Work permits | LMIA-exempt | International Mobility Program
C11 Work Permit for Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Business Owners
The C11 work permit lets a foreign business owner come to Canada to start, buy or run their own business without an LMIA. It is for owners staying temporarily, and it needs real proof that the business will create jobs or another significant benefit for Canadians.
C11, C60 or A77: IRCC split its business owner instructions in 2022. C11 now covers only owners seeking temporary residence. Owners with provincial or territorial support who plan to apply for permanent residence use C60, and Start-up Visa applicants use A77 (IRCC; work permit codes).
1. C11 Eligibility Checker
Answer one question at a time. You will see where you can apply from (including as a visitor or work permit holder in Canada), how strong a C11 case looks, and what to fix. It follows IRCC’s C11 officer instructions. Not sure which NOC to use? Try the NOC/TEER checker in section 7.
Takes about 2 minutes
2. What Is the C11 Work Permit?
C11 is the code for business owners under paragraph R205(a). It covers foreign nationals seeking only temporary resident status who come to run, or establish, their own business, where the business may bring significant social, cultural or economic benefits to Canadians (IRCC).
You can start a new business or run one you have bought or control, but you must actively operate it. Because you are both employer and employee, you submit the offer of employment for yourself in the IRCC Employer Portal, choose “C11 – Business Owner - Temporary Purpose”, pay the $230 compliance fee (IRCC fee list), and then apply using the offer number.
Check that C11 fits youYou will own at least 51% of the business, run it yourself, and seek only temporary residence
Will the business bring a significant benefit to Canada?
Yes
2
Set up or buy the businessRegister it, secure premises, and invest or commit the funds
Not yet
Strengthen the plan firstJobs, local spending, exports or a regional need. Or ask about other options
3
Write a strong business planSteps, costs, hiring, market and a plan for the business to run without you
4
Submit your offer in the Employer PortalChoose C11 Business Owner, NOC 88888 Entrepreneur or your own code, and pay the $230 fee
5
Gather your documentsOffer number, ownership proof, business plan, personal funds and experience
Where are you now?
Outside Canada
6
Apply online from outside CanadaVisitor visa or eTA comes with the approval if needed
Work or study permit
6
Apply online from inside CanadaApply before your permit expires and keep to its conditions
Visitor in Canada
6
Apply as an outside-Canada applicationNo inside-Canada option and no flagpoling. Do not start the business yet
7
Pay the fee and give biometrics$155 work permit fee, plus biometrics if IRCC asks
IRCC decision
Approved
8
Get your work permitAt the border when you arrive, or by mail if you are inside Canada
9
Run your businessKeep records of jobs, spending and growth for any extension
Refused
Read the refusal reasonsFix the gaps, such as the plan, funds or benefit, then reapply or get advice
General guide only. IRCC decides each application. Neximm Immigration | www.neximmvisa.com
3. Visitors and Work Permit Holders in Canada
C11 has no special rule on where to apply. The general rules apply: most people apply from outside Canada, and only the groups listed in R199 can apply from inside Canada (IRCC).
Your status in Canada
Apply from inside?
What to do
Visitor (visa, eTA or visitor record)
No. The policy allowing this ended August 28, 2024 (IRCC)
Apply online as an outside-Canada application, then enter Canada from abroad to get the permit
Business visitor
No
As for visitors. Meetings and site visits are allowed, but not running the business (IRCC)
Closed work permit
Yes, R199(a)
Apply before it expires; keep to your current permit until C11 is approved
Open work permit (PGWP, spouse)
Yes, R199(a)
Apply before it expires. Planning permanent residence? Compare C60
Study permit
Yes, R199(c)
Your study permit must be valid when you apply
Spouse or child of a permit holder
Yes, R199(e)
That person’s permit must be valid when you apply
Status expired
No
Restoration may be possible within 90 days. Get advice
No flagpoling: since December 23, 2024, people already in Canada cannot get a work permit by leaving for the U.S. and coming straight back, except U.S. citizens and permanent residents and a few other groups (CBSA)
Arriving from abroad: visa-exempt nationals may apply at the port of entry, but IRCC encourages online C11 applications because the files are complex (IRCC, port of entry rules)
Do not start early: running your business as a visitor, or outside your current permit, is unauthorized work and can stop a permit being issued (R200(3)(e))
Temporary intent still applies: years of permits or permanent residence plans can make officers doubt you will leave. On maintained status, do not leave Canada (IRCC)
4. Entrepreneur or Self-Employed?
IRCC treats both as business owners but assesses them differently, and the difference decides your NOC code (IRCC).
Type
What it means
Entrepreneur
Takes on greater than normal financial risk and hires non-family staff to do the work. Manages the business; benefit is usually shown through jobs and investment. Uses NOC 88888.
Self-employed
Works for themselves and rarely hires outside the family, usually doing the work too. Benefit can be the service to Canadian clients, especially if it is hard to find locally. Uses a duty-based NOC.
Incorporation does not change the category: if only you and family members work in the business, you are self-employed. Time worked under C11 does not count toward the Canadian Experience Class.
The work is temporary or seasonal, and you plan to leave Canada within a set period
You have support funds for yourself and your family, separate from the business money
You have business funds, separate from support funds, to set up or run the business
The work brings a significant benefit to Canadian citizens or permanent residents
You control at least 51% of the business, shown in shareholder registers, articles or purchase agreements
Under 51%: a partial owner must apply as an employee, usually with an LMIA. The one exception is hunting and fishing camps and outfitters owned in equal shares, where each equal owner can use C11 if the business shows significant benefit (IRCC).
