Quebec Entrepreneur Programme

The Quebec Entrepreneur Programme gives eligible business owners and business operators the opportunity to obtain permanent residence in Quebec, on condition that they can establish or acquire a business in the province of Quebec and run it effectively.

Quebec entrepreneurs must start or take over a business matching 1 of 3 business profiles to be eligible for this Quebec Entrepreneur Programme (in addition to meeting the basic conditions).

Overview of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme

The Quebec Entrepreneur Programme is an immigration programme for entrepreneurs to establish a new business or take over an existing business in the province of Quebec. The Quebec Entrepreneur Programme was comprehensively reformed in November 2023, with the current changes taking effect from 1 January 2024.

The purpose of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme is defined as follows: a foreign national of at least 18 years of age who comes to settle in Quebec to operate a business in an eligible sector and to exercise a significant part of the control over that business. The individual in question must manage the affairs of the business, within the framework of one of the following projects:

• An innovative business.
• A start-up business.
• A business takeover.

These three initiatives make up the new streams of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme. In addition to meeting the eligibility criteria specific to each stream, all entrepreneurs must also meet the following general conditions:

• Hold a qualification obtained before the date of application, equivalent at least to a Quebec secondary school diploma.
• Have spoken French ability (listening and speaking) corresponding at least to level 7 or above, on the assessment scale of theQuebec French language proficiency scale.
• Sign an undertaking within 3 months of obtaining permanent residence (PR), confirming that they will provide for the needs of accompanying family members and dependent children, andproof of fundsnecessary to support their family members.

Stream 1: Innovative business

To be eligible for this stream, entrepreneurs must begin operating a business that is an innovative business or that carries out innovation projects.

The innovative business stream of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme is divided into 2 profiles, under which applicants may qualify:

• Establishing an innovative business.
• Businesses carrying out an innovation project.

To qualify under the “establishing an innovative business” profile, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

Factor	Minimum requirement
Establishing the business	Must intend to establish a business alone or together with others, including up to three other foreign nationals applying under the same stream.
Capital investment	Intend to hold (alone or together with a common-law partner, who must be included in the application) a share of the capital contributed to establish the business, amounting to at least 10% of the total value of that innovative business.
Support services	Receive (for the purpose of establishing the innovative business) appropriate support services from an organisation specialising in innovation.

To qualify under the “innovation project” profile, the applicant must meet the following requirements:

Factor	Requirement
Residence and status	Have resided in Quebec for at least 2 years as at the date of application. In addition, the applicant must be authorised to work under an open work permit, a study permit, or a permit issued undersection 206 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Establishing the business	Must intend to establish a business alone or together with others, including up to three other foreign nationals applying under the same stream.
Capital investment	Intend to hold (alone or together with a common-law partner, who must be included in the application) a share of the capital contributed to establish the business, amounting to at least 10% of the total value of that innovative business.
Intention to pursue an innovative business	Intend to pursue a business or innovative business using the same framework as the innovation project.
Support services	Receive (for the purpose of establishing the innovative business) appropriate support services from an organisation specialising in innovation.

Stream 2: Start-up business

The start-up business stream of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme is designed for entrepreneurs with a start-up idea, or who have already started a new business, and who wish to move their business to Quebec.

The start-up business stream of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme has 2 acceptable profiles that an applicant may fit when applying. These are:

• A start-up business.
• A business already started.

