Freshness tracker · CACanada

Start-up Visa cap per designated entity introduced

In force Visa & immigration

IRCC capped each Designated Organization at 10 Start-up Visa endorsements per year and introduced points-based prioritisation among endorsed applicants, including for private-sector venture-capital-backed startups. The change was in response to backlog and file-quality concerns and materially reduced throughput.

Who it affects

Entrepreneurs and startup founders considering the Start-up Visa pathway.

Sources

Primary: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada ↗

Corroborating: Government of Canada ↗

Verified 2026-04-21 · methodology · report a correction