The Canadian province of Quebec allows entrepreneurs, self-employed people, and interested investors to start/operate a business in the province and apply for permanent residency under the Quebec Business Immigration Program. It enables the interested and eligible persons to become Canadian citizens and settle in the province of Quebec. If you apply and get accepted under this program, you shall receive a CSQ (Certificate of Selection of Quebec) which can be later used when submitting your application for Canadian permanent residency. The business categories under this program are:

• Quebec Investor Program

• Quebec Entrepreneur Program

• Quebec Self-Employed Program

Quebec Immigrant Investor Program

The Quebec Investor Visa Program offered by the province of Quebec does not demand the applicant to work or operate a business. Rather, they only need to invest a minimum amount in an ongoing business and become an investor, given; that they qualify to enter Canada under this program. The eligibility criterion is:

• The applicant must have a net worth of $2M which should be legally acquired by conducting business/by holding a high-level management position.

• The applicant must have an ownership/operating experience for the last 2 years or should have held a high-level position for the last 2 years in the recent 5 years.

• The applicant must be able to invest $1.2M in business for 5 consecutive years without receiving any interest

Note: This program has been temporarily TERMINATED till 1 April 2023 and is not accepting any new applications till then.

Quebec Immigrant Entrepreneur Program

This program aids aspiring entrepreneurs who have the skills and experience of operating a business to settle in Quebec. There are two streams to choose from under this program:

1. Stream 1: This stream is for candidates who can receive aid from the business incubator, business accelerator, or university entrepreneurship center. The applicant can establish business alone or with 3 Canadian Citizens/Foreign Nationals. It is for candidates who wish to open and manage a business in Quebec.

2. Stream 2: This next stream is for candidates who are interested in operating a business that is either purchased or created by the entrepreneur himself.

• The requirement for them is to either own 25% of total shares if they own the business or acquire 51% of the enterprise if the business has been purchased.

• The entrepreneur must partake in or operate daily business activities. They should also have a net worth of $900,000 that must be legally acquired either alone or with a spouse.

• The acquired firm must be operating for the last 5 years.

• Industries exempted from this program are salary loans, check to cash, pledge loans, real estate development, a brokerage in real estate/insurance, and production/distribution/sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products and services.

Quebec Immigrant Self-Employed Program

This program is for people who have experience as self-employed people and who wish to settle in the province of Quebec. The applicant can qualify under this stream if:

• You have 2 years of self-employed experience in the same profession for which you've applied

• You must have a personal net worth of CAD 100,00 alone/with a spouse/with a common-law partner

• You must be able to make an initial start-up deposit of $50,000 (in Montreal) or $25,000 (outside Montreal)

Additional requirements for the program

The applicant must fulfill the additional criteria to get approved under this program. This includes:

• You must score minimum points based on education, work experience, age, language proficiency, business plan/investment, ties to Quebec, etc.

• You must intend to stay as a permanent resident in Quebec.

• You must have intermediate-advanced French language skills.

Now that you are well versed with the Quebec Business Immigrant Program, you can go ahead and start planning. If you need any assistance with the application for this program or any assistance with Canada Immigration you can book a free visa consultancy session today to get your profile assessed with one of our experts.