{"id":595,"date":"2016-07-11T09:28:15","date_gmt":"2016-07-11T09:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ontariobusinesscentral.ca\/blog\/?p=595"},"modified":"2025-08-07T16:26:19","modified_gmt":"2025-08-07T20:26:19","slug":"is-it-possible-to-start-a-business-in-canada-while-on-work-permit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ontariobusinesscentral.ca\/blog\/is-it-possible-to-start-a-business-in-canada-while-on-work-permit\/","title":{"rendered":"Is It Possible To Start A Business In Canada While On Work Permit?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Canada is a great place to live, work and play. If you\u2019re here on a work permit and have thought about staying in the country, starting your own venture might be in the cards. However, there are some things you should know before working towards that goal. You want to make sure you\u2019re not moving in the wrong direction.<\/p>\n

Work permits in Canada are issued for specific jobs with a specific employer for a set time. Starting your own business here while on a work permit would be breaking the law since you\u2019d be violating the terms of your work permit.<\/p>\n

There are<\/em> ways<\/strong><\/p>\n

Businesses in Canada can only be started by Canadian citizens or permanent residents (landed immigrants). But if you\u2019re really keen on staying and you\u2019re already here working legally, then you may want to consider looking into Canada\u2019s New Start-Up Visa for Entrepreneur Immigrants or applying to immigrate to the country as someone being self-employed.<\/p>\n

\"start<\/a><\/p>\n

You can apply for permanent residency in Canada if you meet these guidelines:<\/p>\n