Selection system for Quebec Skilled Workers
Skilled Worker applicants who intend to reside in Montreal or in another city or region within the province of Quebec are assessed under a different system than applicants who wish to settle elsewhere in Canada.
Quebec’s introduced an Expression of Interest System in 2018 as part of the province’s efforts to streamline the processing of QSW applications. Under this system, individuals interested in immigrating to the province through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program must first create an Expression of Interest profile using the province’s Arrima portal.
Creating an Expression of Interest profile in the online Arrima portal is free and available to anyone 18 years of age or older. The Arrima portal is available year-round and an Expression of Interest profile can be submitted at any time.
Candidates invited to apply for immigration to Quebec through the QSW must use the secure Mon projet Québec portal in order to submit an application. Mon projet Québec allows candidates to complete their application for a CSQ, make their payment online, follow the status of their application, make changes to their application, and access personal electronic messaging throughout the process.
Quebec Skilled Worker Program Eligibility
Applicants who are successful under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program are issued a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) and can then apply to the Government of Canada for permanent residence. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will conduct a medical and criminal background check as part of its approval process.In order to qualify for a CSQ, you must score enough points under the Quebec Immigration selection factors described below. A single (unmarried) applicant must score at least 50 points based on this system, while an applicant with a spouse or common-law partner must score at least 59 points.
Selection Factors
| Factors | Points |
|---|---|
| Education | Max 14 points (Cutoff Score = 2 points) |
| Area Of Training | Max 12 points |
| Validated Employment Offer | Max 14 points |
| Work Experience | Max 8 points |
| Age | Max 16 points |
| Language Proficiency | Max 22 points |
| Stay And Family In Quebec | Max 8 points |
| Spouse/Common-law partner Characteristics | Max 17 points |
| Presence Of Accompanying Children | Max 8 points |
| Financial Self-Sufficiency | 1 point |
PEQ as an International Student
The Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ) is a popular immigration pathway for foreign students with an eligible degree earned in Quebec and eligible individuals with work experience in Quebec.
Foreign students who have studied in Quebec may be eligible to apply for a CSQ under the PEQ if they:
- show an intention to settle in Quebec to hold a job;
- have stayed temporarily in Quebec for the purposes of study;
- have obtained an eligible degree or diploma from an educational institution recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education within the past 36 months;
- have studied in Quebec for at least 1,800 hours (two years)
- hold a Masters, Bachelors or DEC diploma and have 12 months of work experience in a 0, A, B level job and to hold such a job at the time of application
- hold a DEP and have 18 months of work experience in a 0, A, B or C level job and required to hold such a job at the time of application. Please note that C level work must be related to the degree.
Language requirements
- show a final transcript attesting to the successful completion of at least three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary study completed entirely in French (including the master’s and doctoral theses, if applicable); or
- a final transcript attesting to the successful completion of a study program in Québec completed entirely in French (including the master’s and doctoral theses, if applicable); or
- prove French ability by way of a standardized language test recognized by the Government of Quebec; or
- show that they have satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing their occupation in Quebec.
Spouses of principal applicants under the PEQ will need to demonstrate spoken knowledge of French. This requirement will come into effect on July 22, 2021.
PEQ as a Temporary Foreign Worker
Temporary Foreign Workers in Quebec may be eligible to apply for a CSQ under the PEQ if they:- show an intention to settle in Quebec to hold a job;
- have stayed temporarily in Quebec for the purposes of work;
- have had full-time work experience in Quebec for at least 24 months of the 36 months preceding the submission of an application in a 0, A or B level job;
- have legal status in Quebec as a temporary worker or as part of a youth exchange program, such as International Experience Canada (IEC) (Working Holiday, Young Professionals or International Co-op Internship).
- are employed at the time of the application.
Language requirements
- prove French ability by way of a standardized language test recognized by the Government of Quebec; or
- show a final transcript attesting to the successful completion of at least three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary study completed entirely in French (including the master’s and doctoral theses, if applicable); or
- show that they have satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing their occupation in Quebec.
Spouses of principal applicants under the PEQ will need to demonstrate spoken knowledge of French. This requirement will come into effect on July 22, 2021.