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Quebec — Entrepreneur Program: how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence

Business

Quebec entrepreneur selection — three volets, not a points test

Programme des entrepreneurs, three volets: Entreprise innovante, Démarrage d'entreprise, Repreneuriat. Conditions-based, not a points test and not Express Entry. Intake is open at any time with no published maximum. Education: DES-equivalent or a one-year full-time DEP/ASP/AEC-equivalent; Quebec diplomas need 600 or 900 hours; an ECE is not required to apply. Volet 1 publishes no net-worth floor and no lawful-origin condition; accompaniment is an innovation organism, not a financial intermediary. Volets 2 and 3 publish 600 000 $ CA or 300 000 $ CA plus lawful origin of funds, and 300 000 $ CA / 150 000 $ CA location-based expenses. Values attestation within 60 days; accompanying spouse 16+ and dependent children 18+. Volet 2: start the business within 2 years of the work permit. Volet 3: acquisition offer within 2 years of the application. Oral French niveau 7; no written floor. A CSQ is not permanent residence. After a CSQ you submit a separate IRCC application; that federal stage has its own medical, security and criminality checks.

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

We tell you when we re-read a route you follow, in the note from that check, with the official link.

Does Quebec — Entrepreneur Program lead to permanent residence?

Residency

Temporary — not a permanent-residence route on its own

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

Do you need a job offer for Quebec — Entrepreneur Program?

Job offer

Not required

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

How much does Quebec — Entrepreneur Program cost to apply for?

Application fee

CAD 1,272

Selection-examination fee from 1 January 2026, adjusted each 1 January: principal 1 272 $; spouse 201 $; each dependent child 201 $. Same figures on all three volet presenter-demande pages. Canadian currency only. Not refundable.

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

How long does Quebec — Entrepreneur Program take to process?

Processing time

No duration published; the authority points to a guidance tool

Open the authority's page for this fact

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

What does ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration actually require?

Quoted from the pages named beside each rule, not paraphrased.

Age

Vous devez être âgé d’au moins 18 ans au moment de la présentation de la demande.

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

Language

Connaissance du français à l’oral correspondant minimalement au niveau 7 selon l’Échelle québécoise, on all three volets. No written floor is published. That differs from PSTQ Volet 1 invitation criteria (oral 7+ and written 5+).

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

Education

High school

Same published diploma rule on all three volet conditions pages. ECE not required to apply.

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

What ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration does not publish

We checked for each of these and the page carried no figure. The absence is recorded with the reason, so this page states nothing the authority does not.

How it works

  1. 1You can apply at any time. There is no published maximum number of applications.
  2. 2Hold a DES-equivalent or a one-year DEP/ASP/AEC-equivalent. An ECE is not required to apply.
  3. 3Choose a volet: Entreprise innovante (no published net-worth floor; innovation accompaniment organism), Démarrage d'entreprise, or Repreneuriat (takeover accompaniment organism).
  4. 4Volets 2 and 3 require lawful origin of net worth, including for an included spouse. Values attestation within 60 days; accompanying spouse 16+ and dependent children 18+.
  5. 5A CSQ is not permanent residence. Quebec selection is separate from Express Entry. After a CSQ, apply to IRCC. That federal stage has its own medical, security and criminality checks.

What changed when we last checked this record

Entrepreneur landing (18 April 2024) and all three volet conditions pages (9 July 2025) plus presenter-demande pages (1 January 2026) opened 2026-08-16. Open at any time; no application cap. Volet 1 has no published net worth. Financial-autonomy barème PDF was not opened. A CSQ is not permanent residence.

Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16

Estimate against the official table: Do I meet Québec's investor, entrepreneur or self-employed selection rules?

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