Eligibility & suitability
Who can qualify
- Applicants with a qualifying application accepted under the pre-pause rules, subject to ongoing eligibility
Restrictions & unsuitable cases
- New applicants after the pause
- People seeking a passive investment without the qualifying business and management role
Application process & timeline
New SUV applications are paused. The following stages explain review of an already accepted case; they are not an active new-application sales process.
01Confirm the file was accepted before the pauseFirst step; documentary verification
Obtain the complete application copy, submission date, acknowledgement and designated-organisation correspondence. Distinguish an accepted application from a proposal, incubator contract or support letter. If the case was not accepted under the relevant rules, stop treating it as a pending SUV route.
Documents & evidence
- Submission receipt
- Acknowledgement
- Commitment and support correspondence
- Paying for a new SUV package despite the pause
02Recheck the business and ownership evidenceBefore any response or ownership change
Reconcile the voting rights, participating founders and designated organisation with the qualifying-business requirements. Document active management and substantive Canadian operations expected under the case. A share transfer can change the eligibility facts.
Documents & evidence
- Capitalisation table
- Shareholder agreements
- Business operating records
- Assuming nominal incorporation proves the operating requirements
03Maintain the applicant and family fileDuring processing; certificates have their own validity rules
Check passports, approved language results, available settlement funds and family changes. Respond to government requests using the current instructions and deadline. Keep copies of every document supplied and distinguish settlement funds from money already committed to the business.
Documents & evidence
- Identity and civil records
- Language results
- Settlement-funds evidence
- Using borrowed funds as the required settlement reserve
04Assess interim work permission separatelyBefore working or extending temporary status
IRCC indicates that eligible applicants may seek an open work permit while processing continues. Confirm the current eligibility and conditions rather than presume a permanent-residence application authorises work. Maintain lawful status and observe extension requirements.
Documents & evidence
- Current status
- Work-permit application evidence
- Pending-file proof
- Working based solely on a support letter
05Complete decision and settlement stepsGovernment processing varies; no guaranteed decision date
Follow requests for admissibility, final documents and entry or confirmation procedures. After approval, implement the Canadian business and residence obligations. Before tax residence begins, review existing foreign companies, investments and family assets.
Documents & evidence
- Final IRCC instructions
- Business implementation records
- Arrival tax inventory
- Treating approval as proof that the business tax structure is settled
Document checklist
Track your preparation in this browser. Final requirements depend on the route and filing authority.
What the programme required
The route linked a qualifying Canadian business with support from a designated organisation, language ability and settlement funds. Its business conditions included ownership thresholds, incorporation in Canada and active ongoing management from within Canada. Purchasing passive shares or paying an intermediary was not enough.
Accepted applicants should review the particular commitment, their role in the group and what information IRCC now requires. A business may change while an immigration application is pending; those changes should be assessed rather than assumed harmless.
Steps for an existing file
- Confirm that IRCC accepted the application before the pause and identify the recorded application number.
- Review correspondence and outstanding requests with the representative handling the file.
- Check whether a work permit or extension is available in the applicant’s circumstances.
- Keep the business and family information accurate and retain evidence supporting the application.
- Plan Canadian tax residence and business management before moving, not only after immigration approval.
Documents, cost and timing
An existing-file review should start with the submitted application, designated-organisation support, ownership records, language results, financial evidence and subsequent correspondence. The required update depends on the file; this page does not invent a universal supplemental checklist.
There is no new-application price or processing promise here. Government processing, work permission and commercial expenditure are separate. Before paying anyone for a new route, obtain the current official basis for that route and a clear account of what the money purchases.
What to explore instead
A founder’s nationality, experience, family connections and proposed Canadian activity may support another immigration route, but no replacement should be assumed. We can help place the immigration question alongside pre-arrival tax and corporate planning, with appropriately qualified local assistance for the actual immigration route.
Status on 11 October 2026: closed to new applications
IRCC states that the Start-up Visa Program was paused on 30 June 2026 and that previously accepted applications continue to be processed. This article is therefore a guide to legacy files and route selection, not an invitation to purchase a new SUV application. An intermediary’s willingness to issue a business plan or support letter does not reopen the programme.
A person with an existing commitment or application should establish exactly what IRCC received, when it was received and whether it passed the required completeness stage. Eligibility for an open work permit while a case is processed is a separate assessment. Do not infer work permission from an old support letter.
Substantive requirements for a qualifying legacy file
IRCC describes a qualifying business in which each applicant has at least 10% of the voting rights and the applicants together with the designated organisation hold more than 50%. Following a successful application, the business must be incorporated in Canada, actively and continually managed from inside Canada, with an essential part of its operations in Canada.
The language standard is CLB 5 in each of listening, reading, writing and speaking through an approved test. Unborrowed settlement funds are separate from the business investment. The current page’s funds table is explicitly dated July 2025, so it must not be represented as a newly confirmed 2026 amount for every file.
The designated organisation does not grant immigration approval
The organisation’s letter supports the applicant, while its commitment certificate goes to IRCC. The government still assesses the application and admissibility. The page also describes group completeness and designated-organisation caps, so another founder’s missing or incomplete application can affect a group’s progression.
For someone seeking a new entrepreneurial move, compare only routes currently accepting the relevant applicant: an appropriate work-authorisation category, a provincial entrepreneur stream or another available immigration route. Each requires its own current programme check. No substitute route or approval is implied by the SUV pause.
Sources & research notes3 references
Sources supporting this guide. Research draft awaiting editorial review.