Today, global investors, especially entrepreneurs and businessmen, seek global mobility, flexibility, and visa access to fulfill their dreams, such as setting up their brands or expanding their already established businesses to a greater extent, on a global scale. There are multiple countries that, under their visa programs, provide entrepreneurs with this opportunity, such as Canada. Due to recent IRCC data about long delays in processing times of Canada Startup Visas, global investors are struggling to implement their business ideas globally. During these times, Dominica citizenship through investment appears as the best choice for global entrepreneurs and businessmen to make their dreams of global business expansion come true.
Canada Startup Visa and Its 10-Year Wait Time
In 2013, the government of Canada launched its Startup Visa for global entrepreneurs to make it easy for them to implement their innovative and fresh business ideas. It was mainly for people who had obtained a letter of support from a designated Canadian organization like a venture capital firm or business incubator. Although it was considered a fast-track route to permanent residency at some time, the recent data from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) shows that the new applicants of the Canada Startup visa have to wait for more than 10 years now for the processing of their visas. This delay is very large compared to the 6-month processing time they promised.
Number of Canada Startup Visa Pending Cases
If we closely look at the data according to processing timelines, the number of applications that are still pending are 43,200, which is more than double the number from 18 months ago. As the people who applied for the startup visa in 2020 are almost done, about a month is left for their visa processing. Those who applied in 2021 still have to wait for 3 years, and anyone who applied in 2022 or later has to wait for almost 10 years or more. Most of the backlog is from 2022 onwards, i.e, 41,400 cases.
April 2024 Reforms by the Canadian Government
To fix the delays, the government of Canada attempted multiple reforms in April 2024, but none of them proved to be fruitful. The reforms included:
The government limited each designated Canadian organization to 10 startup applications a year.
Increased annual approvals from 1000 to 5000 for 2024 and 6000 for 2025.
Canada also allowed open work permits, which allowed people to work in Canada while waiting for PR, but they still required an Acknowledgement of Receipt (AOR), which takes up to 16 months. Hence, despite implementing the above measures, the backlog still grew by 23,000 applications from April 2024 to October 2025.
Dominica Citizenship By Investment – The Best Choice For Global Entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs looking for business expansion under the startup visa program of Canada need not wait for 10 years to see their dreams come into reality instead, they can consider investing in a Dominica passport, whose citizenship program just requires a 4 to 6 months processing time and provides relief to global investors by offering them not only the fastest citizenship by investment program but also the most affordable.
Key Benefits of the Dominica Passport for Global Investors
According to the 2025 CBI Index Report, the passport of Dominica ranks 2nd globally due to the stability and strong investor appeal. This is the main reason why most of the global investors are choosing Dominica as the best destination for a secure second home for their families and to expand their business globally. The significant Dominica citizenship benefits for startup founders and investors include:
10 Year Multiple Entry Visas for Canada and the USA
Dominica passport holders can benefit from a 10-year multiple-entry visa to key destinations, including the USA and Canada. These countries are well recognized for providing ample business opportunities. Hence, in this way, Dominica citizenship investors can understand, explore, and evaluate the business markets of these countries. After living there for a few months, they can also choose which city is best for their settlement and business expansion by assessing which sector aligns with their lifestyle and professional goals.
Global Mobility with 150+ Visa-Free Destinations
The passport of Dominica holds a very strong position globally as it provides its investors with the privilege of visa-free and visa-on-arrival access to various destinations. Global entrepreneurs require travel freedom and global mobility for efficient business expansion. By investing in Dominica citizenship, they can manage their travel easily to more than 150 Dominica passport visa free countries, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, Denmark, France, Sweden, and many others. This makes attending international conferences, business meetings, and events easier for professionals.
Two Affordable Investment Options
Dominica passports cost much less than many other CBI programs. It provides two investment options to its investors; they can choose whichever one they find suitable. The options include:
Donation to Economic Development Fund (EDF): Dominica citizenship requires a $200,000 donation to a government-approved economic development fund (EDF). This amount is for a single applicant. However, for including a family of four members with the main applicant, the amount required is $250,000.
Real Estate Investment Option: For qualifying for Dominica citizenship, the investment required is $200,000 in approved real estate projects.
Opportunity to Pass Citizenship to Next Generations
Dominica citizenship is for a lifetime as it can be passed to the next generations, providing long-term stability to global investors.
Dual Citizenship Benefit
Dominica allows dual citizenship, which means applicants do not need to give up their current nationality to gain citizenship of another country. In this way, the investors of Dominica citizenship by investment can enjoy the citizenship benefits of more than one country.
Conclusion
Dominica citizenship by investment provides a strategic plan B to global entrepreneurs and investors seeking mobility, fast processing time, and business expansion opportunities. By holding the strong passport of Dominica, they can benefit from travel freedom without needing to wait for a long processing time or facing delays of more than 10 years such as in the Canada startup visa.