Canada · C11 work permit · R205(a)

C11 work permit: work in Canada without a job offer or an LMIA

If you run a business in Pakistan or the Gulf and will own and run one in Canada, the C11 lets you work there with no employer, no LMIA and no fixed IELTS score. It is argued on one thing — significant benefit to Canada — and most agents never file one properly.

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C11

the route

No LMIA, no job offer, no fixed IELTS score — a work permit argued on significant benefit to Canada.

Canada

office on the ground

We have an office in Mississauga — not just a Pakistan shop filing a Canadian case blind.

Free

consultation

You leave with our read in writing — an honest answer either way.

C11 at a glance

What the C11 is, in IRCC’s own terms

The C11 is an LMIA-exempt Canadian work permit, issued under paragraph 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, for a business owner whose work in Canada will bring a significant economic, social or cultural benefit. IRCC files it under business owners seeking only temporary residence.

Ownership: You must control at least 51% of the Canadian business. An owner with less who works in it applies as an employee instead.
Significant benefit: Jobs for Canadians, market or export growth, innovation, or keeping Canadians employed. IRCC is explicit that it is not the amount you spend that makes a business significant.
Business plan: Concrete start-up steps — location, sourcing, costs, wages, marketing and customers. A detailed market analysis on its own is not a plan.
Your funds: Business money kept separate from your family’s living funds, which must be at least the low-income cut-off for your family size for 18 months — with proof of where the money came from.
Length of stay: The work should normally not exceed 18 months. Longer needs a definite plan to hand over the running of the business.
Settling permanently: The C11 is a temporary permit. IRCC’s guidance points business owners who intend to settle to other routes, such as provincial entrepreneur streams.

Source: IRCC program delivery instructions for C11 (last updated by IRCC on 27 May 2025). Want to settle permanently as a business owner? See business immigration to Canada.

Next: the plan

What a C11 business plan has to show →

Already refused?

Why C11 applications are refused →

Is this you?

Who the C11 route actually fits

We qualify people out before we qualify them in. If you recognise yourself here, keep reading.

Business owners

You run a business now

A registered business in Pakistan or the Gulf that you can prove you actually operate — accounts, dealings, history. It is the experience the officer weighs.

Majority owner

You’ll control the Canadian business

At least 51% of it, and you will be the one running it day to day — not a passive or minority investor.

Funds you can show

You have funds with a paper trail

Business money and your family’s living funds, in your own name, with a clear source — not borrowed for a photograph the week before filing.

Told “no”, wrongly

You were told to stop

You’ve been told “you need a job offer first” and stopped there — when this route needs no employer at all.

And who it isn’t for

If you’re a salaried employee looking for any job in Canada, this route is not for you — and we’ll say so on the call rather than take your money. A weak application filed today is a refusal on your record for years.

The route, plainly

What a C11 actually is

Most Canadian work permits need an employer to prove no Canadian could do the job — an LMIA. It’s slow, it’s expensive, and you can’t even start it without an employer who already wants you.

The C11 skips that. It’s for someone who will bring significant benefit to Canada — typically by starting or buying a business there. You are the applicant and, in effect, the employer. There’s no LMIA, and no job offer to chase.

It is not a shortcut and it is not easy. It’s a real business case, argued properly, with real money behind it. That’s precisely why most agents don’t touch it.

What you’ll need

What a strong file is built on

A genuine business plan for Canada
Built around what you actually do — never a template pulled off a shelf.
Funds in your own name
Business funds, plus family living funds of at least the low-income cut-off for 18 months — with their source documented. We confirm your exact figures.
Proof you’ve run a business
Real evidence you operate the business you claim — registration, dealings, history.
A case that stands up
Everything above, assembled so it holds together as one argument to an officer.

How it works

From first conversation to a decision

Six stages. The first one can end it — on purpose, before you’ve paid a service fee.

1
Honest assessment
We look at your business, your funds and your history and tell you plainly whether a C11 is realistic. If it isn’t, that’s where it ends — before you’ve paid a service fee.
2
Build the business case
A C11 lives or dies on the strength of its business case for Canada. We build a genuine plan around what you actually do — never a template.
3
Assemble the evidence
Proof you’ve run a business, and funds documented in your own name over the holding period your case requires. We tell you the exact figures for you.
4
Lawyer review
Before anything goes near IRCC, the file is reviewed by our lawyers. A C11 is an argument, not a form — so it’s argued by someone qualified to argue it.
5
File with IRCC
We submit the application and the business case together, and pay the government fees to IRCC on your behalf, itemised for you in advance.
6
Decision
The timeline depends on your case and IRCC. Anyone quoting you a fixed date is guessing — we’ll give you the honest picture, not a comfortable one.

