C11 business plans and intra-company transfer business plans

Last reviewed: 2026-11-09. This page is general information from official sources and is not immigration advice. IRCC publishes these instructions mainly for its officers, and it changes them. Check the linked IRCC pages and speak to your immigration consultant or lawyer.

Some Canadian work permits depend on a business plan. This page explains two kinds, using IRCC’s current terminology, and the older codes people still search for.

Old codes and current codes

Because the codes changed meaning, older articles and some websites are out of date. Check the date of anything you read, including this page.

Intra-company transferees: C61, C62 and C63

An intra-company transfer lets a multinational enterprise move an employee to a Canadian parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate. IRCC’s instructions set these main points:

• C61 is for employees establishing a new branch or affiliate (a new qualifying enterprise) in Canada.
• C62 is for executives and managers.
• C63 is for specialized knowledge workers.
• The applicant must work for the foreign enterprise in an executive, managerial or specialized-knowledge capacity, with at least one continuous full-time year in the previous three years.
• The foreign and Canadian enterprises must have a qualifying relationship: parent, branch, subsidiary or affiliate.
• For a new office (C61), IRCC expects the foreign company to be a multinational with revenue-generating operations in at least two countries, and asks for a business plan, financial documents, a human resources plan and physical commercial premises. The permit is for a maximum of one year. IRCC expects the applicant to move to the C62 category for any further work; an extension of up to six months under C61 is possible only for delays beyond the applicant’s or employer’s control.
• C62 starts at a maximum of three years, with two-year renewals, up to seven years in total. C63 starts at a maximum of three years, with two-year renewals, up to five years in total.

IRCC says an owner with a controlling interest who wants to start a new business is not eligible as an intra-company transferee unless the enterprise meets the multinational requirements. Entrepreneurs moving from a non-multinational are pointed to C11. This is stricter than some marketing suggests. IRCC pages checked on 2026-11-09.

C11: owner-operator work permits for temporary residence

The C11 category, listed in IRCC’s Employer Portal as “Business Owner – Temporary Purpose” and often called an owner-operator permit, is for entrepreneurs who want to run their own Canadian business and intend only temporary residence. IRCC’s instructions say:

• the work must create significant economic, social or cultural benefits or opportunities for Canadian citizens or permanent residents
• the applicant should control at least 51% of the business
• the applicant needs a business plan with concrete start-up steps, and support funds kept separate from business funds, generally equal to the low income cut-off for the family size for at least 18 months
• the period of work would normally not exceed 18 months, and the applicant must show they will leave Canada at the end of the stay
• C11 is not a route to permanent residence; IRCC says people intending to seek permanent residence should be assessed under other categories, such as C60

C60: provincial business candidates

C60 covers entrepreneurs who hold a provincial or territorial support letter indicating a potential nomination in an entrepreneur stream. It is the work permit step after approval under programs such as the BC PNP, Alberta, Nova Scotia or New Brunswick streams, which have their own business plan requirements. Outside Quebec the permit is for a maximum of two years. IRCC says the support letter should not be the only evidence provided. See the program status page and our BC PNP business plan page.

What the business plan has to do

Officers read a work-permit plan for different things from a provincial program plan. We write it around the category’s tests:

1. the business, its market and why it is viable in Canada
2. the benefit to Canadians and permanent residents (jobs, wages, supply chains, community)
3. your role, ownership and experience
4. the start-up steps, premises and licensing
5. the funding, with business funds and personal support funds shown separately
6. financial projections with sourced assumptions
7. for C61, the relationship between the foreign and Canadian enterprises, premises and staffing plan

What Wealth Theory does

• A custom plan for your category and business, with no recycled template.
• Interview preparation. We take you through the plan in your language: English, Polish, Persian/Farsi, Russian, French, Mandarin or Hindi, with an interpreter we arrange or your own. Interpreter costs are priced separately. See interview preparation.
• Alongside your representative. We work with the consultant or lawyer you have chosen, by white-label or referral arrangement. See our page for immigration professionals. We never name the firms we work with.

We do not give immigration advice, choose the category for you or file anything. We cannot promise an outcome.

Price

The starting price is shown on this page and on our pricing page. The final price depends on the category and the business.

Next step

Book a free consultation or contact us.