Immigrant entrepreneurs have just hours left to submit permanent-residence applications under Canada’s Start-up Visa (SUV) programme. CIC News reminded readers on 29 June 2026 that only applicants holding a 2025 commitment certificate may file—and they must do so by 23:59 EDT on 30 June. IRCC stopped accepting new commitment certificates on 31 December 2025 and paused new SUV open-work-permit applications on 19 December 2025.
![Last day to file Start-up Visa applications before programme shutters]()
Entrepreneurs scrambling to understand their remaining immigration options can also lean on VisaHQ's dedicated Canada team, which assists clients in securing alternative visas, work permits, and travel documents. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) streamlines paperwork, offers real-time guidance, and connects applicants to qualified immigration professionals—an invaluable lifeline when pivoting from the SUV stream to provincial entrepreneur programmes or LMIA-exempt permits.
The window now closing was intended as a grace period for founders already in the pipeline. IRCC says more than 46,000 applications remain in inventory, with processing times exceeding ten years, prompting the department to sunset the stream in favour of a “targeted pilot” yet to be unveiled. For start-ups, the deadline has practical mobility consequences. Foreign founders who miss it will lose access to an expedited path to permanent residence and may need to pivot to provincial entrepreneur streams that require higher net-worth thresholds and longer conditional stages. Companies employing co-founders on SUV work permits should confirm that extension requests have been filed; otherwise, workers could fall out of status after permit expiry. Venture-capital backers are lobbying Ottawa for a transitional option, warning that uncertainty could push high-growth firms to relocate intellectual property to the United States. Immigration lawyers predict a spike in ‘Labour-Market-Impact-Assessment-exempt’ (C10) work-permit filings as entrepreneurs seek interim status. IRCC is expected to publish details of the replacement programme by the autumn fiscal update. Observers anticipate a cap-based model prioritising scale-ups that can demonstrate revenue and job creation rather than early-stage concepts.
Entrepreneurs scrambling to understand their remaining immigration options can also lean on VisaHQ's dedicated Canada team, which assists clients in securing alternative visas, work permits, and travel documents. Their online platform (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) streamlines paperwork, offers real-time guidance, and connects applicants to qualified immigration professionals—an invaluable lifeline when pivoting from the SUV stream to provincial entrepreneur programmes or LMIA-exempt permits.
The window now closing was intended as a grace period for founders already in the pipeline. IRCC says more than 46,000 applications remain in inventory, with processing times exceeding ten years, prompting the department to sunset the stream in favour of a “targeted pilot” yet to be unveiled. For start-ups, the deadline has practical mobility consequences. Foreign founders who miss it will lose access to an expedited path to permanent residence and may need to pivot to provincial entrepreneur streams that require higher net-worth thresholds and longer conditional stages. Companies employing co-founders on SUV work permits should confirm that extension requests have been filed; otherwise, workers could fall out of status after permit expiry. Venture-capital backers are lobbying Ottawa for a transitional option, warning that uncertainty could push high-growth firms to relocate intellectual property to the United States. Immigration lawyers predict a spike in ‘Labour-Market-Impact-Assessment-exempt’ (C10) work-permit filings as entrepreneurs seek interim status. IRCC is expected to publish details of the replacement programme by the autumn fiscal update. Observers anticipate a cap-based model prioritising scale-ups that can demonstrate revenue and job creation rather than early-stage concepts.
