Québec seeks to attract individuals with business and/or managerial experience who will contribute to the development of the Canadian economy. If you are looking to make an investment or to start/acquire a business in Québec there are three different categories under Businesspeople stream:

• Entrepreneur Program
• Investor Program
• Self-employed Worker Program

Immigrate to Québec, candidates and their families must meet both the selection and the admission requirements. To be selected by Québec, candidates must meet the requirements of one of the three immigration programs for businesspeople by submitting an Application for a Selection Certificate and passing a selection interview. Selected applicants will receive Québec Selction Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec – CSQ) and will be able to proceed further and apply for the permenant recidency under CIC.

Effective October 10, 2013, all new candidates from businesspeople subclasses (Investors, Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Workers) who wish to obtain points in the selection grid for their knowledge of French and English must enclose with their immigration application attestations of results of evaluation tests recognized by the Ministère. Children accompanying their parents are exempt from this requirement.

To be eligible to apply under this program, each applicant must meet the specific requirements:

1. Net assets of at least CAD$300,000
2. Business or/and management experience (agricultural, industrial or commercial business):
   1. at least two years’ experience in running a business
   2. Control at least 25% of the capital equity
   3. Active and ongoing management of the day-to-day business operations
3. Provide French or English language proficiency test results

1. submit a business project with the purpose of creating or acquiring a business (agricultural, industrial or commercial) in Québec
2. Acquire alone or with your accompanying spouse or common-law spouse, at least 25% of capital equity in a business (agricultural, commercial or industrial) with a value of at least C$100,000
3. Participate in the daily management and operations of the business

Assessment of the application will take into account other factors such as:

1. your age
2. the nature and duration of your training
3. your language skills
4. your personal qualities and your knowledge of Québec.
5. depending on the program component selected, the steps taken to acquire a business in Québec or your ability to carry out a business project will be the key element in your assessment.

If you apply to immigrate as an entrepreneur, it is recommended that you make an exploratory trip to Québec. Although it is not compulsory, an exploratory trip will enable you, depending on the program component selected, to take charge of your business project and further develop the main components of your business plan. You will then be better equipped to defend your project during the selection interview. In fact, your project’s credibility and feasibility are factors that will influence your selection as an entrepreneur.

When applying for immigration to Québec, entrepreneur applicants must submit a business project that will be the key factor in the assessment of their application.

In general, the business plan contains all the information about your target clientele, competitors and suppliers. It includes a market study, a marketing strategy and budget forecasts.

Effective October 10, 2013, all new candidates from businesspeople subclasses (Investors, Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Workers) who wish to obtain points in the selection grid for their knowledge of French and English must enclose with their immigration application attestations of results of evaluation tests recognized by the Ministère. Children accompanying their parents are exempt from this requirement.

Candidates who do not wish to use the points awarded for knowledge of French or English or both must specify this in their application for a Certificat de sélection du Québec by marking the appropriate box on the form.

The Québec Investor program was designed for qualified business owners and managers who want to participate in economic development by making risk-free investment through an approved financial intermediary, and has the intention and ability to successfully settle in Québec as permanent residents.

Every applicant who is submitting an immigration application as an investor must sign an investment agreement with one of the financial intermediaries—a broker or trust company—authorized to participate in the Investor Program.

Following the entry into effect of the Regulation respecting quotas of brokers and trust companies on July 15, 2015, financial intermediaries must have been allocated a number of agreements (quota) in order to sign an investment agreement with a foreign national who is submitting an application for a selection certificate.

The intake period for applications submitted under the Investor Program is from August 31, 2015 to January 29, 2016 (only the Ministère’s seal will constitute proof of the date of receipt of your application) or until the maximum number of applications has been attained. The Ministère will receive a maximum of 1750 applications for a selection certificate under the Investor Program, including a maximum of 1200 from applicants from China (including Hong Kong and Macao).

Investor applicants who demonstrate, by means of a test recognized by the Ministère, that they have an advanced intermediate knowledge of French, are not subject to this maximum number of applications and can submit their application at any time. These applications will receive priority processing.

Each applicant must prepare application carefully to ensure faster processing.

Self-employed worker candidates who successfully pass the preliminary assessment of their application and investor candidates may also be invited to a selection interview following a review of their application.

During review of the application, the immigration counselor will check the information provided in your application and pay particular attention to: your career and experience as a self-employed worker, your assets and their lawful acquisition.

All applicants who want to immigrate to Québec under businesspeople program categories have to follow the steps provided below:
Step #1 – Preparation
Step #2 – Apply as a business immigrant
Step #3 – Apply for Permanent Residency
Step #4 – Going into business or acquiring a business
Step #5 – Getting settled and facilitating your family’s integration