Canada welcomes innovative business ideas and invites entrepreneurs from other countries to benefit from the strong Canadian economy. The Start-up Visa (SUV) program launched by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) targets foreign start-ups with novel and new technology that have the potential to build innovative businesses within Canada and can help to further innovate within our entrepreneurial ecosystem. The process is intended to allow for the expedited migration of foreign owned businesses looking to operate in Canada by providing up to five (5) founders or core team members with a permanent residency, provided that they meet the criteria established under the program and IRCC’s normal requirements for immigration.
York Angel Investors is one of 9 designated angel organizations in Canada that can support applications for a SUV. As a Designated Angel Group participant in the SUV program of the IRCC, we can provide the first level of assessment of your intention to apply.
Applying to York Angels
Founders, or their representatives, are welcome to apply to the SUV Program through York Angel Investors by filling in an initial validation. This initial validation is a thorough evaluation of your start-up to determine its potential of obtaining a Letter of Support through a $75,000 angel investment from York Angel Investors. Completing the initial validation is only the first step and does not guarantee a Letter of Support.
Validation Assessment Fee
York Angel Investors applies a nominal service fee of $50 + tax (CAD) for each assessment to cover administration costs.
Please Note: By submitting your application, York Angel Investors makes no promise of successful entry to the Start-up Visa Program. This is only an initial validation of the worthiness of your start-up as a potential for angel investment. York Angel Investors is not accredited by the Government of Canada to make any promises of success of an applicant at this early stage of assessment.
Preparing for your Application
Before proceeding to the validation application, please ensure that you are prepared with information about your founder(s), market problem, novel solution, market, and business model. Please take the time to understand York Angel Investors investment criteria before beginning your application.
What to Expect After Submission
The SUV Program is highly competitive. We receive a very high volume of applications. We attempt to give feedback to all applicants, but unfortunately we are unable to respond to all. If you have not received a response form us within 15 business days, you should assume that your start-up did not pass our validation requirements.
For Immigration Consultants or Agents
York Angel Investors does not accept application for membership strictly for the purpose of investing in Start-up Visa companies. This program is not intended to create a path to permanent residence for the purpose of investing. It is intended for Canadian investors to help identify and support start-ups with novel technology and help them move their start-up to Canada for further diversification in our technology sector and job creation.
If you believe that you have a client that fits our investment criteria, after reviewing all the information on our website regarding the Start-up Visa Program, then we invite you to have them apply below.