IRCC Refines Start-Up Visa Prioritisation While the Program Stays Paused
IRCC lists the Start-up Visa as paused and closed to new applications since 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025, with the 2025-commitment filing window ending June 30, 2026. The November 10 update only names the A77 work permit as the code that triggers prioritisation for files already in the queue.
On November 10, 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) updated its staff guidance on how Start-up Visa (SUV) applications are prioritised. The change is narrow, and it does not mean the program is running again. IRCC's own Start-up Visa program page lists its status as Paused and states that it is closed to all applications other than one exception that has already expired.
IRCC stopped accepting new Start-up Visa applications at 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025. The only carve-out allowed people holding a valid 2025 commitment certificate to file, and only by June 30, 2026. That deadline has passed, so there is no open route into the program today.
The optional SUV work permit is likewise closed to new applicants. The one thing still available is an extension for people already in Canada who hold an SUV work permit and are waiting on a permanent residence decision.
What actually changed on November 10, 2026
The November update is an internal housekeeping change to the program delivery instructions for the start-up business class. It names the A77 work permit as the specific permit available only to SUV clients and therefore the only permit code considered when prioritising a file. Previously the instructions referred to "a work permit available only to SUV clients" without naming the code.
That is the whole substance of it: it gives processing officers a precise criterion for files already in the queue. It changes no eligibility rule, and it admits nobody new into the program.
Who the update affects
Only applicants already inside the pipeline, and specifically those in Canada holding an A77-coded SUV work permit. IRCC has said it is prioritising the permanent residence applications of people already in Canada with an SUV-specific work permit, as the admission targets in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan allow, in support of reducing the temporary resident population through transitions to permanent residence.
Everyone else still waiting on a submitted SUV application continues to have that application processed. A paused program still has an inventory, and the inventory is what these instructions govern.
What this update does not do
- It does not lift the pause or accept new applications. The program remains closed to all applications outside the expired 2025-commitment exception.
- It does not create a work permit route for anyone who does not already hold one. New applications for the optional SUV work permit stopped on December 19, 2025.
- It does not revive the Self-Employed Persons Program, whose pause on accepting applications was extended until further notice.
- It does not signal approval of any individual application. Prioritisation affects the order files are worked, not the decision.
Where the SUV stands now
IRCC's page shows every intake side of the program in a paused state, including the designated organisation side, and points to a large inventory of business program applications as part of the reason. The department has said the December 2025 measures would set the foundation for a new, targeted pilot program for immigrant entrepreneurs, with more information to follow in 2026. No intake date or criteria for that pilot are published on the program page, so anyone advertising "Start-up Visa" placements at the moment is not selling access to an open program.
- If you already submitted an SUV application, it is still being processed, and holding an A77 work permit may move it up the queue. You do not need to resubmit or reapply.
- If you have not applied, you cannot apply now. The 2025-commitment window closed on June 30, 2026, and the November 2026 update changes nothing for you.
- If you are waiting on the promised entrepreneur pilot, there is no published opening date or criteria yet. Watch IRCC's notices and the Start-up Visa page rather than third-party announcements.
