It is very important for you to know your status before taking any steps toward creating a business. If you are not certain about your status or the state of your immigration file, you can get information from Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada by following the steps listed on its website.

Depending on the profession or trade that you practise, you may need a permit to practise from a regulatory agency. This will be the case, for example, if you want to practise a profession governed by a professional corporation or a trade in the construction industry.

For information visit these relevant websites.

Immigration, Diversité et Inclusion Québec

Find out about regulated professions and trades

Find out about professions governed by a professional corporation

Office des professions du Québec

In Canada, the official languages are English and French. In Quebec, the official language is French. The Charte de la langue française (Charter of the French Language), commonly called “Bill 101,” obliges businesses established in Québec to post commercial signs in French. All businesses must also offer services, both spoken and written, in French. Businesses that do not comply with Bill 101 are in violation and liable for a fine.

In Québec, the language of business is French, but businesses can also communicate in one or several other languages. To find out more about French in businesses, the general obligations about the language of work in retail and businesses, and violations, fines, and sanctions, visit the website of the Office québécois de la langue française.

Visit its site

French courses

A number of organizations help immigrants with their steps toward integration and with learning French. Depending on how well they know French, new arrivals can take adapted programs that meet their needs.

The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion offers French courses free of charge adapted to your realities.