At 00:00 EST on 1 January 2026 the curtain came down on Canada’s flagship Start-Up Visa (SUV) programme. IRCC confirmed that no new permanent-residence applications will be accepted unless the entrepreneur holds a commitment certificate issued in 2025; those applicants have until 30 June 2026 to lodge their files.
The sudden freeze follows IRCC data showing the inventory topped 7,800 files—equivalent to more than ten years of processing capacity at current admission levels. Officials say resources need to be redeployed toward economic streams that transition temporary residents already in Canada, aligning with the 2026-28 Immigration Levels Plan.
![Canada Freezes Start-Up Visa Intake, Tells Founders to Wait for New Entrepreneur Pilot]()
VisaHQ’s cross-border mobility specialists can help entrepreneurs navigate this rapidly changing environment. Whether you need to pivot to a C11 significant-benefit work-permit strategy, extend an existing SUV-related permit, or investigate provincial entrepreneur options, our platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) streamlines eligibility checks, document preparation and filing through licensed partners—so policy shifts won’t derail your Canadian ambitions.
Entrepreneurs abroad must now pivot to alternatives such as the Global Skills Strategy (for obtaining a C11 significant-benefit work permit) or provincial programmes like Alberta’s Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream. Designated venture funds, angel investors and incubators have been instructed not to issue new letters of support, effectively pausing the ecosystem that fed the SUV since 2013.
IRCC has hinted that a “targeted pilot” will launch later this year, likely with stricter due-diligence on business viability, higher job-creation thresholds and a smaller quota. Mobility advisers are urging start-ups already in Canada to extend SUV-specific work permits promptly, as in-country applicants will receive processing priority under the new triage rules.
The sudden freeze follows IRCC data showing the inventory topped 7,800 files—equivalent to more than ten years of processing capacity at current admission levels. Officials say resources need to be redeployed toward economic streams that transition temporary residents already in Canada, aligning with the 2026-28 Immigration Levels Plan.
VisaHQ’s cross-border mobility specialists can help entrepreneurs navigate this rapidly changing environment. Whether you need to pivot to a C11 significant-benefit work-permit strategy, extend an existing SUV-related permit, or investigate provincial entrepreneur options, our platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) streamlines eligibility checks, document preparation and filing through licensed partners—so policy shifts won’t derail your Canadian ambitions.
Entrepreneurs abroad must now pivot to alternatives such as the Global Skills Strategy (for obtaining a C11 significant-benefit work permit) or provincial programmes like Alberta’s Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream. Designated venture funds, angel investors and incubators have been instructed not to issue new letters of support, effectively pausing the ecosystem that fed the SUV since 2013.
IRCC has hinted that a “targeted pilot” will launch later this year, likely with stricter due-diligence on business viability, higher job-creation thresholds and a smaller quota. Mobility advisers are urging start-ups already in Canada to extend SUV-specific work permits promptly, as in-country applicants will receive processing priority under the new triage rules.
