Four pathways at a glance
Which LMIA-exempt stream fits your client?
Processing-time ranges reflect publicly published IRCC figures and visa office variance as of 2026. Note that IRCC tightened the R205(a) significant-benefit standard in 2026 (C-10 general and C-11 entrepreneur now require a clearly demonstrated benefit to the broader community or region) and updated intra-company transfer guidelines in 2024. Always confirm current eligibility and timelines with your RCIC or immigration lawyer.
Pathway deep dives
The business case behind each stream
C-10
R205(a) · general significant benefit
Significant Benefit
When the standard categories don't quite fit, but the case is strong.
C-10 is the general "significant social, cultural, or economic benefit" provision under R205(a). It catches strong cases that don't cleanly map to entrepreneur, ICT, or treaty categories, high-impact hires, restructurings, public-good projects, and cross-border initiatives where the benefit to Canada is the central argument.
Best fit
Senior hires whose role is unique and time-sensitive
Restructuring projects with a defined Canadian benefit
Cultural / academic / public-good initiatives
Hybrid cases mixing entrepreneur + employer roles
What we deliver
Significant-benefit narrative memo
Economic-impact analysis
Canadian role & deliverable design
Supporting third-party evidence (letters, articles)
C-11
R205(a) · entrepreneur / self-employed
Entrepreneur Work Permit
The fastest legitimate way for an owner to operate in Canada.
C-11 is the entrepreneur subset of significant benefit. The applicant must own at least 50.1% of a Canadian business and demonstrate that their work in Canada delivers a meaningful economic or cultural benefit, job creation, knowledge transfer, regional investment, or sector specialization.
Best fit
Foreign founders incorporating or acquiring a Canadian business
Single-founder operations targeting active management
Applicants who already have a Canadian customer or partner
Cases where SUV / PNP timelines don't work
What we deliver
Defensible business plan
Canadian market & competitive analysis
Job-creation & hiring forecast
Source-of-funds package
Significant-benefit narrative
ICT (C-12)
R205(a) · C-12
Intra-Company Transfer
Move a key executive, manager, or specialist into your Canadian operation.
ICT lets multinational companies transfer executives, senior managers, and specialized-knowledge workers into a qualifying Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch, or affiliate. Start-up ICT (new Canadian entity) is the most scrutinized variant, the entity must be a genuine, physical, operating business, not just a mailing address.
Best fit
Established foreign company opening a Canadian office
Family-owned international groups with a Canadian subsidiary
Founders transferring from their own foreign company
Specialized-knowledge workers core to the Canadian operation
What we deliver
Qualifying-relationship memo (parent ↔ Canadian entity)
Premises, staffing & operations plan for Canada
Executive / manager / specialized-knowledge role design
Business case for the Canadian operation
Source-of-funds for capitalization
CUSMA
R204 · treaty (USMCA)
Investor · Trader · Professional · ICT
Fastest path for US and Mexican citizens, often at the port of entry.
CUSMA (formerly NAFTA) provides four categories for US and Mexican citizens: Investor, Trader, Professional, and Intra-Company Transferee. Most are eligible for port-of-entry processing, the file is reviewed by a CBSA officer when the applicant arrives, with no separate visa application needed.
Best fit
US or Mexican citizens
Listed professionals (NOC list, e.g. engineers, accountants, scientists)
Investors making a substantial Canadian investment
Companies running substantial cross-border trade
What we deliver
Citizenship & eligibility memo
Investor: substantial-investment business case
Professional: NOC mapping & credential package
Trader: trade-volume documentation
Port-of-entry preparation kit
Engagement workflow
Business case ready in 30 days
01
Day 0–5
Stream selection
We map your client's nationality, capital, sector, and Canadian footprint to the right LMIA-exempt stream. Wrong stream = avoidable refusal.
02
Day 5–25
Business case build
Business plan, significant-benefit narrative, qualifying-relationship memo, or NOC mapping, depending on stream.
03
Day 15–30
Source-of-funds & evidence
Capital documentation, parent-company records, contracts, premises lease. The exhibits an officer expects to see.
04
Day 30
Handoff to RCIC
Complete business-case package delivered to your firm for inclusion with the work-permit application.
05
Post-permit
Post-issuance support
Once the permit is issued, we transition to ongoing operations support so the Canadian entity matches what was filed.
FAQ
Common questions on work-permit pathways
Can a work permit lead to PR?+
Not directly. Work permits are temporary. But Canadian work experience earned on a valid permit is highly valuable for subsequent PR applications via Express Entry (Canadian Experience Class) and most PNP streams. We build the work-permit case with the eventual PR pathway in mind.
What's the difference between C-11 and the federal Start-up Visa?+
C-11 is a temporary work permit (1–2 years, renewable) for an entrepreneur actively running a Canadian business. SUV is a permanent-residence pathway requiring a Letter of Support from a designated organization. C-11 is faster and lighter; SUV is slower but ends in PR. Many founders run both in parallel, C-11 to land and operate, SUV for the PR endpoint.
Is a "new Canadian entity" enough for ICT?+
On paper, yes, IRCC explicitly contemplates start-up ICTs. In practice, officers scrutinize new entities very carefully: physical premises, real staffing, capitalization, and a credible Canadian operating plan. Mail-drop addresses and dormant shell entities almost always fail.
Can my client apply for CUSMA at the airport?+
Most CUSMA categories are eligible for port-of-entry (POE) processing for US and Mexican citizens, but we generally recommend filing an electronic application in advance for complex cases (especially Investor and ICT start-ups). The POE option works well for clear-cut Professional and renewal cases.
How much capital does C-11 actually require?+
There's no fixed minimum in regulation. In practice, files demonstrating less than ~$100,000 CAD of committed capital tend to draw scrutiny on whether the business is real. The stronger predictor is whether the capital is sufficient to actually operate the proposed business, supported by realistic financials.
Does CanBizVisa give immigration advice?+
No. CanBizVisa is a business consulting company. We build the underlying business case, narrative, plan, financials, evidence. All immigration counsel and application filing is handled by your RCIC (regulated by CICC) or your immigration lawyer.