Quebec Investor

Canada’s constitutional laws feature a dual immigration system. Historically, both the Federal government and that of the province of Quebec operated their own passive business investment programs. Following the winding up of the Federal program in June 2014, the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program remains the sole option for business immigrants with a high net worth wishing to secure permanent residence on the basis of a passive investment.

Introduced in 1986, the highly successful Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP) offers qualified high net worth individuals and families worldwide the opportunity to immigrate to Canada through the Province of Quebec. With the recent closure of Canada’s Federal Immigrant Investor program, the exclusive QIIP is the only Canada investor visa of its kind currently available to international business people, and it boasts the exact same investment standards as the former federal program.

Investor Immigration Canada Eligibility

Minimum Net Worth
In order to be admitted into the Quebec Investor Program 2018, foreign investors must have a legally obtained minimum net worth of CAD $1.6 million, either individually or combined with their spouse or partner. Assets that may be included when calculating net worth include real estate, bank accounts, stocks and bonds, as well as pension funds.

Risk-Free Investment
Applicants for Canada investor immigration must sign an agreement stating their intention to make a government guaranteed CAD $800,000 investment in Quebec through a financial intermediary authorized to participate in the QIIP. This prescribed investment in a five-year term note is fully and unconditionally guaranteed by the Government of Quebec, and in accordance with the provisions of the program, the money is returned in full after five years with 0% interest.

Financing Solution
Over the last decade, a significant percentage of the Quebec and Canada Immigrant Investor Program participants have financed their investment in the country. Investors who do not wish to liquidate assets in order to come up with the required C$800,000 can finance the investment through an authorized Canadian financial intermediary for a one-time loan payment of ~$220,000 CAD, which includes all interest and fees.

Quebec Residency
Immigrant Investor Program applicants must intend to settle in Quebec, the largest province in the country by size and second largest by population.

Business Management Experience
The Quebec Canada Investor Program requires primary applicants to have acquired at least two years of full-time business management experience in the past five years. Qualifying business management experience for the purposes of investor immigration to Canada must involve some portion of the management, planning, and control of both the financial side and the human or physical/material resources side of the enterprise or organization.