March 21st 2025 – Since the inception of the Canadian Start-Up Visa (SUV) program, one of its key benefits has been the ability to obtain a work permit, allowing applicants to relocate to Canada and work on their start-ups while their permanent residence applications are being processed. Recent data obtained by Mandeville & Associates indicates that this option has gained significant popularity, with 2,975 work permit applications processed between 2020 and September 2024.

The option to apply for an SUV work permit has been particularly popular among applicants from Iran, who represent 31% of total applications. Significant numbers of applicants also originated from India (20%), China (10%), Hong Kong (10%), and Vietnam (9%).

The number of work permit applications processed under the Startup Visa (SUV) program has grown exponentially since 2020. From a baseline of 125 applications in 2020, approvals surged to 1,582 by 2023. This growth trajectory continued through 2024, with 1,849 applications processed between January and September alone – representing a 1,379% increase over the four-year period.

Out of the 1,849 applications processed in 2024, 949 were accepted, 900 were refused, and a further 77 were withdrawn. This success rate of 51.3% is a significant drop from 2023, when the success rate was 78.8%.

The drop in the work permit approval rate in 2024 is in line with the Canadian government’s stated objective to reduce immigration levels over the next few years. In fact, evidence suggests that IRCC has significantly tightened its scrutiny of work permit applications in the past year, both within the start-up visa program and more broadly. Consequently, it is more important than ever to meticulously prepare complete documentation for every aspect of the work permit application and to seek advice from qualified and experienced Canadian immigration lawyers.

About Mandeville & Associates Ltd. 

Mandeville & Associates has been offering consulting services intended for international businesspeople of every continent wishing to settle in the United States of America, Canada, and Europe since 1986.

With its head office in Hong Kong and professionals permanently based in the United Kingdom and Canada, Mandeville & Associates offers a wide range of immigration and consultancy services with a team of specialized lawyers and multilingual immigration experts. Business migration programs, such as immigrant investor program, start-up visa program, and other residency-by-investment programs, allow the successful applicants, their spouse and their dependent children to obtain a residency visa which may lead to citizenship with certain conditions.

Mandeville & Associates provides specialized services to professionals, business incubators, brokers, and immigration consultants recruiting candidates for immigration to the United States of America, Canada, and Europe through business migration programs.