1START UP VISA
To be eligible for the Start-up Visa Program, you must:
Before you can apply for the Start-up Visa Program, you must have the support of a designated organization. These are business groups that have been approved to invest in or support possible start-ups.
If a designated organization decides to support your business, it will give you a Letter of Support. You must include the Letter of Support with your application. If you do not include the letter or do not meet any of the requirements below, we will refuse your application. Up to five people can apply for the Start-up Visa Program as owners of a single business. However, to meet the ownership requirements:
each applicant must hold at least 10 percent of the voting rights in the business and
the designated organization and the applicants must jointly hold more than 50 per cent of the voting rights in the business.
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
You must take a language test from an approved agency and include the results with your application, or we will not process it. You must meet the minimum level of the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 5 in either English or French in all of these four areas:
speaking
reading
listening
writing
Money Requirements
You must show that you have enough money to support yourself and your dependents after you arrive in Canada. You cannot borrow this money from another person. You will need to give proof that you have the money when you apply.
The amount you will need depends on the size of your family. We update these amounts every year.
| Number of Family Members | Funds Required (in Canadian dollars) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $12,300 |
| 2 | $15,312 |
| 3 | $18,825 |
| 4 | $22,856 |
| 5 | $25,923 |
| 6 | $29,236 |
| 7 | $32,550 |
| For each additional family member | $3,314 |
DISCLOSURE OF FUNDS
If you are bringing more than CAN $10,000 across the Canadian border, you must tell a Canadian official when you arrive. If you do not, you may be fined, and your funds could be seized. These funds could be in the form of:
cash
securities that belong to you (for example, stocks, bonds, debentures, treasury bills) or
bankers' drafts, Cheque, travelers’ Cheque or money order
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