The honest answer first: the federal Start-up Visa (SUV) closed to new applications on 31 December 2025. If you have been searching for how to apply, this page tells you what actually happened, who the closure affects, and the live Canadian routes a founder can still use today.
Last updated: June 2026 — reviewed against IRCC ministerial-instruction settings for the Start-up Visa Program.
Free Canadian Pathway Assessment — with the Start-up Visa closed to new applicants, we check whether a provincial entrepreneur stream or Express Entry is a realistic route for you.
Get Assessment| Canada Start-up Visa (SUV) — Current Status | |
|---|---|
| Program | Start-up Visa Program (SUV) — federal entrepreneur permanent-residence route |
| Administered by | Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) |
| Status for new applications | Closed to new applications since 31 December 2025 |
| Existing applicants | 2025 certificate holders and submitted files continue processing; key deadline around 30 June 2026 — verify your own file |
| Replacement | A revised entrepreneur pilot has been signalled but is not yet open; no published intake date |
| Live alternatives | Provincial entrepreneur streams (e.g. Alberta Advantage Immigration Program) · Express Entry for skilled founders |
| As of | 12 June 2026 (program settings are government-set and subject to change) |
Program rules and dates are set by the Canadian government and can change. Cosmos does not state or estimate its own service fees online — those are confirmed after an assessment.
The Start-up Visa is not accepting new applications. IRCC ended new SUV submissions on 31 December 2025. Before that, intake had already been heavily restricted: a national cap and a per-organisation limit were imposed to bring down a multi-year backlog. So in practical terms the route had been narrowing for some time before it closed entirely.
If you already have a file in the system, it is not cancelled by the closure. Existing 2025 commitment-certificate holders and applicants who submitted before the cut-off continue to be processed, and the practical milestone many of those applicants are working toward is around 30 June 2026. Dates and queue positions vary case by case, so confirm your specific file's status directly through your representative or IRCC account rather than assuming.
A new pilot is pending, not live. The government has signalled a redesigned, higher-impact entrepreneur pilot, but as of June 2026 it has not opened and there is no published intake date. We will not present a future pilot as if you can apply today.
We assist founders and professionals based in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat, Manama, as well as across India. The Start-up Visa was a popular Canadian PR route for entrepreneurs in this region — so its closure leaves a lot of people searching for what changed and what to do next.
Our role is simple and honest: tell you that the federal Start-up Visa is closed to new applicants, then assess whether a live route — a provincial entrepreneur stream or Express Entry — actually fits your profile, instead of selling you a door that is shut.
No — the Canada Start-up Visa (SUV) is closed to new applications as of June 2026. IRCC stopped accepting new SUV submissions on 31 December 2025, after a multi-year period in which intake was capped and slowed to work down a backlog. If a website or agent is inviting you to start a brand-new Start-up Visa application now, that information is out of date.
The honest position is that there is currently no open federal Start-up Visa intake, and a redesigned entrepreneur pilot has been signalled but not yet launched. That does not mean Canada is closed to entrepreneurs — it means the route has changed, and the right move is to assess the alternatives that are live. Find out which Canadian route actually fits you — free assessment.
Nothing has formally replaced the Start-up Visa yet — a revised, higher-impact entrepreneur pilot has been signalled by the government but, as of June 2026, it is not open and has no published intake date. In the meantime, the live alternatives for an entrepreneur or founder are provincial entrepreneur streams run by individual provinces (the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program runs entrepreneur streams, for example) and, for many founders who also have strong skilled-work profiles, Express Entry.
These routes work differently from the SUV: provincial entrepreneur streams typically expect you to establish or buy into a business in that province and meet net-worth and business criteria, while Express Entry ranks you on skilled-migration factors such as age, education, language and experience. We assess your profile against both and tell you honestly which, if either, is realistic. Message us on WhatsApp to talk through the options.
Yes — you can still pursue Canadian permanent residence as an entrepreneur in 2026, just not through the federal Start-up Visa, which is closed to new applicants. The practical routes are provincial entrepreneur streams, where a province nominates you based on a business plan and investment in that province, and Express Entry, where founders with strong skilled-work credentials often qualify on merit rather than on a business basis.
Which one fits depends entirely on your numbers — your work history, language, education, age and the kind of business you intend to run. For some founders the cleanest path to PR is actually Express Entry as a skilled worker, not an entrepreneur stream at all. We map both honestly before you commit to anything. See the live Express Entry skilled-migration route.
