Quebec Entrepreneur Program

A Quebec entrepreneur applicant is a foreign national who comes to Quebec to either operate a business that he creates, alone or with partners, or to acquire a business already established in the province.

The program operates under two streams under which an entrepreneur can apply for Certificate of Selection of Quebec (CSQ):

Stream 1

This stream is for candidates receiving support from a business accelerator, a business incubator or a university entrepreneurship centre, and who wish to open and manage a business in Quebec.

The business can be established by the candidate alone or with partners. 

The partners can be Canadians or foreign nationals, in which case they are limited to three.

Stream 2

This stream includes operating a business that the entrepreneur created or purchased.

Under this stream, the entrepreneur must control at least 25% of the shares of the new enterprise, or at least 51% of an acquired enterprise, which must have a value equivalent or higher than the funds needed to start the business project. 

The candidate must also operate the business or actively participate in its daily management.

The candidate must also prove that they have legally acquired a net value of $900,000, alone or with their spouse if applicable.

The acquired business must have been operating for at least 5 years before the submission of the application and must not have been operated by a former entrepreneur candidate in the 5 years preceding this date. 

The business should not operate in the following industries: 

• Salary loans, check cashing or pledge loans;
• Real estate development, brokerage in real estate or insurance;
• Production, distribution or sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products or services related to the sex industry such as nude or erotic dance, escort services or erotic massages.

Additional conditions to qualify

The business project must be presented under a business plan format. 

Applicants under both streams are also evaluated according to various selection factors and must score a minimum number of points based on their education, work experience, age, language proficiency, business plan, and ties to Quebec.