Quebec Entrepreneur Program: 3 Streams to Start, Run or Buy a Business

The Entrepreneur Program is one of Quebec's three business immigration programs, with the Investor Program and the Self-Employed Worker Program. Unlike the investor route, you must actively build or run a business in Quebec.

Quebec selects entrepreneurs and issues a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). You then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

As of September 2026, every Entrepreneur Program applicant must:

• be at least 18 years old,
• hold at least a diploma equal to a Quebec high school diploma, or a one-year full-time vocational or college program,
• have spoken French at level 7 or higher on the Quebec scale, proven with an accepted test (less than two years old) or accepted French secondary diploma,
• sign a financial self-sufficiency contract covering three months after becoming a permanent resident, and
• obtain the attestation of learning about democratic and Quebec values within 60 days of Quebec's request (also required for a spouse 16 or older and children 18 or older).

See French requirements for Quebec for accepted tests.

Stream 1 is for founders of innovative companies. There are two profiles:

• Start-up of an innovative company: you want to start an innovative company in Quebec.
• Carrying out an innovative project: you have lived in Quebec for at least two years with authorization to work, respected the conditions of your stay, already started an innovative company, and want to carry out an innovative project in it.

Key conditions:

• You need a service offer from an organization specialized in innovation that has an establishment in Quebec. Its main activity must be supporting innovative businesses (training, mentoring, or help finding financing). The organization completes Quebec's Offre de service en innovation form.
• You prepare a business plan on Quebec's Stream 1 template.
• You can apply alone or with up to three other people who also apply under the Entrepreneur Program.

Quebec's page lists resources in innovation and entrepreneurship to help you find a support organization.

Stream 2 is for people who want to start a business in Quebec (or who already started one there).

New business profile:

• At least two years of business management experience in the last five years (not in ineligible sectors).
• Net worth of at least C$600,000, lawfully obtained. Gifts from the last six months do not count. You may share it with your spouse.
• A business plan on Quebec's Stream 2 template.
• You must start the business in Quebec within two years after receiving a work permit based on Quebec's notice of intention to select. The business must be registered for at least one year when you send proof.
• Minimum start-up or operating spending: C$300,000 in the Montreal Metropolitan Community, or C$150,000 outside it.
• Your share of the original capital must be at least 25% of the business's value (alone or with your spouse).
• You can start the business alone or with up to three other applicants.

Already started business profile: if you have lived in Quebec for at least two years with authorization to work and complied with your conditions of stay, the net worth minimum is C$300,000.

Stream 3 is for people who want to buy and run an established Quebec business.

• The business must have been operating for at least five years, and it must not have been acquired in the last five years by people selected under the Entrepreneur Program.
• Net worth of at least C$600,000 (acquisition in progress profile), or C$300,000 if you have lived in Quebec for at least two years and already acquired the business (acquired company profile).
• You must take control of the business alone or with your spouse. Other business partners cannot apply as entrepreneurs and cannot control the business.
• Minimum takeover spending: C$300,000 in the Montreal Metropolitan Community, or C$150,000 elsewhere.
• A business transfer support organization must provide a service offer (Offre de service en repreneuriat), and you submit a takeover plan on Quebec's template.
• In the acquisition in progress profile, you must make a takeover bid within two years after you submit your application, in line with your plan.

Quebec says you can apply to any stream at any time, with no maximum number of applications. Applications are sent on paper by mail with Quebec's forms (in French), a narrative document written using Quebec's guide, your business or takeover plan, supporting documents, and the fee.

Fees as of January 1, 2026 (adjusted each January 1):

Check Quebec's application page for the current amount for each dependent child and for accepted payment methods. Fees are not refunded if your application is rejected. Federal work permit and permanent residence fees are extra.

Get independent legal and financial advice before you buy a business or sign agreements. For complex cases, speak with a lawyer or licensed consultant.

• Quebec Investor Program: passive investment for people with at least C$2 million.
• Quebec Self-Employed Worker Program: for people who work for themselves in a profession or trade.
• Outside Quebec: the federal Start-Up Visa closed to new applicants at the end of 2025. Provincial options include the Nova Scotia Entrepreneur stream, the New Brunswick Business Immigration stream, and the Newfoundland and Labrador International Entrepreneur category.