The Quebec Entrepreneur Program grants qualified business owners and managers the opportunity to obtain permanent residence in Quebec provided that they can effectively create or acquire a business in the province.
Note: The Quebec government began accepting 25 new applications under Component One and 35 new applications under Component Two of the Quebec Entrepreneur Program on August 15, 2018. The in-take period will continue until October 31, 2019.
Entrepreneurs interested in immigration to Quebec can apply under one of the program’s two components.
Component One is focused on new businesses or startups established in the province with the support of a business incubator / accelerator or university in the province.
Component Two is focused on owner-funded and operated businesses.
The Quebec Immigration Ministry the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) says that entrepreneurs interested in obtaining permanent residence in Quebec must be 18 years of age or older and must operate a business in accordance with the requirements of the Entrepreneur Program. While candidates can obtain additional points for French language proficiency, it is not required in order to apply to the program.
All Quebec Entrepreneur Program applicants must submit a business project. This project is an important factor in the assessment of an application. Following the initial assessment of an application, Quebec entrepreneur candidates will be expected to attend a selection interview. The selection interview is the final step to completing the application process under the Quebec Entrepreneur Program.
All Quebec Entrepreneur applicants must demonstrate the intention to reside in Quebec.
Foreign nationals interested in applying under Component One of the Entrepreneur Program will need to obtain the passing score of 41 points under all factors in the Quebec Economic Class selection grid for the Quebec Entrepreneur Program in order to be considered for selection.
Candidates under Component One of the Quebec Entrepreneur Program can obtain points for factors such as education level, areas of training, age, language proficiency in French and English, and stay and family in Quebec. There are no additional points awarded for applicants with a spouse or common-law partner.
The following are the minimum requirements for meeting the cut-off threshold for the program:
| Factor | Minimum requirements |
|---|---|
| Education level | Secondary school general diploma |
| Financial Self-sufficiency | Submit a contract to prove financial self-sufficiency |
| Business project | Provide a service offer from an enterprise incubator / accelerator or university entrepreneurship centre and demonstrate successful evaluation of the business project |
Foreign nationals interested in applying under Component Two of the Quebec Entrepreneur Program will need to obtain the passing score of 81 points in all 13 factors under Quebec’s Economic Class selection grid to be considered for selection.
Candidates under Component Two of Quebec’s Entrepreneur Program are awarded points for factors that include education level, areas of training, age, language proficiency in French and English, and stay and family in Quebec.
The following are the minimum requirements for meeting the cut-off threshold for Component Two:
| Factor | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Education level | Secondary school general diploma |
| Financial self-sufficiency | Submit a contract to prove financial self-sufficiency. |
| Business project | Demonstrate successful evaluation of the business project. |
| Deposit for startup | Provide a start-up deposit of $300,000 for a business in the metropolitan area of Montreal and a deposit of $200,000 for a business outside the metropolitan area of Montreal. |
| Business ownership/operation | Holds and controls, alone or with the accompanying spouse or common-law partner, at least 25% of the equityof the enterprise he or she creates or at least 51% of the equity of the enterprise he or she acquires. The value of an applicant’s financial contribution must be equal to or greater than the amount that must serve to start up the business project. |
| Minimum net worth | Have at least financial resources of $900,000 |
While the applicant can operate the business with a spouse or common-law partner, there are no additional points awarded for an applicant with a spouse or common-law partner.
The MIDI requires candidates applying under Component Two to provide a performance guarantee deposit of $200,000 that is refundable if certain conditions are met.