Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) abruptly shut the door on two key elements of its Start-Up Visa (SUV) Program on December 19, 2025. Effective immediately, the department will no longer accept applications for the optional, employer-specific work permit that many start-up founders have used to relocate to Canada while their permanent-residence files are in process. The only exception applies to entrepreneurs already in the country who need to extend an existing SUV work permit.
IRCC also announced that, as of 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025, it will stop accepting new permanent-residence applications under the SUV Program entirely—unless the applicant already holds a 2025 commitment certificate from a designated incubator, angel network or venture-capital fund. Those with a valid 2025 certificate must file their complete application by June 30, 2026.
Entrepreneurs suddenly facing these new limitations can tap VisaHQ’s Canadian visa experts (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) for end-to-end support on alternative work-permit options, document preparation and deadline management, ensuring their relocation or extension plans stay on track while the government restructures its programs.
![Canada freezes Start-Up Visa work permit and new SUV applications, plans targeted entrepreneur pilot]()
The change is part of Ottawa’s wider effort to shrink the temporary-resident population and to focus immigration levels on candidates already living and working in Canada. IRCC says it will now give processing priority to SUV applicants who are inside Canada on a program-specific work permit. Officials argue this will accelerate transitions from temporary to permanent status and reduce inventory backlogs that have plagued the business-class streams for years.
Behind the move is a broader policy reboot: IRCC intends to design a “new, targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs” in 2026. Early signals suggest the pilot will emphasize capital-ready ventures that directly address Canada’s labour-productivity challenges, rather than early-stage ideas that struggle to scale. In the interim, founders may need to pivot to alternative work-permit routes—such as the International Mobility Program (C10 significant benefit) or provincial entrepreneur streams—while they await details of the forthcoming pilot.
For Canadian employers, incubators and investors, the freeze creates short-term uncertainty but could ultimately streamline adjudication and improve program integrity. Companies already hosting SUV founders should ensure existing work permits are extended promptly, whereas investors considering new cohort intakes will have to wait for the 2026 pilot rules before onboarding global talent.
IRCC also announced that, as of 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025, it will stop accepting new permanent-residence applications under the SUV Program entirely—unless the applicant already holds a 2025 commitment certificate from a designated incubator, angel network or venture-capital fund. Those with a valid 2025 certificate must file their complete application by June 30, 2026.
Entrepreneurs suddenly facing these new limitations can tap VisaHQ’s Canadian visa experts (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) for end-to-end support on alternative work-permit options, document preparation and deadline management, ensuring their relocation or extension plans stay on track while the government restructures its programs.
The change is part of Ottawa’s wider effort to shrink the temporary-resident population and to focus immigration levels on candidates already living and working in Canada. IRCC says it will now give processing priority to SUV applicants who are inside Canada on a program-specific work permit. Officials argue this will accelerate transitions from temporary to permanent status and reduce inventory backlogs that have plagued the business-class streams for years.
Behind the move is a broader policy reboot: IRCC intends to design a “new, targeted pilot for immigrant entrepreneurs” in 2026. Early signals suggest the pilot will emphasize capital-ready ventures that directly address Canada’s labour-productivity challenges, rather than early-stage ideas that struggle to scale. In the interim, founders may need to pivot to alternative work-permit routes—such as the International Mobility Program (C10 significant benefit) or provincial entrepreneur streams—while they await details of the forthcoming pilot.
For Canadian employers, incubators and investors, the freeze creates short-term uncertainty but could ultimately streamline adjudication and improve program integrity. Companies already hosting SUV founders should ensure existing work permits are extended promptly, whereas investors considering new cohort intakes will have to wait for the 2026 pilot rules before onboarding global talent.
