Canada – Quebec

The reception of applications for permanent selection under the Investor Program is temporarily suspended.

Quebec immigrant investor program

The Quebec government created in 1986 its Immigrant Investor Program for Assistance to Business in order to favour the unconditional entry of businesspeople and their families to Quebec as permanent residents. The program provides subsidies to Quebec businesses in the process of realizing admissible projects. Under this program, potential immigrant investors who agree to respect certain requirements and make a passive investment in Quebec will obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate. The program allows immigrant investors and their families to obtain a Canadian permanent resident visa.

General Information

Population

Total (2019) :8,485,000

GDP

Total (2018) : CAD $365.6 billion billion
Per capita : CAD $52,384 (2018)

Languages

French Speakers Only 78%
English Speakers Only 7.7%
Bilinguals 2%
Others 12%

Admissibility Criteria

The program is meant for immigrant investors who want to settle in the province of Quebec. To qualify, an applicant must:

  • have a net worth of C$2,000,000 obtained legally;
  • have at least two (2) years of management experience acquired in the five (5) years preceding the application. This experience does not need to be acquired in a profitable business and/or on a full-time basis;
  • management experience acquired in a professional business will be eligible to enable the selection of applicants who practice both management functions and a professional activity. In this case, the professional business should have at least the equivalent of two full-time staff (30 or more hours per week), excluding the immigrant applicant.

Mains Features of the Quebec Program

  • Investment : CAD $1,200,000
  • Financing Option : The financing plan enables immigrant investors, to borrow and therefore invest only a portion of the minimum investment required, while still satisfying all of the program requirements.
  • Interest on the investment : 0%
  • Guarantee : The investment is fully guaranteed by a five (5) year term note payable to the immigrant investor in the amount of C$1,200,000 issued by IQ Immigrants Investisseurs Inc., which is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Government of Quebec.
  • Investment term : IQ Immigrant Investisseurs Inc. invests the funds at the market interest rate for a five (5) year period, i.e. as stipulated in the Regulation Respecting the Selection of Foreign Nationals. The return on the investment is paid to IQ Immigrants Investisseurs Inc., which uses it to finance its assistance program for small -and medium-sized businesses.
  • Withdrawals : No withdrawals are permitted during the five (5) year period

How to apply

To submit an application under the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program, the foreign national will first have to submit the following documents:

When the Ministère is ready to review the foreign national’s application, it will notify the applicant with a letter requesting that he/she updates Section 4 of the update of the Application for a Selection Certificate − Investor, submits the Narrative document – Businesspeople (Writing guide) and provide the remaining supporting documents in Section 2 in the list of documents to submit in support of an Application for a Certificat de sélection du Québec in effect since August 1, 2013.