Quebec skilled worker immigration: Arrima, the PSTQ and the CSQ.

Quebec selects its own skilled workers

Under the immigration agreement between Canada and Quebec, Quebec chooses its own economic immigrants. Quebec has no Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), and Quebec selection is separate from Express Entry. The route has two separate stages with two separate governments:

Program status in October 2026

Quebec has replaced or ended several programs since 2024. Older websites, including older versions of this one, may still describe programs that no longer accept applications.

General requirements for every PSTQ stream

These conditions come from Quebec's PSTQ requirements page, last updated June 25, 2026.

• Age and intention: you are 18 or older and intend to settle in Quebec to work in a job you do not control. The job must not be in an ineligible sector (payday loans, cheque cashing, pawnbroking, or sex-industry products or services).
• Ability: you are likely able to do the job.
• Invitation criteria: you meet the criteria that led to your invitation.
• Financial self-sufficiency contract: you sign a contract covering yourself and accompanying family members for the three months after you become a permanent resident. The amounts are in a Quebec scale published in French only.
• Democratic and Quebec values attestation: you obtain the attestation of learning about democratic values and Quebec values. Accompanying family members aged 18 or over also need one.
• Scholarship conditions: if a Quebec scholarship carried a return-to-country condition, you have complied with it.

The four PSTQ streams

Quebec assigns the stream from your main occupation and the details in your expression of interest. You cannot choose a stream freely. Occupations are classified with the National Occupational Classification (NOC) and its FEER categories (Quebec's term for TEER).

Details that decide eligibility

• Experience windows. Compulsory internships within a degree count for up to 3 months. In Stream 2, work outside Quebec counts for up to one year and must be in the main occupation or an occupation with the same first digit of the NOC code.
• Diplomas. A diploma must be obtained before you apply. A Quebec diploma needs at least 900 hours (secondary or college) or 30 credits (university) in Stream 1, and at least 600 hours (secondary), 900 hours (college) or 30 credits (university) in Stream 2.
• Stream 3 and the regulator. Fully regulated occupations are regulated in every job. For partly regulated occupations, check whether the job you intend to hold is regulated. If it is not, you wait for a Stream 1 or Stream 2 invitation instead. An acknowledgement of receipt from a regulator is not proof of recognition, and partial or full recognition is not authorization to practise. A refusal of recognition means you cannot qualify under Stream 3. Quebec recommends waiting for your invitation before contacting the regulator.
• Stream 4 proof. Either an achievement on the Ministère's list (no partner opinion needed) or an opinion from a partner, available only if you already work in a strategic economic sector, research, arts or sports. The partners are MEIE, FRQ, CALQ and INS respectively.
• Accompanying spouse. In Streams 1 to 3, the accompanying spouse or common-law partner needs spoken French at level 4 or higher.

French: Quebec scale, proof and spouse requirements

Quebec measures French on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français, which is not the same as the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) or the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC). Use a test result or diploma accepted by Quebec and convert carefully. Our language score converter helps with federal levels but cannot replace Quebec's own conversion table.

French is also scored in Arrima for the principal applicant and for the spouse. English can add information in your profile but does not replace the mandatory French level.

Arrima: the expression of interest

Everything starts with an expression of interest filed in Arrima, Quebec's online system. Filing is free and you do not need a paid representative.

• Deadline to finish. After you create an expression of interest, you have 90 days to submit it or it is deleted.
• Validity. A submitted expression of interest stays valid for 12 months. If you receive no invitation, it becomes invalid. You cannot renew it, but you can create a new one free of charge, and your previous information carries over. Updating your information does not extend the 12 months. You can withdraw it at any time.
• What you declare. Your personal situation, status, education, work experience for the last five years (all paid jobs and internships, including compulsory internships in a degree), language results, accompanying spouse and children (even if they do not accompany you), and any validated job offer. Link your spouse's expression of interest to yours if your spouse files one.
• Employers. In the consent section you may allow Quebec employers to see your profile in the employer portal. This is optional.
• Keep it accurate. You must update the profile if your situation changes. Providing false or misleading information can lead to refusal or rejection of this application and any application in the following five years.