Each entry is dated because IRCC has adjusted this program repeatedly; verify the current position before acting on any of it.
With the federal Start-up Visa closed to new applicants, these are the Canadian routes that are actually open — the ones worth assessing against your profile.
Individual provinces run their own entrepreneur and business-owner streams, nominating applicants who establish or invest in a business locally. The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) is one example with entrepreneur streams. Criteria, net-worth thresholds and business expectations vary by province.
Many founders also have strong skilled-work profiles, and Express Entry ranks you on age, education, language and experience — not on a business plan. For a sizeable share of would-be SUV applicants, this is the cleaner, faster path to PR.
If neither PR route fits immediately, a Canadian work permit can be a realistic first step that builds the in-country experience many PR routes reward. It is not PR in itself, but it can position you for it.
Want the full picture first? See all Canadian immigration pathways on the Canada hub, or compare global founder routes on the startup & business visas hub.
1. Do not chase a closed route. The single biggest risk right now is paying to "start a Start-up Visa application" that cannot be submitted. The federal SUV is closed to new applicants. Any plan that depends on a brand-new SUV filing in 2026 is built on a route that no longer exists, and we will tell you that plainly rather than take the work.
2. The pending pilot is not a plan. A redesigned entrepreneur pilot has been signalled but is not open, and its eligibility rules are not published. Building your timeline around an unannounced intake is speculative. We treat it as a possibility to watch, not a route you can rely on.
3. Alternatives have their own bars. Provincial entrepreneur streams expect genuine business establishment and net-worth evidence; Express Entry is competitive and score-driven. Neither is a guaranteed yes, and your eligibility depends on your specific numbers. We assess honestly — sometimes the honest answer is that Canada is not the right fit yet.
Program criteria and timelines on this page are government-set and subject to change. Verify the current position with IRCC or your regulated representative before acting.
← View all startup & business visa pathways on the founder-route hub.
No. The federal Start-up Visa is closed to new applications as of 31 December 2025, so no new SUV applications are being accepted in 2026. If you already submitted a file or hold a 2025 commitment certificate, that file continues to be processed — but you cannot start a new one. Confirm your own file's status directly through your representative or IRCC account.
Around 30 June 2026 is the practical milestone many existing Start-up Visa applicants — 2025 certificate holders and those who submitted before the close of intake — are working toward as their files are processed. It does not reopen the program to new applicants. Because queue positions and dates vary case by case, verify your specific deadline directly rather than relying on a general date.
Not yet. A revised, higher-impact entrepreneur pilot has been signalled by the government, but as of June 2026 it is not open and there is no published intake date or eligibility rule set. Treat any claim that a "new SUV" is accepting applications with caution until IRCC formally confirms it. In the meantime, the live entrepreneur and skilled routes are the realistic options.
Through live routes: provincial entrepreneur streams, where a province nominates you based on establishing or investing in a business there (the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program runs entrepreneur streams, for example), or Express Entry, where founders with strong skilled-work profiles often qualify on merit. Which fits depends on your work history, language, education and business plans — we assess both honestly.
Stop before paying anyone to file a new SUV application, because it cannot be submitted. The useful next step is an honest assessment of the live alternatives — provincial entrepreneur streams and Express Entry — against your actual profile. We will tell you which, if any, is realistic for you, even if the honest answer is that Canada is not the right fit right now.
Cosmos Immigration is a regulated immigration consultancy founded in Dubai in 2014, working through CICC-, MARA- and IAA-registered professionals, with offices in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hyderabad and Oakville, and 10,569 assessments completed since 2014. Our Canada practice is overseen by Kamaljit Singh Mundi, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) — licensed and active on the CICC public register since 2019 — supported in the UAE by Syeda Fasiha, his authorized representative listed on the same official register. Verify both yourself, free, by name on the CICC public register; it takes about two minutes, and we'd suggest running that check on anyone you're considering, including us. Verify Our Credentials
Cosmos Immigration is a private consultancy, not a government body and not a law firm. Program criteria and figures are set by the relevant governments and are subject to change; verified against official sources as of the date shown.
Start with a free assessment, not a sales pitch — or message us on WhatsApp. With the Start-up Visa closed, we will tell you honestly whether a live Canadian route fits your goals, even if the answer is no.
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