Start-up Visa Program

Make yourself at home and make something of yourself at home.

The Start-up Visa Program was created to target foreign entrepreneurs with the skills and potential to build innovative businesses in Canada that can create jobs and compete on a global scale.

Of the three streams of Start-up Visas, Genesis offers the Business Accelerator/Incubator stream to those who are successfully admitted into the portfolio of companies.

Entrepreneurs interested in the program must meet the following requirements:

• Be willing to live and work in Newfoundland and Labrador
• Be a start-up technology company with high growth potential
• Register for and complete the Evolution program and/or the Entrepreneurs Training Program and/or B6049 (Entrepreneurship for Non-Business Students)
• Pitch to and be accepted by the Genesis Centre Selection Board

If accepted by the Selection Board, the entrepreneurs receive a letter of support from Genesis and can apply for a start-up visa directly from Citizenship and Immigration Canada. To be eligible, applicants must:

• Receive a letter of support from a designated organization (i.e. Genesis)
• Meet ownership requirements where each entrepreneur holds at least 10% of the voting rights in the business
• Meet the minimum language requirements via a test from an approved agency
• Be able to financially support you and your family for one year

Details on the criteria and FAQs can be found at the Start-up Visa website here.