How invitations and scores work

Quebec invites candidates in rounds, separately for each of the four streams. Selection happens in three steps:

1. Stream criteriaQuebec checks your occupation, experience, French and education against your stream.
2. Optional profile criteriaFor a given round, Quebec may add criteria tied to human resources, Quebec's labour needs and integration, or none at all. Examples are the five-digit NOC code, FEER category, location relative to the Montreal metropolitan area, intention to practise a regulated trade, and Quebec work experience.
3. Top scoresQuebec sets a target number of invitations. The highest-scoring candidates who meet the earlier steps receive them. The minimum score for a round is the score of the last person invited. Random selection is not used.

What is scored

• Human capital: French, age, work experience, education.
• Labour market and government priorities: a labour market diagnosis for your occupation, a Quebec diploma, Quebec work experience, time spent outside the Montreal metropolitan area, and a validated job offer in your main occupation. In Stream 3, an authorization to practise or recognized equivalence also counts.
• Integration: for the principal applicant, length of study in Quebec and family members in Quebec. For the spouse, French, age, Quebec work experience, education and a Quebec diploma.

Minimum scores differ widely between rounds and between streams, so comparing them is not meaningful. In the 2026 rounds listed on Quebec's page, Stream 1 minimum scores ranged from roughly 590 to 780 depending on the exercise and its filters, and each recent Stream 1 round (July to September 2026) invited fewer than about 110 candidates in total. These figures describe the past and do not predict future rounds.

Invitation without meeting the criteria

You may ask in writing for an invitation even if you do not meet the criteria, by mail to MIFI with your expression-of-interest number and supporting documents. You must show that your presence would benefit Quebec's prosperity (economic, cultural or social), good French or concrete steps to learn it, and a significant level of social and professional integration. Such a request does not guarantee an invitation. Quebec published the invitation criteria and scoring in the Gazette officielle du Québec on July 2, 2025.

Choosing the right main occupation

From expression of interest to the CSQ: steps and deadlines

1. Confirm your streamIdentify the main NOC, FEER category, whether the job is regulated, and the stream. Collect education, experience, French and spouse-language evidence.
2. File and maintain the Arrima expression of interestSubmit within 90 days of creating it. It stays valid for 12 months.
3. Receive and accept the invitationYou have 30 days from the invitation date to accept it in Arrima. If you do not respond, your expression of interest becomes void and is removed. If you decline, you have the same 30 days to choose whether it stays in the pool.
4. Submit the permanent selection applicationAfter accepting, you have 60 days to apply (Streams 1, 2 and 4, and Stream 3 if you already have proof of recognition). In Stream 3 without proof of recognition you have one year, and Quebec advises starting the recognition steps right away.
5. Quebec reviews the applicationProcessing time starts when MIFI receives the complete application, not on the invitation date. If documents are incomplete or in the wrong format, you have 60 days to resubmit them or the application is rejected. An interview or extra verification may be required. Obtain the values attestation within 60 days of the request.
6. Decision and CSQIf you are selected, you receive a CSQ for you and your family members. Adding or removing a family member after filing is possible; ask MIFI how, because the steps differ before and after the CSQ.
7. Apply to IRCC for permanent residenceSee the federal stage below.

Fees

Fees change each January 1 on the Quebec side. These amounts apply in 2026.

• Quebec fees are paid by credit card in Canadian dollars, in full, through Arrima, by you or a third party. They are non-refundable even if the application is refused or rejected.
• IRCC lists the right of permanent residence fee (RPRF) at $600. It is paid on approval, though IRCC says you may pay it with your application fees to avoid delays.
• Third-party costs are separate: language tests, credential assessments, medical exam, police certificates, translations and, if you apply from inside Canada, biometrics where required (IRCC biometric fee $85 per person, or $170 per family).
• A representative is optional and gives no priority. Quebec states that using an immigration professional does not speed up the file.

