12/20/2025
🚨 Major Update for Entrepreneur & Business Immigration Programs
IRCC has announced important changes impacting Start-Up Visa (SUV) and Self-Employed Persons programs as part of the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan:
🔹 Effective immediately
• Optional work permits for new SUV applicants are no longer accepted
• Only applicants already in Canada can apply to extend an existing SUV work permit
🔹 PR applications prioritized
• IRCC will prioritize PR applications of SUV holders already in Canada, as levels allow
🔹 Effective Dec 31, 2025 (11:59 PM)
• IRCC will stop accepting new SUV applications
• Exception: Applicants with a valid 2025 commitment from a designated organization who haven’t applied yet
🔹 Self-Employed Persons Program
• Intake pause is extended until further notice
📌 These changes aim to reduce backlogs and prepare for a new targeted entrepreneur pilot, expected to be announced in 2026.
If you’re planning a business or entrepreneur pathway, timing and strategy matter more than ever.