Start-up Visa

Introduction:

Canada’s Start-up Visa Program targets immigrant entrepreneurs with the skills and potential to build innovative business in Canada that can create jobs for Canadians and compete on a global scale.

Start-Up Visa Criteria:

1. Meet minimum language requirements in English or French (CLB 5 in all abilities);
2. Have sufficient funds to settle in Canada
3. Plan to settle in a province other than the Province of Quebec
4. Pass Canadian security and medical clearances
5. Prove your business is supported through a designated organization
6. Show your business meets ownership requirements

Designated organizations

Venture capital funds

You must get at least one of these groups to agree to invest a minimum of $200,000:

1. 7 Gate Ventures
2. Arete Pacific Tech Ventures (VCC) Corp
3. BCF Ventures
4. BDC Venture Capital
5. Celtic House Venture Partners
6. Extreme Venture Partners LLP
7. Golden Venture Partners Fund, LP
8. iNovia Capital Inc.
9. Intrinsic Venture Capital
10. Lumira Ventures
11. Nova Scotia Innovation Corporation (o/a Innovacorp)
12. PRIVEQ Capital Funds
13. Real Ventures
14. Relay Ventures
15. ScaleUp Venture Partners, Inc.
16. Top Renergy Inc.
17. Vanedge Capital Limited Partnership
18. Version One Ventures
19. Westcap Management Ltd.
20. Yaletown Venture Partners Inc.
21. York Entrepreneurship Development Institute (YEDI) VC Fund

Angel investor groups

You must get one or more investors connected to these groups to agree to invest a minimum of $75,000:

1. Canadian International Angel Investors
2. Ekagrata Inc.
3. Golden Triangle Angel Network
4. Keiretsu Forum Canada
5. Oak Mason Investments Inc.
6. Southeastern Ontario Angel Network
7. TenX Angel Investors Inc.
8. VANTEC Angel Network Inc.
9. York Angel Investors Inc.

Business incubators

You must be accepted into one of these programs:

1. Alacrity Foundation
2. Alberta Agriculture and ForestryAgrivalue Processing Business Incubator
   • Food Processing Development Centre
   • Biomedical Commercialization Canada Inc. (operating as Manitoba Technology Accelerator)
3. Brilliant Catalyst
4. Creative Destruction Lab
5. Empowered Startups Ltd.
6. Extreme Innovations
7. Genesis Centre
8. Highline BETA Inc.
9. Innovacorp
10. Innovation Cluster – Peterborough and the Kawarthas
11. Innovation Factory
12. Interactive Niagara Media Cluster o/a Innovate Niagara
13. Invest Ottawa
14. Knowledge Park o/a Planet Hatch
15. LatAm Startups
16. Launch Academy – Vancouver
17. LaunchPad PEI Inc.
18. Millworks Centre for Entrepreneurship
19. NEXT Canada
20. North Forge East Ltd.
21. North Forge Technology Exchange
22. Platform Calgary
23. Pycap Inc (o/a Pycap Venture Partners)
24. Real Investment Fund III L.P. o/a FounderFuel
25. Ryerson Futures Inc.
26. Spark Commercialization and Innovation Centre
27. Spring Activator
28. The DMZ at Ryerson University
29. Toronto Business Development Centre (TBDC)
30. TSRV Canada Inc. (operating as Techstars Canada)
31. University of Toronto Entrepreneurship Hatchery
32. VIATEC
33. Waterloo Accelerator Centre
34. York Entrepreneurship Development Institute