The Québec Investor Program is an immigration pathway of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) that offers an opportunity for experienced business individuals to obtain permanent residency in Québec, Canada, through a structured investment. This program is designed to attract investors who can contribute to the province’s economic development and prosperity.
The guide will go through an overview of the program, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
Québec Investor Program – Overview
The Québec Investor Program offers a targeted process for eligible investors to obtain a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), a crucial step toward becoming a permanent resident of Canada.
Established to stimulate economic growth, the program enables qualified investors and their families to settle in Québec, in return for a significant financial investment. The program emphasizes the importance of investors’ managerial experience, financial acumen, and commitment to Québec’s economic landscape.
This program is not aligned with Express Entry, which means that candidates cannot take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of Express Entry.
Québec Investor Program – Eligibility
You can apply to the Québec Investor Program if you satisfy to all the requirements of the program detailed below.
Work Experience
You must have at least two years of management experience in the five years preceding the date of submission of your application.
Your work experience cannot have been gained in one of the ineligible sectors:
- Payday loans, cheque cashing or pawnbroking, or
- Production, distribution or sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products, or services related to the sex industry, such as nude or erotic dancing, escort services or erotic massages.
Net Worth
To be eligible, you must have a net worth of at least $2,000,000 CAD. You must demonstrate the legal origin and accumulation of your net worth.
You can share this net worth with your spouse or common-law partner included in the application. You must also demonstrate the legal origin and accumulation of their net worth, even if their assets are not needed to reach the minimum net worth.
Donations received in the six months preceding the date of submission of your application cannot be included in the your net worth.
Investment Agreement
You must enter into an investment agreement with an eligible financial intermediary based in Québec.
This financial intermediary will make the required investment and financial contribution on your behalf:
- A five-year term investment of $1,000,000 CAD.
- The investment is guaranteed by the Gouvernement du Québec.
- At the end of your investment, your financial intermediary will reimburse the amount of $1,000,000 CAD without interest, within 30 days.
- A financial contribution of $200,000 CAD.
The interest generated by your investment and your financial contribution is paid to the Business Assistance – Immigrant Investor Program (BAIIP) and the Fonds de développement du marché du travail (FDMT).
The investment and financial contribution must be made by the financial intermediary no later than 120 days following the date on which the MIFI requests it. The request comes after the submission of your application and before the issuance by the MIFI of the notice of intent of being selected (see Application Process section below for more details).
Education
You must hold a diploma corresponding, minimally, in Québec, to a secondary school diploma, a vocational studies diploma, an attestation of vocational specialization or a certificate of college studies.
You do not need to provide an Évaluation comparative des études effectuées hors du Québec (ECE – comparative evaluation of studies done outside Québec) of your diploma to submit your application.
You must have obtained your diploma before submitting your application.
Language
You must demonstrate you have a knowledge of spoken French that corresponds to level 7 of the Québec scale of French proficiency levels.
There are two ways to demonstrate your knowledge of French:
Secondary (high) school diploma accepted by the MIFI:
- General, vocational and technological baccalaureates awarded by the French Department of Education,
- Certificate of higher secondary education (CESS) issued by the Government of the French Community of Belgium, or
- Maturité certificate awarded on completion of studies at a school located in a French-speaking canton of Switzerland.
- Language test results or diplomas accepted by the MIFI attesting to your knowledge of French.
Age
At the time your application is submitted, you must be at least 18 years old.
Intention to Settle in Québec
You must intend to reside and invest in Québec.
Québec Residency
This requirement does not need to be met before submitting your application to the MIFI.
After submitting your application and its approval in principle, a Notice of intent of being selected is issued by the MIFI. You will have to apply for a work permit with the Notice.
In the 24 months following the issuance of the work permit, you must complete a stay in Québec of at least 12 months.
- A period of at least 6 months must be completed by you, and
- A period of 6 months can be completed by you or by your spouse or common-law partner.
See Application Process section below for more details.
Québec Investor Program – Application Process
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Québec Investor Program.
Step 1 – Obtaining the notice of intent of being selected:
- Candidates must qualify for the minimum eligibility requirements, except the Québec residency requirement.
- Candidates need to apply by mailing their application to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI), including filled forms, attached supporting documentation, and fee payment.
- No later than 120 days following the date on which the MIFI requests it, your financial intermediary, per your investment agreement with them, must make (i) the five-year term investment of $1,000,000 CAD and (ii) the financial contribution of $200,000 CAD.
- While the application is processed, a request to obtain an attestation of learning about democratic values and the Québec values will be received via Arrima. The principal applicant and members of their family included in the application (spouse aged 16 and over and dependent children aged 18 and over) will then have 60 days to obtain the attestation, either via an online test or by attending an information session if eligible.
- While the application is processed, candidates may be required to complete an interview with an immigration agent of the MIFI to verify, for example, the accuracy of the information provided.
Step 2 – Obtaining the Québec Selection Certificate (CSQ) & Permanent Residence:
- After the MIFI accepts the application, the candidate will be issued an Notice of intent of being selected to apply within 6 months for a Temporary Work Permit to the federal government (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC).
- The candidate will have 2 years from the date of issuance of the Work Permit to satisfy to the Québec residency requirement and submit proof of this to the MIFI to receive the Québec Selection Certificate (CSQ).
- The residency requirement amount to 12 months in total, at least 6 months must be completed by the candidate, and the other 6 months can be completed by the candidate or by their spouse or common-law partner.
- The candidate applies for permanent residence to the federal government (IRCC) after receiving the Québec Selection Certificate (after Québec processes their application). Candidates need to apply online, and include the nomination documentation received from Québec.
Québec Investor Program – Application Fees
Quebec application fees (to MIFI)
- For 2026, the fees for the Québec Investor Program are set by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) at:
- $18,241 CAD for the principal applicant,
- $0 CAD for the spouse/partner, if applicable, and
- $0 CAD for each dependent child, if applicable.
Federal application fees (to IRCC)
- The fees to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are only paid after receipt of the Quebec Selection Certificate and submission of the permanent residence application to IRCC:
- Processing fee:
- $1,810 CAD for the principal applicant,
- $950 CAD for the spouse/partner, if applicable, and
- $260 CAD for each dependent child, if applicable.
- Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF):
- $575 CAD for the principal applicant, and
- $575 CAD for the spouse/partner, if applicable.
- Biometrics fee:
- $85 CAD for one person, or maximum $170 CAD for a family of more than two – You can find more information on Biometrics in this page.
- Processing fee:
Québec Investor Program – Processing Times
Quebec processing times (by MIFI)
- Most applications for permanent selection under the Québec Investor Program are processed by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) of Québec within 6 months.
Federal processing times (by IRCC)
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) does not have a target service standard for the Québec Investor Program.
- You can check the current processing times here. You need to select “Economic immigration”, then “Quebec Business Class”.
Québec Investor Program – Latest News & Data
Québec Investor Program – In-Demand Occupations?
You can find out about the other provinces’ in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
