Temporary Business Work in Canada

Entrepreneur work permit for Canada

Planning a temporary period in Canada to establish, stabilize, transfer, or complete seasonal work in a business you control? Canada may authorize majority business owners to perform time-limited work that creates significant benefit during their stay. For this employer-specific permit, you must control at least 51% of the business and present a credible departure, transition, or exit plan. This page explains what the entrepreneur work permit is, who may qualify, the temporary-purpose evidence required, and how to apply.

01 What is an Entrepreneur Work Permit

An entrepreneur work permit for business owners seeking only temporary residence, commonly identified by LMIA exemption code C11, is an employer-specific work permit within Canada's International Mobility Program. It can authorize a majority owner to perform a defined period of work in their Canadian business without first obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

This category is for a genuinely temporary or seasonal business purpose. Your application must identify the work you will complete, the requested period, when you will depart, and how the business will be transferred, managed, paused, or concluded without your continued presence. A visa officer must also be satisfied that significant economic, social, or cultural benefit will arise from your work during that requested period, not only from speculative results expected after you leave.

As of July 2026, IRCC directs that this business-owner work permit be considered only where the applicant controls at least 51% of the business. An owner with less than 51% must qualify as an employee under another LMIA-exempt category or through the LMIA process. Confirm the current entrepreneur work permit instructions before applying because program guidance can change.

A business-owner work permit is not permanent residence, an open work permit, or a guarantee of entry. It authorizes only the work described by its conditions and does not authorize study that requires a study permit. You may also need a visitor visa or eTA to travel, and a Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) border services officer makes the final admission decision at the port of entry.

02 Self-Employed Owners and Entrepreneurs

A self-employed owner usually performs the business's core work personally. The person's income comes mainly from their own trade, profession, or service, and the operation commonly has no staff outside the owner's family. A guide delivering tours, an independent craftsperson, or a specialist providing a scarce service may fit this profile, depending on how the business actually operates.

An entrepreneur builds and directs an operation that employs people beyond the family. The owner carries the commercial risk, makes the major business decisions, and normally hires and supervises non-family workers to deliver the business's products or services. The role may include launching operations, arranging financing, developing markets, and putting a management team in place.

The visa officer looks at the real duties and staffing model, not the label used in the application. Both profiles must meet the same majority-control, temporary-purpose, financial, admissibility, and significant-benefit requirements. Neither profile covers passive investment.

This entrepreneur work permit is limited to owners seeking only temporary residence for the proposed work. It is not the category for a provincial or territorial business candidate carrying out a plan tied to intended permanent residence.

C60 applies to supported provincial or territorial business candidates who have not yet been formally nominated, and to certain eligible Quebec business applicants with the required selection documents. They are pursuing an eventual permanent residence route and must meet both the supporting program's conditions and the federal work permit rules.

T13 may apply after formal provincial or territorial nomination where the nominee has the required support letter and LMIA-exempt offer of employment. A nomination or provincial support does not guarantee a federal work permit, and each category has separate requirements.

Provincial, territorial, and Quebec business programs can open, pause, or change independently. If your real plan is permanent residence, identify the applicable permanent-residence-linked route before filing. Do not present that plan as a temporary business-owner assignment.

A person without qualifying provincial, territorial, or Quebec support may need another work permit category or an LMIA. Incorporation or business ownership does not create a work permit category by itself.

03 Who May Qualify

An entrepreneur work permit application must establish majority control, a temporary business mandate, and significant benefit within the same requested period. You generally need to show that:

you control at least 51% of the business and will actively perform the proposed work rather than remain a passive investor
the work is temporary or seasonal, with defined objectives, a proposed departure date, and a credible transition or exit plan
your experience, skills, and business record prepare you to perform the proposed role
the business model is viable and supported by realistic market, financial, and operational evidence
you have separate, lawful funds for personal and family support and enough business funds to establish or operate the venture and pay yourself
your work during the requested permit period will create or maintain significant economic, social, or cultural benefits or opportunities for Canadians or permanent residents
you meet the general requirements for temporary residence, including satisfying the visa officer that you will leave Canada by the end of your authorized stay
you are not inadmissible to Canada on grounds such as criminality, security, or health

Showing Benefit During the Temporary Work Period

The benefit must be concrete, significant, and tied to what you personally will accomplish before the requested permit ends. Depending on the business, relevant evidence can include jobs created or preserved during the mandate, contracts delivered, exports launched, workers trained, specialized knowledge transferred, or an underserved service made operational. Long-range forecasts can provide context, but benefits that may appear only after your departure cannot replace evidence of impact during your authorized work.