Documents for the Quebec application

• Passports and civil-status documents for you and accompanying family members.
• Your Arrima information, updated, with proof of your main occupation: employment letters, contracts and pay evidence covering the experience period.
• Diplomas and, where Quebec asks, transcripts. For regulated professions, the regulator's authorization or recognition document.
• French test results or diplomas accepted by Quebec. Test results are accepted when no more than two years old.
• The financial self-sufficiency contract and the values attestation (and attestations for family members aged 18 or over).
• Translations by a recognized translator for any document not in French or English.

Scan every document in colour and combine them into one PDF as the instructions require. Keep copies of everything. If a required document is unavailable, include an explanatory letter.

Common reasons PSTQ files fail

These are the problems Quebec's own pages warn about. We list them so you can avoid them; they are not a complete list of refusal grounds.

• Missing an invitation deadline: 30 days to accept, then 60 days (or one year in some Stream 3 cases) to apply.
• Choosing the wrong NOC or describing duties that do not match the NOC. Quebec assigns the stream from your declaration.
• Not meeting the stream's French level when the file is assessed, including the spouse's level 4 in Streams 1 to 3.
• Regulator problems in Stream 3: no proof of recognition within the one-year window, or a refusal of recognition.
• Incomplete or poorly formatted documents, or no reply within 60 days when Quebec asks for corrections.
• False, inconsistent or misleading information. It can lead to rejection of the file and of all applications for the next five years.
• Missing a scheduled interview, or not obtaining the values attestation within 60 days.
• An expired or withdrawn expression of interest. It lapses after 12 months and does not renew by itself.

After the CSQ: the federal permanent residence application

1. Apply online to IRCCApplications for Quebec-selected skilled workers are made online in the Permanent Residence Portal. Use instruction guide Q7000. Paper applications are only available as an accommodation, for example for a disability.
2. Complete the formsThe core forms are IMM 0008 (Generic Application Form), IMM 5669 (Schedule A), IMM 5406 (Additional Family Information) and IMM 5562 (Your travels), for you and family members aged 18 or over. Upload IMM 5690 (Document Checklist) and IMM 0008 Schedule 5 (Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec). A representative needs IMM 5476.
3. Upload the CSQ and supporting documentsInclude a scan of the CSQ, identity and civil-status documents, photos, and police certificates for each country where you lived six months or more in a row since age 18. Police certificates are usually valid for one year. Non-English and non-French documents need certified translations.
4. Pay the feesSee the table above. Incomplete applications are rejected and must be corrected and resubmitted.
5. Biometrics and medicalBiometrics are required for applicants aged 14 to 79 and must be given within 30 days of the date on IRCC's letter. A medical exam may be required, and IRCC lists it among the third-party costs.
6. Wait for the decisionIRCC's processing times change; use IRCC's processing times tool. Keep your information current.

Work permits while you wait

• Employer-specific, LMIA-exempt work permit (Quebec). If you already work in Quebec, you can get a work permit tied to an employer and exempt from a labour market impact assessment, with or without a pending application. You do not need a Quebec acceptance certificate (CAQ), but your employer must complete steps in the IRCC Employer Portal and pay the compliance fee.
• Work permit for PSTQ applicants already working in Quebec (public policy, apply by December 31, 2026). If you were invited and filed your permanent selection application with Quebec as principal applicant, and you hold a valid or recently expired employer-specific permit for a Quebec employer, you can get a new permit of up to 12 months with the same employer. The employer submits the offer through the IRCC Employer Portal; no new LMIA, no CAQ and no employer compliance fee are needed. The work permit fee is $155 (plus biometrics where required). Your spouse or common-law partner, if named on your PSTQ application, may get an open work permit (see below).
• Bridging open work permit. If you already filed your permanent residence application and received the acknowledgement of receipt, you may be able to get a bridging open work permit.
• International Mobility Program Plus (IMP+) open work permit for CSQ holders outside Quebec. Quebec no longer sends the invitation letters used for this permit. Candidates who received one before January 16, 2025 are processed under it, and you cannot be living in Quebec when you apply. The work permit fee is $155 plus a $100 open work permit holder fee, and the permit can run up to three years, but not past your passport's expiry.
• Spouses and partners. Since June 5, 2026, IRCC offers open work permits to spouses and common-law partners of eligible temporary foreign workers in Quebec who are named on a PSTQ permanent selection application. The measure builds on a March 13, 2026 public policy and is open until the end of 2026. The spouse must hold valid temporary status or have had status that expired within the last 90 days.

