Recent Policy & Legal Developments

‍

Canada’s economic immigration pathways—particularly the Start-Up Visa (SUV), C11 Entrepreneur Work Permit, and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)—have undergone substantial changes between 2023 and 2025. These adjustments aim to tighten program integrity, better allocate provincial resources, and improve national economic outcomes.

‍

In April 2024, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) introduced new processing standards and annual intake limits for SUV applications. A key policy update placed caps on designated organizations to prevent backlogs and over-saturation in sectors like fintech and blockchain. Similarly, the mandatory business performance monitoring period was extended from 12 to 24 months post-landing.

‍

The C11 stream—which enables entrepreneurs to obtain work permits outside the LMIA system—saw guidance updates in January 2025. These emphasized the importance of economic benefit to Canada and discouraged purely passive business ventures. Officers were instructed to scrutinize marginal enterprises more closely, particularly those that lack local job creation or innovation potential.

‍

Provincial programs, especially in British Columbia, Ontario, and Alberta, have introduced tiered scoring systems that favor candidates with operational businesses or sector alignment with regional development goals. Ontario’s Entrepreneur Stream now requires a minimum net worth of CAD 800,000 in the GTA (or CAD 400,000 outside) and increased monitoring of third-party business consultants.

‍

These reforms reflect Canada’s dual priorities: economic security and equitable immigration, alongside a desire to ensure investment-based routes are not exploited as backdoors to permanent residency.

‍

‍

‍