Explaining the Temporary Purpose

State the limited assignment in practical terms. For example, you may need to launch operations, train a Canadian or permanent resident manager, stabilize an acquired business, deliver a defined project, or operate a genuinely seasonal venture. The plan should explain when your work ends, who takes over, what happens to the business, and why your continued physical presence will no longer be required.

Every case depends on the person's facts, documents, immigration history, business proposal, and the legal requirements in force when they apply. The right strategy and evidence can differ even for businesses in the same industry.

04 How to Apply

The business owner acts as both employer and employee for the LMIA-exempt offer. The business, temporary-work, and immigration records should therefore be prepared as one consistent application.

Confirm the Correct Work Permit Category

Confirm that you control at least 51%, seek only temporary residence for this work, and are not a C60 or T13 business candidate or an employee who needs another LMIA or IMP route.

Define the Temporary Mandate

Set out the work to be completed, its dates, the significant benefit produced during that period, your departure date, and the transition, succession, seasonal closure, or exit plan.

Build the Business Record

Document majority ownership, the operating plan, separate personal and business funds, market need, implementation steps, your experience, and time-bound benefit.

Submit Your Own Offer of Employment

As both employer and employee, submit the offer for yourself through the Employer Portal and pay the employer compliance fee before applying. Use IMM 5802 only in the rare situation where IRCC specifically authorizes that alternative.

File the Work Permit Application

Apply through the correct IRCC process with the offer number, proof of 51% control, business evidence, separate funding evidence, temporary-purpose record, forms, and applicable fees.

Complete Further Requirements

Provide biometrics, a medical examination, police documents, an interview, or additional evidence if IRCC requires them for your circumstances.

Travel and Receive the Permit

If you applied outside Canada and are approved, travel with your letter of introduction and required entry document. A CBSA border services officer confirms admissibility and, if satisfied, issues the work permit at the port of entry.

05 Documents, Funds and Business Evidence

The documents should let a visa officer trace the proposal from majority control and separate funding to temporary work, benefit, and departure. A typical application may include:

a valid passport, completed forms, photographs, and the LMIA-exempt offer of employment number
articles, share registers, certificates, shareholder or partnership agreements, purchase records, and other proof that you control at least 51% of the business
a business plan covering the product or service, market, competition, operations, staffing, financial forecasts, risks, and milestones within the requested permit period
a temporary-work plan naming the assignment, start and end dates, departure date, and transition, succession, seasonal closure, sale, or other exit arrangements
evidence showing how your own work will produce significant benefit during the requested period, with measurable timing and outcomes
separate proof of personal support money that you can use in Canada and that is not committed to debts or other obligations
proof of a distinct pool of business capital sufficient to establish or operate the venture, meet its obligations, and pay you for the offered work
your résumé, business ownership or management history, education, professional credentials, and evidence of relevant achievements
leases, licences, registrations, supplier arrangements, client interest, contracts, market research, and other proof that preparation is real
evidence of ties outside Canada, previous immigration compliance, family circumstances, and practical arrangements supporting your departure
medical, police, biometrics, and family documents where required

Personal Support Funds and Business Funds

Personal support money cannot also be counted as business capital. The personal pool must remain available for living costs for you and your accompanying family. The business pool must separately cover the credible cost of establishing or operating the business and paying the owner under the offer.

As of July 2026, IRCC measures personal support money against the applicable low-income cut-off (LICO) for the family size. You must show enough for 18 months, or for the full proposed stay when it is shorter. The money must be accessible for living costs in Canada and free from debts or other claims. Business capital cannot be counted toward this personal benchmark. LICO figures change each year, so confirm the current official amount before applying.

Buying an Existing Business

If you plan to acquire a business, provide the purchase terms, valuation or due-diligence material, current financial statements, payroll and tax records, licences, and proof of at least 51% control. Explain the temporary work you will perform, the benefit it will deliver during that period, and who will manage the business after your departure. The purchase itself does not prove significant benefit.

Businesses that Normally Continue Year-Round

A continuing business does not make the owner's work temporary. If the enterprise will remain open, provide stronger evidence of the limited assignment and a definite handover to a manager or successor who can lawfully continue operations without you. A plan requiring your indefinite day-to-day presence conflicts with the entrepreneur work permit's temporary purpose.