After you become a permanent resident, update your Social Insurance Number, apply to the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ) for a new health card (coverage may lapse for about three months, so arrange private insurance), and obtain a Quebec driver's licence (a foreign licence can be used for up to six months after you gain permanent resident status).

The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ): temporary reopening

The PEQ was abolished on November 19, 2025, and Quebec then announced a temporary reopening. Quebec's pages (updated June 2026) state that the PEQ is open for two years, from July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028, but that applications are received only in defined application periods. The first period is July 2 to October 31, 2026. Quebec says further periods may open after October 31 depending on how many applications it receives, and it processes PEQ and PSTQ files in parallel.

• Conditions that remain. You are 18 or older, you intend to settle and work in Quebec, you commit to the financial self-sufficiency undertaking, you obtain the values attestation within 60 days of the request, and (for graduates) you have complied with any scholarship return condition.
• Change from the old rules. The requirement for graduates to study in French or to have three years of full-time French study has been removed for this reopening.
• How to apply. Online only, through Arrima, with Parts 1 and 2 of the permanent selection application form for your stream, supporting documents scanned in colour, and payment by credit card. Fees from January 1, 2026: $940 principal applicant, $201 spouse or partner, $201 per dependent child (non-refundable).
• Outcome. A CSQ if selected, then the same federal stage as above. Quebec says a notice of intent to refuse or to reject allows you to respond before a final decision.

Readiness checklist

• Main NOC and FEER category confirmed from duties, not job title
• Regulated or not, and the regulator identified if it is regulated
• Experience for your stream documented, with employer letters covering every period
• Qualifying diploma obtained and documented
• French test result or diploma accepted by Quebec, at the level your stream needs (and the spouse's level 4)
• Arrima expression of interest accurate and still within its 12 months
• Passport, civil-status documents and police certificates available
• Money set aside for Quebec and IRCC fees and for third-party costs
• If you have temporary status, the expiry date of your permit and a plan to renew it

Frequently asked questions

Official sources

• Quebec: Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)
• Quebec: PSTQ requirements by stream
• Quebec: Expression of interest in Arrima
• Quebec: Invitation criteria and scoring
• Quebec: 2026 invitations in Arrima
• Quebec: Applying for permanent selection after an invitation
• Quebec: After receiving your CSQ
• Quebec: Applying to the federal government for permanent residence
• Quebec: Regular Skilled Worker Program (replaced)
• Quebec: Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)
• Quebec: Applying under the reopened PEQ (French page, July 2 to October 31, 2026)
• Quebec: Programs for skilled workers (program status)
• Quebec: Immigration Plan 2026
• IRCC: Quebec-selected skilled workers
• IRCC: Quebec-selected skilled workers, how to apply
• IRCC: Open work permit for CSQ holders outside Quebec (IMP+)
• IRCC: Work permits for Quebec skilled workers who applied under the PSTQ
• IRCC: Work permits for spouses of workers in Quebec (June 5, 2026)
• IRCC: Fee list

This page is general information about Canadian immigration law and policy as of the date above. It is not legal advice for your situation. Programs, forms and fees change often; check the official sources before you apply.