Entrepreneurs who secure a commitment certificate before the end of this year but have not yet filed an application can still do so, provided they submit by June 30, 2026.
Beyond that window, the door closes. IRCC has also kept its suspension of the Self-Employed Persons Program, signalling that Canada is rethinking business immigration as a whole, not just the Start-Up Visa.
Canada’s 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan aims to steady permanent resident admissions at around 500,000 a year while cutting back temporary residents. The federal government has capped international student intakes, introduced provincial quotas, and raised settlement fund requirements for skilled workers.
According to IRCC, the number of study permit holders fell from over one million in early 2024 to about 725,000 by September 2025.
For foreign founders, options still exist, but they are more fragmented. Provincial Nominee Program entrepreneur streams remain open in provinces such as British Columbia, Ontario and Alberta, usually tied to local investment and job creation.
Tech founders can still use the Global Talent Stream to enter quickly if they are expanding an existing business. Others continue to rely on study routes as a bridge to permanent residence.
Investors and designated organisations backing Start-Up Visa candidates worry about stalled funding pipelines and stranded founders. Pending applicants face hard deadlines, and anyone outside the system must now wait for details of a pilot that promises to be tougher and far more selective.
Canada still wants entrepreneurs, but fewer of them, and only on terms it believes will bring economic returns.
