The province of Quebec offers its own immigration program for entrepreneur applicants. The conditions and criteria considered in the assessment of applications are similar to those of the Federal Entrepreneur Program.

To be eligible for this program, the applicants must:

• have net assets of at least $300,000 (Canadian Dollars), obtained legally;
• have at least two years of full-time work experience in the past five years of running a lawful and profitable business, controlling at least 25% of the equity in the business.

Note that points are given based on the duration of responsibilities assumed and tasks performed, and on the full-time nature of work experience in owning and managing the business.

The applicants must submit their application based on one of the following two proposals:

1. Proposal to carry out a business project: submit a business project proposal with the aim of creating or acquiring a business (agricultural, industrial or commercial) in Québec that you will manage themselves or be a partner in management, on a daily basis. They must control at least 25% of the capital equity with a value of at least C$100,000.

2.  Proposal to acquire a business: they have acquired in Québec, at least 25% of capital equity in a business (agricultural, commercial or industrial) with a value of at least C$100,000. They must either manage the business themselves or be a partner in its management and operations, on a daily basis.

Depending on which of these two proposals applicants submit, their ability to carry out a business project or the steps they have taken to acquire a business will be very important in the assessment of their application. Other factors will also be considered in their application such as:

• their age and the age of their spouse (if applicable);
• the nature and duration of their education and training;
• their French language abilities;
• their personal qualities and their knowledge of Quebec.

Upon their arrival in Quebec, for a period of at least one year during the three years after obtaining their permanent residence, they must own and operate a business under the conditions mentioned above, and also create permanent employment for at least one resident of Quebec other than themselves (this condition does not apply to agricultural businesses).

Maximum Number of Applications

From May April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017, the maximum number of applications for the Entrepreneurs program has been reached. If an applicant has advanced intermediate knowledge of French demonstrated by a standardized test recognized by the Ministère, their application is not subject to these rules and they can submit their application at any time until March 31, 2017.

Important Notice:

Compared to before when there was virtually no limit on the number of applications, these caps have severely lowered the maximum number of applications acceptable for immigration to Quebec. Therefore, Quebec applicants are encouraged to speed up the preparation of their applications if they are eligible for any of the above categories.

More information on the changes in Quebec Permanent Worker program (skilled workers), is available in the following link: 

Quebec Permanent Workers