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Canada's Dream Fades: Visa Backlog Strands Entrepreneurs
27 Nov
Summary
- Startup Visa backlog now exceeds 10 years, up from 18 months.
- Entrepreneurs face unstable legal status and renewal issues.
- Families endure stress, children face international tuition fees.
The Canadian Startup Visa (SUV) program, designed to attract innovative entrepreneurs, is currently facing a severe backlog, with wait times now exceeding 10 years. This prolonged delay has left many immigrant founders, particularly from India, in a state of uncertainty regarding their legal status and ability to establish their businesses.
Entrepreneurs like Gaurav Chauhan, who moved to Canada in 2022, report experiencing significantly longer processing times than initially advertised, leading to unstable legal statuses and difficulties for their families. These challenges include work permit renewals with reduced validity and children being classified as international students, incurring higher tuition fees.
The program's integrity has been questioned due to the rise of "paper businesses" created solely to obtain support letters for PR applications. In response, Ottawa has introduced measures like capping support letters per incubator, aiming to manage the backlog and strengthen program integrity, though its future remains uncertain for many aspiring founders.