6. Significant Benefit and the Business Plan
Officers apply the general C10 meaning of “significant” and look at spin-off benefits. The benefit must come from your work during the permit, not after you leave, and the plan must set out real start-up steps rather than only an industry study (IRCC).
Job creation that affects the local job market, or prevents job losses
Growth in a regional or remote area, or expanded export markets
Advancing an industry through technology, innovation or better skills for Canadians
For the self-employed: a service that is hard for Canadians to access in the area
Scenario
Likely assessment
Convenience store in downtown Toronto with 2 low-wage staff
Not significant: competes with existing businesses for the same workers
Same store in a rural town 20 km from the nearest grocery store
May be significant: hires locally and draws people to nearby businesses
The only franchise of its kind in a town
May be significant if it attracts people from a wider area
Questions officers ask about the plan
Area
What the officer asks
Location and customers
City or rural? A new customer base, or customers taken from Canadian businesses?
Product and finances
Canadian or imported supplies? Are set-up costs and first wages funded, or does the plan rely on immediate sales?
Jobs and wages
Are the jobs significant for the area, at the median wage or higher?
Your background
Do your skills, experience and language make the business viable?
Temporary nature
Is it seasonal? If long-term, who will run it after you leave?
7. NOC Code and TEER Category
The NOC code and job title in your Employer Portal offer carry into the work permit. Entrepreneurs use 88888 “Entrepreneur”, a generic IRCC code. Self-employed owners must use the real NOC 2021 code that matches their duties, not 88888 (IRCC). The second digit of a NOC 2021 code is its TEER (NOC 2021).
Enter a code or choose an occupation to see its TEER and what it means for C11.
C11 has no list of eligible occupations and no minimum TEER. The recognized situations each point to a usual code:
Situation
NOC 2021 code (TEER)
Source
Self-employed gold miner
85110 Mine labourers (TEER 5) or 94100 mineral processing operators (TEER 4)
IRCC example, converted from NOC 2016
Camp owner or director
88888 if run with staff; a hands-on director may fit 50012 (TEER 0)
Usual match
Outfitters and U.S. fishing guides
64322 Outdoor sport and recreational guides (TEER 4)
Duties must match the NOC, job title and the benefit you claim
Requirements must be met: gaps in experience, education, language or licences can lead to refusal under R200(3)(a)
Spouse work permits depend on the TEER: usually a TEER 0 or 1 job, or select TEER 2 or 3 jobs, with at least 16 months left on your permit when the spouse applies (IRCC). With an 18-month C11 permit, the spouse should apply early
8. Funds, Duration and Extensions
Funds
What officers look for
Support funds
Free of debts, at least the low-income cut-off (LICO) for your family size for 18 months, or your stay if shorter. Cash, transferable investments, bank drafts or wages from your existing business
Business funds
Separate money to set up or run the business and pay yourself, with proof of where it came from. Used to judge R200(3)(a) and whether the offer is genuine
C11 work normally does not exceed 18 months. If you ask for more, you must show a definite plan to step out of running the business (IRCC).
Business type
What you need to show
Seasonal B&Bs, gold miners, wildlife guides
Naturally temporary
Year-round Repair shops, salons, IT firms
Extra proof of temporary intent, and an exit plan such as hiring a manager
Repeated permits: years of permits with no break may fail R200(1)(b). Owning a business does not let you live in Canada permanently
Extensions: show the benefits already delivered, why you need more time, and what the next period will achieve
9. C11 Situations IRCC Recognizes
Situation
Key conditions
Camp owners or directors
Sole, majority or equal-share owners of children’s camps or hunting and fishing camps, and their spouses. Other family members working at the camp need an LMIA (IRCC)
Fee-charging outfitters
Benefit judged on income kept in Canada, spending on Canadian goods, services and wages, and impact on Canadian outfitters
U.S. fishing guides on Canadian lakes
U.S. citizen or permanent resident, self-employed with no employer on either side; border lakes use C20 (IRCC)
Freelance horse jockeys
BC, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Ontario only; a racing licence or eligibility letter, and an offer from the first horse owner. In Ontario the first race must be a stakes race (IRCC)
10. Documents to Prepare
Tick each item as you collect it. The burden of proof is on you (IRCC).
11. Why Applications Get Refused
Ground
What it means
How to prepare
R200(1)(b)
Doubt you will leave, often because the business looks long-term or not genuine
Show ties abroad and an exit plan
R200(1)(c)(ii.1)
No significant benefit, for example a small business in a crowded city
Choose the location and quantify jobs
R200(3)(a)
You lack the skills, experience or language to run the business
Document sector experience
R200(3)(f.1)
Offer not submitted or fee not paid before applying
Get the offer number first
If you submit a detailed business plan, the officer’s notes should explain which parts were not convincing. A bare statement that R205 is not met is not enough (IRCC).
12. Building a Strong C11 Case
Check where you can apply (section 3) and confirm the code: plan to immigrate? Look at C60 or A77. Moving from a multinational? An intra-company transfer may fit better
Lock in 51% control in the corporate records
Choose the location: filling a gap in a smaller community is easier to justify than a saturated city market
Show jobs early: a hiring timeline within the permit, at or above the median wage
Separate and trace your money, and plan your exit
Keep the file consistent: portal fields, NOC, business plan and documents tell one story
13. How Neximm Can Help
Under C11 you are both the employer and the employee, so we prepare both sides of the file together.
Neximm Immigration is an RCIC-led consultancy based in Dehradun, India. A licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant advises on and represents your file.
Before you apply: category review (C11, C60, A77, ICT or trade agreement), ownership structure and NOC selection
Your file: business plan and benefit evidence, Employer Portal offer with original wording, funds evidence and the work permit application
Family and future: spouse and children’s permits, extensions, and permanent residence options if your plans change
