Canada · Temporary Residence
Canada Founder and Investor Work Permits
Canada gives founders temporary status through work permits rather than a separate residence card. The start-up work permit now serves only people who already hold one, while Québec's investor stream still issues an open work permit before final selection.
- Startup route
- Start-up Visa Program
- Minimum capital
- No fixed minimum; designated-organization commitment
- Permanent residence
- Direct PR route, now paused to new applicants
- Citizenship
- 1,095 days in Canada within 5 years
Québec Investor Program (open work permit stage)
Status: MIFI accepts applications at any time, with no stated cap
Québec's Investor Program is a residence-by-investment route with a temporary stage built in. Applicants need a net worth of at least CAD 2,000,000, two years of management experience within the previous five, and spoken French at level 7. Through an authorized financial intermediary they make a five-year CAD 1,000,000 investment and a CAD 200,000 financial contribution to Investissement Québec Immigrants Investisseurs. Once MIFI issues a notice of intention to select, the investor can apply for a federal open work permit, valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, and must live in Québec for at least 12 months before final selection.
- Net worth
- CAD 2,000,000 minimum
- Investment
- CAD 1,000,000 for five years, via an intermediary
- Contribution
- CAD 200,000 to Investissement Québec Immigrants Investisseurs
- French
- Spoken French at level 7
- Work permit
- Open; up to 3 years or passport expiry, if sooner
- Stay in Québec
- At least 12 months
- Leads to
- Québec selection certificate, then federal PR
Requirements
- A net worth of at least CAD 2,000,000, not counting gifts received in the six months before applying.
- At least two years of management experience within the five years before the application.
- Spoken French at level 7, with test results less than two years old when applying.
- A five-year CAD 1,000,000 investment and a CAD 200,000 contribution, both arranged through an authorized financial intermediary.
- A work permit application filed within six months of the notice of intention to select.
- A stay of at least 12 months in Québec, with six of those months completed within two years of the permit's issue.
How to apply
- Apply to MIFI for permanent selection under the Investor Program.
- Receive a notice of intention to select, which is valid for six months.
- Apply to IRCC for the open work permit for Québec investors.
- Complete the investment through the intermediary and the required stay in Québec.
- Obtain the CSQ and apply to IRCC for permanent residence.
Start-up Visa optional work permit
Status: Closed to new applicants on December 19, 2025; extensions only
Until late 2025, entrepreneurs with a Start-up Visa permanent residence application could request an optional work permit so they could begin building the company in Canada while IRCC processed the file. That permit closed to new applicants on December 19, 2025. Holders who remain in Canada can still apply to extend it if their permanent residence application under the program is pending, they remain an essential member of the entrepreneurial team, they intend to live outside Québec and the business shows a significant economic benefit. A spouse or partner may qualify for an open work permit and dependent children for study permits, through separate applications filed together.
- Status
- Closed to new applicants since December 19, 2025
- Extensions
- Current or restorable SUV permit holders only
- Funds
- Minimum income for family size for 52 weeks
- Family
- Spouse open work permit; children study permits
- Leads to
- Start-up Visa permanent residence decision
Requirements
- Hold a valid work permit issued under the Start-up Visa category, or be eligible to restore one.
- Have a pending Start-up Visa permanent residence application, with every team member's application still pending.
- Remain an essential member of the entrepreneurial team and intend to live outside Québec.
- Show funds equal to the minimum income for your family size for 52 weeks, plus money to keep developing the business.
How to apply
- Apply for the extension from inside Canada while the current permit is valid.
- Submit family members' applications together with yours.
- Keep the permanent residence file up to date through the IRCC account.
Living in Canada on a founder or investor permit
A work permit lets a founder live in Canada and run a business, but it remains temporary status with conditions tied to the program that issued it. For the Québec investor permit, validity ends on the earlier of three years or the passport's expiry, so renewing a passport early avoids a shortened permit. Time spent in Canada before landing as a permanent resident also counts for less later on: each day as a temporary resident within the citizenship eligibility window counts as half a day, capped at 365 days in total.
The Québec Investor Program combines both stages in one process. MIFI handles selection and the investment arrangement, while IRCC issues the work permit and later the permanent residence, so delays at either level affect the overall timeline. Investors who do not plan to live in Québec cannot use this route, because the 12-month stay and the selection certificate are tied to the province. IRCC publishes current processing times on canada.ca, and those figures are a better guide than estimates from earlier years.
Questions and answers
Can a founder still enter Canada on a Start-up Visa work permit?
Not as a new applicant. IRCC stopped accepting first-time applications for the optional Start-up Visa work permit on December 19, 2025. Only people who already hold that permit, or who are eligible to restore it, and who still have a pending permanent residence application under the program can apply to extend it.
How long does the Québec investor work permit last?
IRCC issues the open work permit for Québec investors for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. The investor must apply within six months of receiving MIFI's notice of intention to select, because the notice itself is valid for six months. As an open permit, it is not tied to a single employer.
Does time on a Canadian work permit count toward citizenship?
Partly. Each day spent in Canada as a temporary resident during the five-year eligibility period counts as half a day, up to a maximum credit of 365 days. The remaining days must be spent as a permanent resident, so most founders reach the 1,095-day threshold some years after landing rather than soon after arriving.
Official sources
- Start-up visa optional open work permit: Who can applywww.canada.ca
- About this work permit - Quebec Investorswww.canada.ca
- Conditions for immigrating to Québec as an investorwww.quebec.ca
- Applying to immigrate to Québec as an investorwww.quebec.ca
Reviewed October 2026. Immigration rules change often. Confirm the current requirements with the official authority or a licensed adviser before applying.
Your path in Canada.
Startup visa
Start-up Visa paused June 30, 2026; Québec's Stream 1 still takes files
02Temporary residence
SUV work permit closed Dec 19, 2025; current holders may still extend
03Permanent residence
Keep PR by spending 730 days in Canada in every five-year period
04Citizenship
1,095 days present in 5 years; test and CLB 4 for ages 18–54