Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)

A Comparison of the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program vs. the U.S. EB-5 Program

Published 06:37 AM 21 May 2018
Updated 02:52 PM 5 July 2022

Business Immigration by investment

The investor’s program is designed for business people to invest in a country’s economy and contribute to its growth while receiving the temporary and/or permanent resident Visa.

The US and Canada both have immigrant investor programs that lead to permanent residency. The two most popular are the U.S. EB-5 program and the Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP).

Business Immigration to Canada

How can I come to Canada as a business immigrant via the Province of Quebec?

The Quebec Immigrant Investor Program provides qualified business people and their families members with a straightforward path of immigrating to Canada.

Business Immigration to the United States (US)

Immigrant Investor Program via the EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program

Under the USA EB-5 Immigrant Investor Program, investors (and their spouses and unmarried children under 21) are eligible to apply for a green card (permanent residence) if they:

Make the necessary investment in a commercial enterprise in the United States; and
Plan to create or preserve 10 permanent full-time jobs for qualified U.S. workers.

Below is a brief overview of the programs, highlighting their similarities and differences.

Compared: Quebec Investor (QIIP) vs. U.S. EB-5

Programs	QIIP	U.S. EB-5
Net worth requirement	CAD 2,000,000 (USD $1,552,254)	USD $1,000,000+
Minimum Investment	CAD 1,200,000 (USD $931,352) (government guaranteed)	USD $500,000 or USD $1 million
Financing Option	Yes, formal financing available	Program financing not permitted
Investment Recipient	Quebec government	Private regional center
Investment Status	Secured and reimbursed after 5 years	Investment is at risk and reimbursed after 5 years
Investment Due Date	Once application is approved	Once application is submitted and/ or approved
Investment lock-up period	5 years (passive investment bearing no interest)	5 years (passive investment)
Additional Requirement	At least 2 years of business experience	Create 10 permanent jobs for 2 years
Capital Examination (Due Diligence)	On all of the net worth	Only on the amount invested (USD $500,000)
Physical Residency Requirement	730 days throughout the 5 years	1 day every 6 months
Citizenship by Physical Residency	After 3 years of permanent residency in the last 4 years	After 2.5 years in the 5 year period of permanent residency (Green Card)
Permanent Residency Process	Direct (Immediate) Permanent Residency (PR)	Immediate Conditional permanent residency (Green Card) for 2 years then permanent residency (Green Card) if investment is maintained
Place of Residence	Intend to reside in the province of Quebec (Although you are able to live anywhere in Canada)	Anywhere in the U.S.
Family Members Included	Spouse and dependent children under 22 years	Spouse and unmarried children under age 21

Conclusion

Immigrant investor programs are programs designed to attract foreign capital and business people by providing the right of residence and citizenship in return. The reputation of Canada and the United States as target destinations for migration is the reason why the investment immigration programs in both countries are among the world’s most popular.

As one of the well known firms, QICMS is equipped with an extensive network of lawyers , uniquely positioning us to facilitate investment immigration, apart from of which country’s program you eventually prefer.

Interested in QIIP or U.S EB-5 , kindly contact us here to receive further information.

Find out whether you qualify to Canada or US by completing our free on-line evaluation. We will provide you with our evaluation within 1 business days.

EB-5 Reform and Integrity Act of 2022 Highlights

The EB5 Regional Centre program is back

Canada Immigration by investment 2022 to 2024

EB-5 Regional Center Program on pause till March

Calculating citizenship eligibility for PRs

Related Programs

Permanent Residency through Investment in the USA (EB-5)

Permanent Residency through Investment in Canada