The Quebec
Entrepreneur Program is a
Canadian immigration program intended to help foreign business owners launch
entrepreneurial endeavors in the province of Quebec. This is a unique
investment immigration Canada for foreign entrepreneurs who have the financial
sources and business ownership expertise needed to start a new business project
in Quebec. Successful applicants turn into Canadian permanent residents.
Please note: Although this immigration program is
based in the French-speaking province of Quebec, French-language knowledge is
not needed for applicants. However, language ability may be taken into account
when selecting applicants.
Who is qualified to apply to the Quebec
Entrepreneur Program - investment immigration to Canada program?
The Quebec Entrepreneur Program is separated into
two streams, each with distinct eligibility criteria:
Stream One
To be suitable for Stream One of the Quebec
Entrepreneur Program, the prospective immigrant entrepreneur must display a
business project idea for a business they plan to create and operate from
within Quebec. Applicants must have already obtained a service offer from a
Quebec-based business accelerator, business incubator, or university
entrepreneurship center. Quebec does not hold a list of accelerators,
incubators, and entrepreneurship centers that are eligible to assist immigrant
entrepreneurs. There are no fixed criteria to recognize these organizations,
but intrigued applicants can consult this list for examples of projects
initiated by these types of business organizations in Quebec.
To support their business project, the immigrant
entrepreneur applicant must illustrate that the business incubator, business
accelerator, or university entrepreneurship center meets the appropriate
definition:
Business accelerator: Quebec organizations offering support services,
especially in securing funding, to entrepreneurs whose plans are intended at
the increase of innovative companies.
Business incubator: Quebec organizations offering mentoring services,
including hosting, to businesspeople with business projects aimed at creating
innovative businesses.
University entrepreneurship center: Quebec organizations led by academic institutions
or affiliated organizations that give mentoring services to entrepreneurs.
When applying to the Quebec Entrepreneur Program, a
central component is the written service offer from the Quebec organization to
assist the immigrant entrepreneur’s business project. This written offer must
present the services the organization aims to offer the entrepreneur and must
present: a complete support plan, an operations plan and budget, and the
organization’s expertise in its field.
Stream Two
To be eligible for Stream Two of the Quebec
Entrepreneur Program, the prospective immigrant entrepreneur must settle in
Quebec to create a new business or purchase an existing business. Applicants
will be required to submit their business idea in the form of a business plan
as part of their application.Entrepreneurs choosing to create a business must
own and control at least 25 percent of its equity capital, while those choosing
to acquire a business must own and control at least 51 percent of its equity
capital. As well, the business must have been in operation within the five
years before application, and cannot have been acquired from another immigrant
entrepreneur selected under this program in the previous five years.All
candidates must have a minimum personal net worth of CAD 900,000 (this can
cover a spouse or partner’s net worth).
If you're looking into the Quebec Entrepreneur
Program, a Canada Investment Immigration Program, you will need the help of an
immigration lawyer.
You can easily find them on Google Maps, or ArmSentPages, to help with your case.