Start-Up Visa Program
CAIN partnered with Startup Canada to research and advocate for improvements to Canada's Start-Up Visa (SUV) program — the immigration pathway connecting immigrant entrepreneurs with designated organizations (DOs) including accelerators and incubators.
Partnership with Startup Canada
Joint research on a critical pathway for international entrepreneurs
The SUV program is a critical pathway for international entrepreneurs, but stakeholders have identified significant challenges that limit its effectiveness. Through joint research, CAIN and Startup Canada developed evidence-based recommendations for improving the program.
In partnership with Startup CanadaOur approach
The research drew on multiple sources to build a comprehensive picture of how the SUV program works in practice:
What we found — five recommendation areas
- 1Streamline communication between IRCC and designated organizations
- 2Standardize evaluation criteria across DOs
- 3Increase transparency in application processing
- 4Enhance post-landing support for entrepreneurs
- 5Establish stronger governance and oversight mechanisms
Bilingual content available — a French version of the SUV research exists, and all recommendations were developed with input from both English and French-speaking stakeholders.