Canada will no longer accept applications for its Start-Up Visa (SUV) Program starting Jan. 1, 2026, but the feds have signalled that a new “pilot program” for immigrant entrepreneurs will be coming next year.
The feds have also suspended SUV work permit applications, which were previously available as a stopgap for applicants awaiting a PR decision.
The SUV offered a direct path to permanent residency (PR) for founders hoping to move to Canada, but by late October 2025, its wait times had ballooned to more than 10 years for new applicants (a ministerial “transition binder” estimated some waits of up to 35 years). On Dec. 19, the feds announced Ottawa was suspending the program, leaving a number of potential applicants in the lurch as they await a “new, targeted pilot program” the feds also revealed would come at some point in 2026.
BetaKit has reached out to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for more details on the upcoming pilot program.
To qualify for the SUV, applicants needed committed support from a designated venture capital fund (through a $200,000 investment), angel investor group (through a $75,000 investment), or a business incubator (via acceptance into an incubation program). Only some incubator programs were tagged for “priority processing,” including Toronto Metropolitan University’s DMZ and Platform Calgary.
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The feds have also suspended SUV work permit applications, which were previously available as a stopgap for applicants awaiting a PR decision. Founders who already received a commitment from one of the designated organizations in 2025 will be given grace period until June 30 to submit their PR applications. Those already on an SUV work permit can apply for extensions while their PR applications are processed.
According to Canadian immigration news site immigration.ca, the proposed Bill C-12 could give the feds the power to cancel PR applications for those in Canada on a work permit, if the organization that backed their application does not meet certain ministerial instruction guidelines released in 2024. Bill C-12, which would expand the powers of immigration and law enforcement agencies, passed its first Senate reading in December and could become law when the Senate reconvenes in February.
The SUV wait times and uncertainty had stoked fears about Canada’s ability to attract and retain tech talent just as many young Canadian tech founders are moving to the US, due to higher salaries, better access to VC funding, and the lure of tech hubs such as Silicon Valley.
The federal government also recently suspended the Self-Employed Persons immigration program, to align with its plans to curb immigration numbers.
Feature image courtesy Ziyuang Wang via Unsplash.