What it costs

Two fees, both itemised in writing

Our professional fee is quoted for your own file — not a number pulled off a page you’d base a life decision on. Separately, government fees are paid to IRCC, not to us. We put both in front of you, in writing, before you sign anything.

How long it takes

A realistic range, never a promise

Timelines depend on your case and on IRCC processing. Anyone quoting you a fixed date is guessing — once we understand your file, we’ll give you an honest range rather than a comfortable one.

Why file it with us

A C11 is an argument, not a form

A C11 lives or dies on the strength of its business case — which is why it’s reviewed by our lawyers before it goes anywhere near IRCC, not filed by whoever answered the phone.

We’ve filed these before. Some were approved and some were refused — and we’ll tell you what went wrong in the refusals, because you should know exactly what you’re buying before you buy it.

Reviewed by the Tashfeen legal teamLast reviewed October 2026

Watch

The C11, explained on our YouTube channel

Who the route suits, what the business case needs, and what happens with your family — in our own explainer.

Watch on YouTube →

Straight answers

The questions people actually ask

Can you guarantee me the work permit?

No — and neither can anyone else. Your application is decided by an IRCC officer, and no consultant in Pakistan can overrule that. What we can do is tell you honestly whether your case is strong, fix what’s weak before it’s filed, and argue it properly. Read our no-guarantee policy.

Do I really not need a job offer?

Correct — the C11 is a route that needs no employer, no LMIA, and no job offer to chase. You are the applicant and, in effect, the employer. That does not make it easy: it is a real business case argued on “significant benefit” to Canada, with real money behind it.

What is a C11 work permit?

The C11 is a Canadian work permit that needs no LMIA and no job offer. It is issued under paragraph 205(a) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations to a business owner whose work in Canada brings a significant economic, social or cultural benefit. IRCC lists it under business owners seeking only temporary residence.

What percentage of the business do I need to own?

At least 51%. IRCC’s instructions say a C11 should be considered only when the applicant controls at least 51% of the business. Someone with a smaller share who works in the business applies as an employee instead, which usually means an LMIA.

Do I need an IELTS band?

No fixed IELTS score is required for a C11. Language still matters: IRCC asks whether your skills and language abilities will help the business succeed, so a credible business case has to hold together — but you are not shut out for missing a set band.

How much money do I need to show?

Two separate amounts. First, funds to support your family: IRCC sets the floor at the low-income cut-off for your family size, for 18 months or the length of your stay if shorter. Second, the business funds your plan needs — there is no official minimum investment; the officer judges whether your money covers your plan and where it came from. We work out both figures with you for your own case.

How long does a C11 work permit last?

IRCC’s guidance says the work should normally not exceed 18 months. A longer period needs a definite plan for handing over the running of the business, such as hiring a manager.

Can a C11 lead to permanent residence?

Not on its own. The C11 is a temporary permit for business owners, and IRCC’s guidance directs owners who intend to settle permanently to other routes, such as provincial entrepreneur streams. Some people go on to qualify for permanent residence through a separate application on their own merits — whether that is realistic for you depends on your profile, and we will tell you straight.

What does it cost?

Two separate things: our professional fee, and the government fees paid to IRCC (not to us). We itemise both, in writing, before you sign anything — no figure on this page substitutes for the quote we give you for your own file.

How long does it take?

It varies with your case and with IRCC processing, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Anyone quoting you a guaranteed date is guessing — we’ll give you a realistic range once we understand your file.

I’m a salaried employee looking for any job in Canada — is this for me?

Honestly, no. The C11 is built around your own business case, not around finding an employer to hire you. We’ll tell you that on the call rather than take your money, and point you to a route that does fit.

Where you actually stand

See whether a C11 is realistic for you

Tell us about your business and your funds and we’ll tell you honestly whether this route fits — and if it doesn’t, what does. The consultation is free, and you get our read in writing.

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