Quebec Entrepreneur Program

The first stream

This stream is intended for candidates who receive support from a business accelerator, incubator, or university entrepreneurship center, and who wish to open and run a company in Quebec.

The work can be created by the candidate alone or with partners.

The partners can be Canadian or foreign, in which case they are limited to only 3.

The second stream

This stream involves running a business that is created or bought by the entrepreneur.

Under this trend, the entrepreneur must control at least 25% of the shares of the new venture, or at least 51% of the company that was purchased, which must have a value that is either equivalent to or higher than the funds needed to start the business.

The candidate must also run a business or actively participate in its day-to-day management.

The candidate must invest capital funds of $ 200,000 if the business is located outside the Montreal metropolitan area, or $ 300,000 for a business located within the Montreal metropolitan area.

A minimum deposit of $ 200,000 should be granted as a guaranteed security and can be returned upon realization of the business if certain conditions are met.

The candidate must also prove that he has legally earned the equivalent of CAD 90,000, alone, or with his / her spouse if possible.

The business purchased must have been in operation for at least 5 years prior to the application being submitted and must not have been operated by a previous entrepreneur candidate in the five years prior to this date.

The business must not enter the following industries:

• Salary loans, check cashing, or pledge loans.
• Real estate development and brokerage in real estate or insurance.
• The production, distribution, or sale of explicitly pornographic or sexual products or services related to the sex industry such as nude or erotic dance, escort services, or erotic massage.

Additional conditions to qualify

The business venture must be presented in the form of a business plan.

Applicants in both tracks are also evaluated according to different selection factors and must score minimum points based on their education, work experience, age, language proficiency, business plan, and relationships with Quebec.

There are two important differences in the investor category:

1. First, Entrepreneur applicants must establish and become active in an eligible Canadian company in Quebec. Therefore, approved applicants are admitted to Canada under a conditional visa and must inform the immigration authorities regularly. Applicants who do not meet the Canadian eligible work requirements may be subject to hearings that may lead to the deportation of the applicant and family members. Under the second stream, the Minister can forfeit the security deposit if the business project is not fulfilled, as per R56.

2. Second, unlike investor candidates, applicants under the Entrepreneur Program are not required to invest in a 5-year interest-free deposit with the provincial government.

Application process

Applicants from Quebec Entrepreneurs must successfully defend a business plan during a selection interview that determines the feasibility and suitability of the project for Quebec City. The selection interview is usually preceded by an initial visit to the Quebec job market by the applicant.

Once approved, the application moves to Federal Security and Medical Verification, followed by issuance of the visa with mandatory terms and conditions, within a comprehensive processing delay that can range from 12-44 months.

Each year, the government accepts a limited number of applications under the Entrepreneur category. According to the August 2018 regulations, 25 applications will be permitted under the first stream, and 35 under the second stream.

The application period began on August 15, 2018 and will end on March 31, 2019 or earlier if the pre-requisite score has been reached.

Candidates who demonstrate that they have advanced intermediate knowledge of French (by submitting the results of the French language test for level B2 in Speaking and Listening) can apply at any time.