Do Start-Up Visa applicants get permanent residence before or after the business actually launches?

Generally, permanent residence under the Start-Up Visa Program is granted before the business has actually launched and succeeded, not after. IRCC's assessment focuses on whether the applicant meets the program's eligibility requirements and has secured a genuine commitment from a designated entity, not on proof that the business is already up and running or commercially viable in Canada.

This surprises a lot of applicants, because it seems backwards compared to how a business loan or investment normally works. In this pathway, the expectation is that the business will actually be established after the applicant lands as a permanent resident, using the designated entity's support and the applicant's own efforts going forward. That said, some applicants also apply separately for a temporary work permit to begin working on the business while their permanent residence application is still being processed, which lets them start building the venture in Canada sooner — but that work permit is a distinct application from the permanent residence pathway itself, and it does not guarantee the PR application will succeed. Because eligibility criteria, the structure of designated-entity commitments, and the program's overall availability can change, anyone relying on this timeline should confirm current details with IRCC's published guidance or with an immigration lawyer before making major decisions based on it.