Immigration routes for entrepreneurs
Dedicated founder routes are thinner on the ground than commentary suggests. The UK has Innovator Founder (endorsement-based); Ireland has STEP; France has Talent Passport; Germany has §21 self-employment; the US has International Entrepreneur Parole; Canada has Start-Up Visa. Each has genuinely different bars for capital, endorsement, and commercial viability.
Also searched as: startup founder, business owner, company director.
What decides which route fits
Entrepreneurs are not usually a licensed profession, so the route that fits you turns mostly on whether you have a qualifying job offer (for sponsored routes) and whether you meet each country's salary or points threshold.
By destination
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Commonwealth of Australia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all French Republic routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Swiss Confederation routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Denmark routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Norway routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Oriental Republic of Uruguay routes.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Malaysia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of India routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all State of Israel routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Bahrain routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Croatia routes.
Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Antigua and Barbuda routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Commonwealth of Dominica routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Grenada routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Saint Lucia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Barbados routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Morocco routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Jamaica routes.
Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Trinidad and Tobago routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Belize routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Brunei Darussalam routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Principality of Liechtenstein routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Seychelles routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Principality of Monaco routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Uganda routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Maldives routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Bosnia and Herzegovina routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of North Macedonia routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Kosovo routes.
People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all People's Democratic Republic of Algeria routes.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Saint Vincent and the Grenadines routes.
Co-operative Republic of Guyana
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Co-operative Republic of Guyana routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Suriname routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Iraq routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cote d'Ivoire routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Senegal routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cameroon routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Djibouti routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Cuba routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Belarus routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Kingdom of Bhutan routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Solomon Islands routes.
Virgin Islands (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Virgin Islands (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Gibraltar (British Overseas Territory) routes.
Jersey (British Crown Dependency)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Jersey (British Crown Dependency) routes.
Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown Dependency)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Bailiwick of Guernsey (British Crown Dependency) routes.
Faroe Islands (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Faroe Islands (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) routes.
Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Greenland (self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark) routes.
Cook Islands (self-governing country in free association with New Zealand)
American Samoa (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all American Samoa (United States territory) routes.
Puerto Rico (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Puerto Rico (United States territory) routes.
United States Virgin Islands (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all United States Virgin Islands (United States territory) routes.
Guam (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Guam (United States territory) routes.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (United States territory) routes.
Svalbard (Norwegian archipelago)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Svalbard (Norwegian archipelago) routes.
Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory)
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Saint Helena (British Overseas Territory) routes.
No closely-matching routes indexed yet — see all Republic of Kiribati routes.
Frequently asked questions
Do entrepreneurs need a job offer to work abroad?+
It depends on the route. Many countries offer skilled-migration or self-employment routes that do not require a job offer up front, while employer-sponsored work visas do. The country guides below flag which of each destination's routes need a sponsor.
Which countries have visa routes for entrepreneurs?+
We map entrepreneur routes across all 178 full-coverage destinations we cover, and 121 currently have at least one route that fits entrepreneurs directly. Open any country below for its specific routes and official sources.