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Quebec — Self-employed Worker Program: how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it leads to permanent residence
Business
Quebec self-employed selection — not a points test
Programme des travailleurs autonomes. Conditions-based Quebec selection, 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. Net worth at least 100 000 $ CA with lawful origin and accumulation, including for an included spouse. Start-up deposit 25 000 $ CA outside the CMM or 50 000 $ CA on the CMM, made at a Quebec financial institution when the ministry asks — a few weeks after the file-opening letter. Values attestation within 60 days; accompanying spouse 16+ and dependent children 18+. Two years of self-employed experience in the last five. 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 — Self-employed Worker 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 — Self-employed Worker 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 — Self-employed Worker 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 $. 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 — Self-employed Worker 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.
- Language
Connaissance du français à l’oral correspondant minimalement au niveau 7 selon l’Échelle québécoise. 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
DES-equivalent or one-year full-time DEP/ASP/AEC-equivalent. Quebec diplomas: 600 hours secondary or 900 hours college. ECE not required to apply.
Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16
- Work experience
2 years
Expérience de travail dans votre profession d’au moins deux ans, acquise à votre compte, dans les cinq ans précédant la demande.
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.
Processing time
No fixed processing duration is published on the self-employed pages. The landing page is stored as the guidance URL.
Source: ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration · verified 2026-08-16
How it works
- 1You can apply at any time. There is no published maximum number of applications.
- 2Hold a DES-equivalent or a one-year DEP/ASP/AEC-equivalent. An ECE is not required to apply.
- 3Meet 100 000 $ CA net worth with lawful origin, including for an included spouse, and a 25 000 $ CA or 50 000 $ CA start-up deposit at a Quebec financial institution when the ministry asks.
- 4Values attestation within 60 days; accompanying spouse 16+ and dependent children 18+.
- 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
Self-employed conditions (25 June 2026), presenter-demande (1 January 2026) and after-CSQ (26 November 2025) pages opened 2026-08-16. Open at any time; no application cap. 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?
Other verified Canada routes
- Express Entry — Federal Skilled Worker
- Express Entry — Canadian Experience Class
- Express Entry — Federal Skilled Trades
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)
- Study Permit → PGWP
- Quebec — Skilled Worker Selection (PSTQ)
- Quebec — Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)
- Quebec — Investor Program
- Quebec — Entrepreneur Program
This route on comparison pages
Official sources
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