Start with the live status—not an old program name.
| Route | Status on August 13, 2026 | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Start-Up Visa | Paused | New commitment certificates stopped after December 31, 2025. Applicants with a valid 2025 commitment had to file by June 30, 2026; accepted files continue to be processed. |
| Federal Self-Employed Persons | Paused | No new applications have been accepted since April 30, 2024; existing files remain in processing. |
| Québec business programs | Provincial selection continues under Québec rules | Investor, entrepreneur and self-employed routes have separate intake, French, net-worth, experience, deposit and business-plan requirements. |
| Provincial/territorial entrepreneur streams | Varies by jurisdiction and intake | Most use an EOI, invitation, business performance agreement, temporary work period and nomination before the federal PR stage. |
| Business visitor | Temporary-entry category, not business immigration | Permits qualifying international business activity without entering the Canadian labour market; it does not lead automatically to PR or authorize operating a Canadian job. |
Choose the route that matches the applicant’s actual role.
Investor
Capital, lawful source and accumulation of net worth, management background and an approved investment structure are central. Québec—not the federal government—currently defines the active Canadian investor selection route.
Entrepreneur
The applicant normally establishes, buys or actively manages a qualifying business and creates economic benefit under a performance agreement. Passive ownership is usually insufficient.
Self-employed
The applicant creates their own employment and must satisfy the exact Québec or provincial stream; the paused federal cultural/athletic program should not be advertised as open.
Innovative start-up
Do not pay a third party for a supposed guaranteed designation. A previous federal Start-Up Visa commitment is useful only if it met the official timing and filing rules.
Business visitor
For short international business activities where the main place of business and source of remuneration remain outside Canada and the person does not enter the Canadian labour market.
Québec selects business applicants before the federal PR stage.
- 01
Choose the correct Québec category: investor, entrepreneur or self-employed worker. Each has different experience, asset, French, deposit, business and location rules.
- 02
Submit through the Québec process and obtain a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) before the federal permanent-residence application.
- 03
Document every material asset and liability, how the net worth was lawfully accumulated, management experience, ownership and the business project. Gifts and transfers need a complete paper trail.
- 04
For the self-employed route, the start-up deposit is generally CAN$25,000 outside the Montréal metropolitan area and CAN$50,000 within it, in addition to financial self-sufficiency and the other program conditions.
- 05
Québec selection does not waive federal medical, criminal, security, identity or misrepresentation screening.
Provincial entrepreneur programs usually require performance before nomination.
- 01
Confirm the stream is accepting EOIs or applications. An online profile is not an invitation and a high self-calculated score does not guarantee selection.
- 02
Meet the jurisdiction’s minimum net worth, investment, ownership, senior-management or business-owner experience, language, age and community-visit rules.
- 03
Prepare a credible business concept tied to the local market, job creation, eligible sector and the applicant’s experience. Some sectors, passive investments and property-rental businesses are excluded.
- 04
After invitation, complete third-party net-worth verification where required, interview and sign a performance agreement. The province may issue a work-permit support letter.
- 05
Operate the business on the required work permit, live in the province, meet investment/ownership/job and reporting milestones, then request nomination. Apply federally for PR only after nomination and continue meeting the agreement until finalization.
Business files are evidence-heavy and source-of-funds errors are serious.
Identity and control
Corporate registries, shareholder records, licences, contracts, tax filings and bank signing authority should prove ownership and management—not only a job title.
Net worth
List assets and liabilities consistently across countries and currencies. Valuations must be supportable and ownership must match civil and corporate records.
Source and accumulation
Trace employment income, dividends, retained earnings, sale proceeds, inheritance and gifts from origin to current account. Large unexplained transfers create credibility and misrepresentation risk.
Business performance
Use financial statements, tax returns, payroll, invoices, supplier/customer contracts and organizational charts to prove scale and active management.
Business plan
Market, competition, licence, location, staffing, financing, operating costs, sales assumptions and implementation milestones should be realistic for the chosen community.
Business visitor status is narrow and does not replace a work permit.
- 01
Typical activities include meetings, conferences, trade fairs, training, after-sales service under a qualifying warranty, and taking orders for a foreign business.
- 02
The visitor should not enter the Canadian labour market; the primary source of remuneration and place of business should remain outside Canada.
- 03
Hands-on production, day-to-day Canadian operations, providing services to Canadian clients or managing a Canadian business from inside Canada may require a work permit even if no Canadian salary is paid.
- 04
Carry invitation and itinerary, foreign employment/business evidence, contracts, proof of funds and a clear explanation of activities and departure. A visa or eTA never guarantees entry.
Avoid guaranteed-program and guaranteed-investment claims.
- 01
No consultant, incubator, fund, province or employer can guarantee a visa, nomination or permanent residence.
- 02
Verify the stream and intake on the government site before paying an agent, buying a business, transferring an investment or signing a lease.
- 03
Use independent legal, tax, accounting and commercial due diligence. Immigration eligibility does not prove that an investment is sound or recoverable.
- 04
Disclose refusals, ownership, related parties, criminal or regulatory history and the true source of funds. False records can lead to refusal and a five-year misrepresentation ban.
Official sources & application
The practical answer is in this guide; use these links to verify live changes and apply officially.
Ghasedak explains the eligibility, evidence, process and important cautions in plain language. Because laws, forms, fees and filing methods can change, also check the live official instructions on the day you submit. This is general information, not individual legal advice.