To qualify as a start-up business under this stream, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

Factor	Requirement
Business management experience	Must have at least 2 years of business management experience within the past 5 years, before the date of application. This management experience must not have been gained in a role within anineligible sector.
Establishing the business	Must intend to establish a business alone or together with others, including up to three other foreign nationals applying under the same stream. The business functions must be planned over a maximum of 2 years, or for activities costing at least $300,000 CAD for a business established within the Montreal Metropolitan Area (MMA), or $150,000 CAD for a business established outside the MMA. The applicant must (alone or together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) intend to contribute capital to the business equivalent to at least 25% of the value of the business.
Net assets	Hold (together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) total net assets of at least $600,000 CAD. The lawful origin of these assets must be evidenced. In addition, the funds must not include any donation received in the 6 months before the immigration application was filed.
Issue of a work permit and work obligations	The applicant must apply for and be issued a work permit under section205 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, after receiving a decision on their immigration application. One year after registering the business in Quebec, but no more than two years after receiving this work permit, the applicant must: 1. Demonstrate that they have started their business in Quebec. 2. Demonstrate that they have made the payments towards the start-up or operating costs of their business, and that they have invested the capital required under the “establishing the business” row of this table.

To qualify under the business-already-started profile of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme, the applicant must:

Factor	Minimum requirement
Residence requirement	Have resided in Quebec for at least 2 years before the date of application, with the ability to work under an open work permit, a study permit, or a work permit obtained undersection 206 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations.
Establishing the business	Have started a business alone or together with others, including up to three other foreign nationals applying under the same stream. The business functions must be planned over a maximum of 2 years, or for activities costing at least $300,000 CAD for a business established within the Montreal Metropolitan Area (MMA), or $150,000 CAD for a business established outside the MMA. The applicant must (alone or together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) intend to contribute capital to the business equivalent to at least 25% of the value of the business.
Net assets	Hold (together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) total net assets of at least $300,000 CAD. The lawful origin of these assets must be evidenced. In addition, the funds must not include any donation received in the 6 months before the immigration application was filed.
Investment in the business	The applicant must (alone or together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) contribute investment capital to the company equivalent to at least 25% of the total value of the company.
Evidence of viability	The applicant must be able to demonstrate that the business is operating effectively one year after registering with the programme.

Stream 3: Business takeover

This stream is for those who wish to immigrate to Quebec because they have acquired a company, or are in the process of doing so. This part of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme is divided into 2 eligible profiles:

• A business in the process of being acquired.
• A business already acquired.

To qualify under the business-in-the-process-of-being-acquired profile of the Quebec Entrepreneur Programme, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

Factor	Minimum requirement
Net assets	Hold (together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) total net assets of at least $600,000 CAD. The lawful origin of these assets must be evidenced. In addition, the funds must not include any donation received in the 6 months before the immigration application was filed.
Intention to acquire the business	Intend to acquire (alone or together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) control of a business that has been operating for at least 5 years, from one or more transferors – none of whom has been selected under the entrepreneur programme in the 5 years before the application. The applicant may also acquire the business from a group as the elected holder of control.
Payment of acquisition costs	Intend to pay (alone or together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) the costs required to acquire the business, equivalent to at least $300,000 CAD for a business established within the Montreal Metropolitan Area (MMA), or $150,000 CAD for a business established outside the MMA.
Support services	Receive (for the purpose of acquiring control of the business) appropriate support services from an organisation specialising in business takeovers.
Making an offer	Make an offer to acquire control of a business meeting the requirements above, within no less than 2 years of filing the immigration application.

To qualify under the business-already-acquired profile, the applicant must meet the following criteria:

Factor	Minimum requirement
Residence and status	Have resided in Quebec for at least 2 years as at the date of application. In addition, the applicant must be authorised to work under an open work permit, a study permit, or a permit issued undersection 206 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. Note that a work permit issued undersection 205 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulationswill make the applicant ineligible for this programme.
Net assets	Hold (together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) total net assets of at least $600,000 CAD. The lawful origin of these assets must be evidenced. In addition, the funds must not include any donation received in the 6 months before the immigration application was filed.
Business already acquired	Have acquired and hold (alone or together with the common-law partner identified in the immigration application) control of a business that has been operating for at least 5 years, from one or more transferors – none of whom has been selected under the entrepreneur programme in the 5 years before the application.
Support services	Receive (for the purpose of acquiring control of the business) appropriate support services from an organisation specialising in business takeovers.