Start-Up Visa Program
To be eligible for the Start-up Visa Program, you must:
Prove your business is supported by a designated organization
Before you can apply for the Start-up Visa Program, you must have the support of a designated organization. These are business groups that have been approved to invest in or support possible start-ups.
If a designated organization decides to support your business, it will give you 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 requirements below, we will refuse your application.
Show that your business meets the ownership requirements
Up to five people can apply for the Start-up Visa Program 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 per cent of the voting rights in the business.
Meet the language requirements
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 approved agency and include the results with your application, or we will not process it.
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
Use your test results to find your CLB level.
If you do not meet the minimum language skills, we will refuse your application.
Bring enough money to settle
The Government of Canada does not give financial support to new Start-up Visa immigrants.
You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependents after you arrive in Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You will need to give proof that you have the money when you apply.
The amount you will need depends on the size of your family. We update these amounts every year.
| Number of Family Members |
Funds Required (in Canadian dollars) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $12,300 |
| 2 | $15,312 |
| 3 | $18,825 |
| 4 | $22,856 |
| 5 | $25,923 |
| 6 | $29,236 |
| 7 | $32,550 |
| For each additional family member | $3,314 |
How much money should you bring?
Find out how much it costs to live where you are planning to settle in Canada.
Bring as much money as possible to make moving to Canada and finding a home easier.
Disclosure of funds
If you are bringing more than $10,000 Canadian dollars (this amount can be Canadian or foreign currency or a combination of both) across the Canadian border, you must tell a Canadian official when you arrive. If you do not, you may be fined, and your funds could be seized. These funds could be in the form of:
- cash
- securities that belong to you (for example, stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills) or
- bankers’ drafts, cheques, travellers’ cheques or money orders.