Federal Startup Visa

Before you can apply for a Start-up Visa, you must have the support of a designated organization. If a designated organization decides to support your business, it will provide you with a Letter of Support.

You must include the Letter of Support with your application. If you do not include the letter or do not meet any of the eligibility requirements below, your application will be refused.

Up to five people can apply for a Start-up Visa as owners of a single business. However, to meet the ownership requirements:

• each applicant must hold at least 10 percent of the voting rights in the business, and
• the designated organization and the applicants must jointly hold more than 50 percent of the voting rights in the business.

The ability to communicate and work in English, French, or both will help your business succeed in Canada. You must take a language test from an agency approved by CIC and include the results with your application for your application to be processed. You must meet the minimum level of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in either English or French in all of these four areas:

• speaking
• reading
• listening
• writing

The Government of Canada does not provide financial support to new Start-up Visa immigrants

You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependants after you arrive in Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You will need to provide proof that you have the money when you submit your application.