Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)

The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program is Canada's only passive investment route to permanent residence. You do not start, buy, or manage a business. You place CAD 1.2 million with the Quebec government for five years and, if you meet the other conditions, you and your family become eligible for a Quebec Selection Certificate and later a Canadian permanent resident visa.

QIIP is one path through Quebec's independent immigration system, sitting alongside other economic pathways including the Quebec Skilled Worker Program for applicants selected on points and the Quebec Experience Program for people who already have Quebec study or work experience. Unlike either of those, QIIP has no points grid. Every condition below is pass or fail.

The program reopened on January 1, 2024 with a substantially higher bar than the version that closed in 2019, and it remains the version in force through 2026. This guide covers what the current rules actually require, since a lot of what circulates online still describes the pre-2019 program.

What Is the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)

QIIP is run by the Ministere de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Integration (MIFI) under the Canada Quebec Accord, which gives Quebec its own authority to select economic immigrants separately from the rest of Canada. Successful applicants receive a Certificat de selection du Quebec, commonly called a CSQ, which is the provincial half of a two stage process confirmed by the Government of Canada. Federal permanent residence is a separate application filed with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada afterward.

Two features set QIIP apart from every other Canadian investor or entrepreneur pathway. First, the investment is entirely passive. You are not required to run, staff, or grow a business, and you do not need prior entrepreneurial experience. Second, most of the capital comes back. CAD 1,000,000 of the CAD 1,200,000 total is a five year term deposit returned without interest, not a donation or an at risk equity stake.

Quebec Immigrant Investor Program Eligibility Requirements

All conditions below apply to the principal applicant, drawn from the Gouvernement du Quebec's official investor program conditions. A spouse or common law partner can be included in the application and can contribute toward the net worth threshold, but must independently prove the lawful origin of their own assets.

Net Worth Requirement

You need a net worth of at least CAD 2,000,000, alone or combined with an included spouse. Eligible assets include property, bank accounts, pension funds, and shares. Donations received in the six months before you submit your application do not count toward this figure, and you must document the lawful origin of the full amount, not just the portion above the threshold.

Management Experience Requirement

You need at least two years of management experience within the five years before you submit your application. The role must have involved planning, supervision, and control of financial resources together with either human or material resources, in a commercial, industrial, agricultural, or government setting. Experience gained through payday lending, cheque cashing, or the sex industry does not qualify. Retirees can still qualify if they held a genuine management role within the five year window.

Education Requirement

You need a diploma equivalent to at least a Quebec secondary school diploma, or a completed program of at least one year equivalent to a Quebec vocational or college level credential. Unlike most Quebec economic programs, you do not need a comparative evaluation of a foreign diploma to submit your QIIP application.

French Language Requirement

You need oral French at level 7 on the Echelle quebecoise des niveaux de competence en francais. This must be demonstrated, not simply declared, even for a native French speaker. Quebec accepts results from a short list of approved tests, including the TCF Quebec, TCF Canada, TEFAQ, and DELF or DALF, or specific accepted secondary diplomas such as a French baccalaureat. Test results must be less than two years old when you file, and MIFI may call you for an interview to verify the level you claimed.

Attestation of Quebec Values

Once your file is opened, MIFI sends a request for an attestation confirming you understand democratic values and Quebec values. You have 60 days from that request to complete it, and any accompanying spouse aged 16 or older and dependent children aged 18 or older must complete it as well. This step applies on top of the French requirement and is frequently left out of program summaries written before 2024.

QIIP Investment Amount and Financial Contribution

You do not wire either amount yourself. You sign an agreement with an approved financial intermediary, who makes both payments on your behalf within 120 days of MIFI's formal request, a deadline that is strict and non extendable. A financing arrangement that covers part of the CAD 1,200,000 is available through some intermediaries, which reduces the cash needed up front in exchange for financing costs.

Quebec Immigrant Investor Program Application Fees 2026

MIFI's application review fee for the principal applicant is CAD 18,241, effective January 1, 2026. There is no separate fee for an included spouse or for dependent children, and the fee is not refundable even if the application is rejected. MIFI adjusts this figure every January 1, so confirm the current amount before filing, especially if your application will be submitted close to year end.

Federal fees from IRCC, covering the permanent residence application, right of permanent residence fee, and biometrics, are billed separately at the second stage of the process, once your CSQ has been issued.

How to Apply for the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program

Step 1: Sign an Investment Agreement With a Financial Intermediary

Before you file, you enter into an agreement with a financial intermediary that has a participation agreement with MIFI and Investissement Quebec Immigrants Investisseurs Inc. This intermediary will later execute the investment and contribution on your behalf.

Step 2: Submit Your Application to the Ministere

You mail one complete envelope containing the application for permanent selection, the narrative document required of both you and any included spouse, supporting evidence for each condition above, and full payment of the review fee. Applications can be submitted at any time. There is no intake window and no annual cap to work around.

Step 3: Application Review and French Verification

A MIFI officer reviews your net worth documentation, management experience, education, and French test results. You may be called for an interview specifically to verify the French level you claimed.

Step 4: Receive a Notice of Intent to Select

Once MIFI confirms you meet the conditions, you receive a notice of intent to select. This notice, not a work visa in itself, is what allows you to move to the next step.

Step 5: Apply for a Quebec Work Permit

Within six months of the notice, you and your family apply to the federal government for an open work permit tied to your Quebec investor status. This is the mechanism that lets you enter and reside in Quebec while the file continues.

Step 6: Complete Your Quebec Residency Requirement

Within two years of the work permit being issued, you must complete a stay in Quebec of at least 12 months. You personally must account for at least six of those months, and the remaining six can be completed by you or by your spouse. This residency stage runs before the CSQ is issued, not after, which is the step most third party summaries of QIIP leave out entirely.

Step 7: Receive Your Quebec Selection Certificate

Once you notify MIFI in writing that the residency requirement is complete, and your investment and contribution have been confirmed, you receive your CSQ. For a closer look at what this document does and does not do, see our guide to the Quebec Selection Certificate.

Step 8: Apply to IRCC for Permanent Residence

With the CSQ in hand, you file a separate permanent residence application with IRCC, covering medical exams, security screening, biometrics, and federal fees. IRCC issues the permanent resident visa once this stage clears.

QIIP Processing Time

Processing time is one of the figures that changes most between program years, so treat the following as a general planning range rather than a guarantee. Between the MIFI review, the 120 day investment window, the 12 month Quebec residency requirement, and federal IRCC processing, applicants are generally looking at somewhere between two and three years from filing to permanent resident status as of 2026, with federal processing volumes for Quebec economic files being the biggest source of variation. Confirm current federal timelines against IRCC's own processing time tool before building a plan around a specific number.

Quebec Immigrant Investor Program vs Quebec Entrepreneur Program

The Entrepreneur Program suits applicants who want to actually operate a business in Quebec and are comfortable with a lower up front net worth in exchange for hands on management. QIIP suits applicants who want permanent residence without taking on business risk or a day to day operating role. SEP Immigration can walk you through both if you are not sure which fits your situation.

How SEP Immigration Helps With Quebec Investor Immigration

SEP Immigration reviews your net worth documentation, French test results, and management experience before you approach a financial intermediary, so gaps surface while they are still fixable. We also prepare the narrative document MIFI requires from both the principal applicant and an included spouse.

This article is general information, not legal advice, and program conditions change without notice. Verify current figures against the Gouvernement du Quebec's official investor program pages; this guide reflects conditions confirmed current as of August 2026.