News & Media
ANNOUNCEMENT
Immigration Minister Announcement
Date: June 27, 2023
Minister Fraser launches Canada’s first-ever Tech Talent Strategy at Collision 2023
(Source: Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser Reveals Start Up Visa Program Plans.)
Improvements to the Start-up Visa Program
- We allocated more spots to this program for 2023, with further increases planned for 2024 and 2025.
- Applicants will be able to apply for a work permit that is up to three years in duration instead of one year.
- Applicants will be able to apply for an open work permit instead of one that limits them to working for their own start-up.
- We’re making this three-year open work permit available to each member of the entrepreneurial team instead of only those who are essential and urgently needed in Canada.
- We’re prioritizing applications that are supported by venture capital, angel investor groups and business incubators and have capital committed, along with applications that are supported by business incubators who are members of Canada’s Tech Network.
Quick facts
Changes to the temporary work permit option for Start-up Visa Program applicants, as well as the new application prioritization plan, will be in place later this year.
Canada’s information and communications technology sector employed nearly 720,000 Canadians and accounted for more than 44% of all private research and development spending in Canada in 2021. The sector was responsible for more than 15% of Canada’s overall GDP growth between 2016 and 2021. (Source: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (PDF 0.76 MB))