Moving Your Business to Canada: Visa Routes for Founders and Investors

This guide covers the 2 verified routes for founders and investors moving a business to Canada. Every figure comes from our program review dated September 15, 2026. Rules change often, so treat this as a starting point and confirm the details with an expert before you commit money or time.

C11 Significant Benefit Work Permit

With the Start-Up Visa closed, the C11 has become Canada's primary federal entry point for business founders. Applicants secure a work permit, arrive in Canada, and operate the business for at least 12 months, generating Canadian tax returns and payroll records. That operating history is then used to apply for permanent residence through Express Entry or a provincial nominee stream. The C11 falls under the International Mobility Program, so no Labour Market Impact Assessment is required — but officers scrutinize for measurable economic benefit, not projections.

Who it suits: Founders establishing and personally operating a business in Canada, planning to build a PR case on operating track record. Minimum investment: No fixed statutory minimum. Active involvement: Yes — hands-on operation for minimum 12 months. What you receive: Work permit (duration varies by case). Path to permanent residence: Conditional — via Express Entry or PNP after 12+ months of demonstrated business operation.

PNP Entrepreneur Streams

With the federal Start-Up Visa closed, provincial entrepreneur streams have become a primary pathway. British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia all currently run active entrepreneur streams, each with its own capital requirements, business plan standards, and processing timelines. Ontario is a notable exception: its OINP Entrepreneur Stream has been suspended since 2023 for a program redesign, meaning no active entrepreneur stream currently exists at either the federal or provincial level for founders targeting Ontario specifically.

Who it suits: Entrepreneurs willing to commit to a specific province and meet its individual entrepreneur-stream criteria. Minimum investment: Varies by province. Not independently verified for each province, so check each province's PNP page directly. Active involvement: Yes. What you receive: Provincial nomination leads to a work permit and eventual PR application. Path to permanent residence: Conditional — nomination supports a PR application through Express Entry or the province's own stream.

Worth knowing: Ontario currently has no active entrepreneur stream, at federal or provincial level. Other provinces run their own streams, so check each province before you plan.

No longer available

Start-Up Visa (SUV) (Closed to new applicants, since January 1, 2026). Final applications closed on June 30, 2026. The C11 work permit and provincial streams are now the main routes for founders.

Self-Employed Persons Program (Paused, since April 2024). No reopening date has been announced.

This guide is directional guidance only and is not legal or immigration advice. A consulting session will tell you which route fits your business and what to prepare first.