Canada is moving to pause new intake under its federal Start-Up Visa (SUV) Program, with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) set to stop accepting new SUV permanent residence applications at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025—subject to a narrow exception.
IRCC framed the decision as part of broader changes to business immigration designed to keep immigration levels “sustainable,” support Canada’s Talent Attraction Strategy, and crucially reduce the large inventory (backlog) of business-program applications.
What is changing under the Start-Up Visa program and when
IRCC has confirmed a phased closure of intake under the Start-Up Visa program, affecting work permits, permanent residence applications, and the role of designated organizations.
As of December 19, 2025, IRCC is no longer accepting new applications for the optional Start-Up Visa work permit. The only exception applies to individuals already in Canada who are applying to extend an existing SUV-specific work permit while their permanent residence application remains in process.
IRCC will stop accepting new Start-Up Visa program applications at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025. A limited exception applies to applicants who already hold a valid commitment from a designated organization that was issued in 2025, but who had not yet submitted their application by the cutoff date.
IRCC’s program guidance further states that as of January 1, 2026, the Start-Up Visa program will be paused. During this pause, applicants with qualifying 2025 commitment certificates may still submit a permanent residence application, but only until June 30, 2026. No other applications will be accepted under the current framework.
IRCC has also confirmed that December 31, 2025 is the final date on which commitment certificates will be accepted. After this date, IRCC will no longer accept commitment certificates from designated organizations in support of Start-Up Visa applications.
Why IRCC is pausing the SUV program
IRCC’s official notice is explicit about the policy logic:
- The measures support “sustainable immigration levels” and Canada’s Talent Attraction Strategy tied to the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
- They are intended to “help address the large inventory of applications for Canada’s business programs” and create room to transition to a different entrepreneur pathway.
The backlog problem: what the data and reporting show
A Canadian Press report (carried by CityNews) describes the scale and consequences of the SUV queue:
- It reports more than 44,000 economic immigration applications in the queue for the startup visa stream.
- It also reports that newer submissions have listed processing times of “more than 10 years.”
Separately, IRCC’s own SUV program pages now describe the program as paused and reflect the restricted intake rules described above (including the June 30, 2026 deadline tied to valid 2025 commitment certificates).
What’s next: a new entrepreneur pilot
IRCC says these measures are meant to “set the foundation” for a new, targeted pilot program for immigrant entrepreneurs, with more information to be communicated in 2026.
At this stage, IRCC has not published the program design (eligibility, quotas, timelines, designated partners, processing targets, etc.). So any claims about what the replacement “will” look like should be treated as speculation until IRCC releases details.
