Qualified business owners and managers can apply for permanent residence in Quebec through the Quebec Entrepreneur Program to successfully establish or acquire a business in the province.

NOTE; On November 1, 2020, the Quebec government began accepting 25 new applications under the Quebec Entrepreneur Program’s Stream One. The application process will run through September 30, 2021. The Quebec Entrepreneur Program’s Stream Two has been suspended until November 2021

OVERVIEW

Entrepreneurs interested in immigrating to Quebec can apply through one of the two streams of the programme.

Stream One is for new firms or start-ups that have been founded in the province with the assistance of a business incubator, accelerator, or university.

Owner-funded and operated enterprises are the emphasis of Stream Two.

According to the Quebec Immigration Ministry, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI), entrepreneurs seeking permanent residence in Quebec must be at least 18 years old and run a business that meets the Entrepreneur Program’s standards. While candidates can earn bonus points for knowing French, it is not needed to apply to the programme.

All applicants for the Quebec Entrepreneur Program must submit a business plan. This project is a significant factor in an application’s evaluation. Quebec entrepreneur applicants will be required to attend a selection interview following the initial review of their application. The final phase in the application process for the Quebec Entrepreneur Program is the selection interview.

All Quebec Entrepreneur applicants must show that they intend to stay in the province.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS OF QUEBEC ENTREPRENEUR PROGRAM?

The Quebec Entrepreneur Program is divided into two unique streams, each with its own set of eligibility criteria:

STREAM ONE:

To be eligible, applicants must establish and operate a business in Quebec with the assistance of a business accelerator, an incubator, or a university entrepreneurship centre. The business venture may be done alone or in collaboration with three other foreign nationals who are also applying to the same immigration programme. There is no rigid definition of the types of enterprises that can benefit from a service offering. However, the following purposes should serve as a guide for applicants:

A business accelerator is an organization based in Quebec that provides support services, most notably assistance in securing financing, to entrepreneurs pursuing innovative business growth.

A business incubator is an organization in Quebec that assists entrepreneurs seeking to start innovative businesses.

University entrepreneurship centre is a corporation operated by a university institution that provides entrepreneurial coaching services.

To be eligible for selection under Stream One of the Entrepreneur Program, foreign nationals must acquire a passing score of 41 points on all factors in the Quebec Economic Class selection grid for the Entrepreneur Program.

Candidates in Stream One of the Quebec Entrepreneur Program can earn points based on their academic level, fields of training, age, French and English language ability, and residence and family in Quebec. No additional points are provided to applicants who are married or have a common-law partner.

The following are the minimum conditions for meeting the program’s cut-off threshold:

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.

STREAM TWO

To be eligible for this stream, the candidate must relocate to Quebec to start a new business or acquire an existing one and managing its operations. As part of their application, successful applicants will be required to submit two financial deposits:

(1) A $200,000 security deposit as assurance that the business will be established; to be reimbursed if the business plan is successfully implemented;

(2) a start-up deposit to use in the establishment of the business. For businesses established in Montreal, the start-up deposit is $300,000;
For businesses established outside of Montreal, the start-up deposit is CAD $200,000.

To be eligible for selection under Stream Two of the Quebec Entrepreneur Program, foreign nationals must earn a minimum of 81 points in all 13 variables of Quebec’s Economic Class selection grid.

Candidates in Stream Two of Quebec’s Entrepreneur Program earn points based on their academic level, areas of training, age, French and English language ability, and residence and family in Quebec.

All applicants must meet the following prerequisites for eligibility:

FACTOR	REQUIREMENTS
EDUCATION LEVEL	SECONDARY SCHOOL GENERAL DIPLOMA
FINANCIAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY	SUBMIT A CONTRACT TO PROVE FINANCIAL SELF-SUFFICIENCY.
BUSINESS PROJECT	DEMONSTRATE A SUCCESSFUL EVALUATION OF THE BUSINESS PROJECT.
BUSINESS OWNERSHIP/ OPERATION	HOLD AND CONTROLS, ALONE OR WITH THE ACCOMPANYING SPOUSE OR COMMON-LAW PARTNER, AT LEAST 25% OF THE EQUITY OF 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

• *The business cannot be involved in the following activities: payday loans, cheque cashing, pawnbroking, real estate development, real estate or insurance brokerage, production/distribution/sales of pornographic or sexually explicit products or services.
• An acquired business must have been in operation during the five years prior to an application.