General program requirements

Applicants to Canada’s Federal Startup Visa program do not need to make an investment themselves but must, instead, secure the financial backing of external, accredited investors for the startup they plan to launch.

Applicants must demonstrate a modicum of personal funds:

Prove a minimum bank balance of C$13,215;
Prove an additional minimum bank balance of C$3,500 per dependent;

Applicants must, additionally, obtain a certificate of commitment from an angel investor group, a venture capital fund, or a business incubator:

C$200,000 commitment from designated Canadian venture capital funds; OR
C$75,000 commitment from investors part of designated Canadian angel investor groups; OR
Confirmation that the startup is part of a designated Canadian business incubator program.

Applicable fees: 

CAD $85 application fee for a single applicant;
CAD $170 for a family application;
CAD $285 for a group of three or more main applicants and their dependents.

The main applicant can sponsor a spouse, children under 21, and financially dependent parents and grandparents for residency in Canada.

Program benefits

• Path to citizenship;
• No investment or donation required;
• Enhanced education opportunities;
• Enhanced business access to large economies;
• Short processing time
• English as official language
• Safety and security;
• Option to include three or more generations of family members in the application;

Requirements to qualify for citizenship

After spending a total of 730 days (two years) in Canada, the Startup Visa applicant is eligible for permanent residence in Canada.

After spending at least 1,095 days over a five-year period in Canada, applicants are eligible for Canadian citizenship, provided they have first become permanent residents, have filed taxes each year, and has mastered either English or French.

Naturalization applicants must, furthermore, take an Oath of Allegiance.

Canada permits dual citizenship. 

Applications for this program may be directed to:

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Legislation upon which this program is based:

Immigration and Refugee Protection Act 2001, Chapter 27 Sub 11 (1)

See more statistics on this program, and dozens of others, in the IMI Data Center.