Quebec Entrepreneur Program
Applicant must have at least three years' management experience in an licit and profitable agricultural, commercial or industrial business. Unlike the investor immigrant, the entrepreneur is not required to demonstrate a correlation between capital and work experience.
Applicants must have "management experience", which means the exercise of effective full-time responsibility over:
- business planning.
- the direction and control over material resources and finance; and
- in some cases, over human resources other than responsibility for training, apprenticeship, and specialization leading to a diploma.
The applicant is required to create, acquire or manage in Quebec:
- an agricultural business; or
- an industrial or commercial business which will immediately employ at least three Quebec residents (other than the applicant and accompanying dependents) on a full-time and permanent basis.
Alternatively, the applicant may participate as an associate in the management and daily operations of:
- an agricultural business; or
- an industrial or commercial business which will immediately employ at least three Quebec residents (other than the applicant and accompanying dependants) on a full-time and permanent basis.
The applicant requires a "business project" in an identified economic sector, regarding the purchase or creation of a business, or an association with an existing business.
The Quebec Immigration officers will determine whether or not a business project is feasible based on the following criteria:
- the particular industry;
- the market;
- the products or services;
- business strategy;
- organization and planning;
- the business operation;
- the business location;
- the region;
- the financial information;
- the general information in the file; and
- the financial characteristics of the intended economic sector based on the Quebec Investment Guide.
The Quebec immigration officers will assess the ability of the entrepreneur applicant to successfully complete the business project under the rubric "Aptitude to Achieve the Business Project"/
Between 0 and 30 selection points may be scored based on:
- the applicant's understanding of the Quebec market;
- exploration of the market;
- financial resources; and
- feasibility and relevance of the project having regard to the needs of Quebec.
A minimum of 28 points is required for "Personal Qualities", or the application will be refused.
Immigration officials will assess the applicant's understanding of the Quebec business environment.
In order to qualify under the entrepreneur category, the applicant must have at least 18 selection points for the "Aptitude to Achieve the Business Project"; a minimum of 2 selection points for management experience and 4 selection points for work experience; a minimum of 1 selection point for possession of the minimum net worth, and a minimum of 1 selection point for "financial capacity".
Entrepreneur applicants require a minimum of 50 selection points to obtain a Quebec Certificate of Selection. In other words, to qualify an applicant requires 26 selection points, and an additional 24 selection points to obtain a Quebec Certificate of Selection. |
