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Canada pauses new Start-up Visa applications: what IRCC pages say

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada says the Start-up Visa Program was paused on 30 June 2026 and that it is not currently accepting new applications. Applications accepted before that date continue to be processed.

By Beyond Borders Editorial Team

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Key points

  • IRCC programme pages state that the Start-up Visa Program was paused on 30 June 2026 and that Canada is not currently accepting new applications.
  • IRCC says it will continue to process applications accepted before that date.
  • Eligible applicants may still apply for an open work permit to work while a pending permanent-residence application is processed, according to the same pages.
  • A December 2025 IRCC notice had already limited optional SUV work permits and set a year-end path toward the pause, with a future entrepreneur pilot to be communicated later.

Status: paused

IRCC’s Start-up Visa about page (accessed 22 October 2026) states that Canada is not currently accepting new applications and that the Start-up Visa Program was paused on 30 June 2026. It adds that IRCC will continue to process applications accepted before that date, and that eligible applicants may still apply for an open work permit to work while a pending permanent-residence application is processed.

The designated-organizations page repeats the pause, says IRCC stopped accepting commitment certificates from organisations after 31 December 2025, and says applicants with a valid 2025 commitment certificate had to apply by 30 June 2026. It also says IRCC is not currently designating new organisations.

How the pause was framed in December 2025

An IRCC notice dated 19 December 2025 said IRCC would stop accepting new SUV applications after 31 December 2025 except for applicants who already held a valid 2025 commitment and had not yet applied, and that more information about a new, targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs would be communicated in 2026. The current programme pages are the source for the 30 June 2026 pause status.

What this does not mean

Pending files are still being processed according to IRCC; this article does not imply any decision date. No new pilot is treated as open here. This piece is not legal, tax or immigration advice.

What this does not mean

  • It does not mean every pending application will be decided by a stated date; IRCC does not publish a binding outcome timeline in the sources used here.
  • It does not mean a new entrepreneur pilot is open; IRCC said more information would be communicated in 2026.
  • It is not immigration advice for any person or business.

Official sources

  1. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

    Immigrate with a start-up visa: About the process
    VerifiedGovernmentaccessed 22 Oct 2026

  2. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

    Start-up visa designated organizations
    VerifiedGovernmentaccessed 22 Oct 2026

  3. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)

    Update on Immigration Measures for Entrepreneurs
    VerifiedGovernment19 Dec 2025accessed 22 Oct 2026

Evidence labels: Verified — we checked this against the official source; Reported — from a named press report, not an official statement; Analysis — our reading of the sources.

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