Accompanying Family Members

A spouse, common-law partner, or dependent child must submit the application required for their own temporary status and provide relationship and admissibility documents. A family member does not receive work or study authorization automatically; eligibility depends on the rules in force and that person's circumstances.

06 Permit Length, Extensions and Travel

An entrepreneur work permit is employer-specific and may restrict the business or employer, occupation, and work location. The authorized period reflects the temporary assignment and can be shortened by passport validity or other case-specific limits.

As of July 2026, IRCC tells visa officers not to issue an initial business-owner work permit for more than 18 months, and the approved period can be shorter. If the offer requests more time, the evidence must still establish when the owner's involvement will end and how the operation will continue afterward. Any later permit requires a new assessment. Confirm the current instructions before applying.

An extension is not automatic. Compare the original plan with real results, such as operations opened, Canadian jobs maintained, contracts completed, workers trained, or documented delays. Then identify the limited tasks that still require you, the benefit those tasks will produce before the new period ends, and the date another person will assume responsibility. Outcomes expected only after you leave cannot carry the significant-benefit case.

The work permit is different from a travel document. A valid permit authorizes the work described on it, but it does not by itself let you board a flight or re-enter Canada. You also need a valid visitor visa or eTA when one is required, and entry is reassessed at the port of entry.

If IRCC receives a complete extension application before your permit expires, you remain in Canada, and you continue under the same conditions, maintained status may let you keep working while IRCC decides. If you leave Canada while relying on maintained status, you may be allowed to return, but you generally cannot resume work until the extension is approved.

The entrepreneur work permit should not be presented as the first stage of a planned permanent-residence process. If your purpose changes or you obtain provincial, territorial, or Quebec support, identify the work permit category that applies to the new facts rather than assuming the original category can continue.

07 Refusals and Reapplying

Applications may be refused where the applicant controls less than 51%, the work appears indefinite, the exit plan is not credible, or the application reveals an intended permanent-residence strategy that belongs under another category. Refusal can also follow where benefit is speculative or expected only after departure, personal and business funds overlap, the business plan is weak, or the applicant's experience does not support the proposed role.

Problems with the self-submitted Employer Portal offer, compliance fee, work permit requirements, or admissibility can also affect the result. A refusal does not prevent a new application, but submitting the same plan and documents is likely to produce the same result. First review the visa officer's reasons and the application that was actually filed. Then correct inaccuracies, choose the proper category, fill the evidentiary gaps, and respond with stronger, verifiable material before reapplying.

08 Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the entrepreneur work permit if I own less than 51%?+

No. Current IRCC instructions limit this business-owner category to applicants who control at least 51% of the business. With a smaller interest, you are treated as an employee and must qualify under another LMIA exemption or through the LMIA process.

Is the initial permit automatically valid for 18 months?+

No. Eighteen months is the ceiling under the current initial-permit instructions, not a standard entitlement. The visa officer can authorize less time based on the assignment, requested dates, passport validity, and evidence. An offer seeking a longer period needs persuasive proof that the owner's role still has a fixed endpoint and workable handover arrangements.

Can the business continue after I leave Canada?+

It may, but your own work must have a defined end. Explain who will lawfully manage the business after your departure and provide a credible transition or succession plan. The significant benefit supporting the permit must arise from your work during the requested period, not only from hoped-for results after you leave.

Does business-owner work count for the Canadian Experience Class?+

No. Work gained as either a self-employed owner or an entrepreneur under this permit does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class minimum work-experience requirement. A narrow public policy can treat qualifying publicly funded medical services differently. Another immigration program may assess business activity under its own rules, but this permit does not create a permanent residence pathway.

Can an entrepreneur work permit be extended?+

You may apply, but a second application must do more than repeat the original forecasts. Use operating records to show that your authorized work produced real Canadian benefit, explain the limited task that remains, and provide a credible handover and departure date.

Who submits the offer of employment?+

You are both employer and employee for this purpose. Submit the offer for yourself through the Employer Portal and pay the employer compliance fee before filing the work permit application. IMM 5802 is used only if IRCC specifically authorizes that exceptional submission method.

Talk to a Licensed Expert

Is this the right route for your business plan?

An RCIC regulated by the CICC can assess whether the entrepreneur work permit fits your temporary purpose, distinguish other business routes, identify legal and evidentiary issues, and help prepare the application.

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