Quebec Immigration
Quebec is the largest province in Canada out of the thirteen provinces in terms of landmass. Even though Quebec is the Canada’s second-most populated province, it is unpopulated and is unlike anywhere else on the continent. After playing a large role shaping the Canadian history, Quebec still brings influence on Canada’s culture, politics and economy.
Majority of the populations consists of French-Canadians who are descendants of 17th century French settlers. Quebec is the only French-speaking region of North America and for centuries, Quebecers have fought hard to preserve their unique language and culture.
Regular Skilled Worker Program
Unlike the Federal Skilled Worker Program Quebec does not have a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), but the province has set its own requirements for immigrants who want to migrate to Quebec to work and live.
Skilled workers who meet the criteria for age, education, work experience, language skills in French and English may be eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residency through the Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP).
To apply, applicants must apply in the following steps:
- Submit Expression of Interest (EOI) through Arrima
– EOI is valid for 12 months from the date of submission. If you have not been invited and your EOI has been expired, you will need to submit a new one. - If you have been selected, you will receive the confidential information to access the permanent selection application form in your Arrima message
– You will have 60 days to submit your application and pay the processing fees from the date you have received the invitation. - Apply to the Government of Quebec for a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de selection du Québec (CSQ)) once your application has been approved.
– CSQ is valid for two years and cannot be renewed. If your CSQ expires while your application for permanent residence is being process, it will not impact your application. - Once you have obtained the CSQ, apply to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) for permanent residence
Points
Permanent selection application will be reviewed according to the Selection Grid for the RSWP. In order to be selected, a single applicant must score at least 43 points on the employability factors and 50 points total in the Quebec points calculator or minimum 52 points on the employability factors and 59 points in total if partner is accompanying:
| Factors | Points – Without Partner (Single) | Points – With Partner |
| Education (14 points) /Training (12 points) | 26 | 26 |
| Work Experience | 8 | 8 |
| Age | 16 | 16 |
| Language Proficiency | 22 | 22 |
| Connection to Quebec | 8 | 8 |
| Characteristics of your Partner | 17 | 17 |
| Valid Job Offer | 14 | 14 |
| Employability Eligibility Score | 43 | 52 |
| Children | 8 | 8 |
| Capacity for Financial Self-Sufficiency | 1 (mandatory) | 1 (mandatory) |
| PASS MARK | 50 | 59 |
Selection Grid
Selection Grid has nine factors with different criteria for assessment:
-
Factor 1 – Education/Training
Level of Education
You must have completed at least a Diploma that is equivalent to general or vocation high-school studies in Quebec. Diplomas obtained outside Quebec are assessed according to their equivalence with the Quebec education system. Points are awarded according to your level of education in Quebec.
Area of Training
The assessment of your training will be based on the List of Areas of Training (in French). This list contains programs of study which are worth points in the Selection Grid and are demand in Quebec’s labour market. Points are awarded based on the qualifications most in demand in Quebec’s market, job prospects in Quebec, requirements for practising the occupations in question and the type of Diploma (whether it is a Quebec or foreign Diploma).
Your training must be like the one of the areas of training shown on the list. If your Diploma is not included or if it in the “0 points” section, you will not be able to claim points.
-
Factor 2 – Work Experience
This criterion will be based on the duration of your employment. Your experience must have been a paid job (full-time, part-time) acquired in the last 5 years and your occupation must be in a category ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ occupation as defined by the National Occupational Classification (NOC). You can also claim work internship experience if it was completed to obtain a Diploma (full-time, part-time).
-
Factor 3 – Age
You must be between the age of 18 and 42 years old to obtain points.
-
Factor 4 – Language Proficiency
To be able to claim points for your knowledge of French and English, you must present attestations of the test results or Diplomas recognised by the Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Inclusion, even if the language is your native language. The results must be dated within two years of the date you have submitted your application.
If you do not wish to submit test results or Diplomas for your knowledge of French or English, you must specify this in your permanent selection application form.
French
For French, your knowledge must be at minimum level 7 (advanced intermediate) of the Échelle Québécoise des niveaux de competence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes.
You must submit attestations of test results or Diplomas recognised by the Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration. These are:
- Test d’évaluation du français adapté pour le Québec (TEFAQ), Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris île-de-France (CCIP-IDF)
- Test de connaissance du français pour le Québec (TCF-Québec), France Éducation international
- Test d’évaluation du français (TEF), CCIP-IDF
- Test d’évaluation du français pour le Canada (TEF Canada), CCIP-IDF
- Test de connaissance du français (TCF), France Éducation international
- Diplôme d’études en langue française (DELF), France Éducation international
- Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF), France Éducation international
English
For English, your knowledge must be at minimum level 5 (intermediate) of the Canadian Language Benchmarks.
You must submit your results from the test recognised by the Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration, International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Note: No points will be awarded for spouse’s knowledge of English.
-
Factor 5 – Connection to Quebec (Stays and Family in Quebec)
Stay in Quebec
If you have stayed in Quebec for work, study or tourism for minimum of two weeks in the last ten years, you may be able obtain points. The criterion is assessed on the nature of the stay, length of the stay and the date that you came to Quebec.
Family in Quebec
If you have one or more family members who are Canadian citizenship or holds a permanent resident and resides in Quebec, you can claim points. The recognised family relations are spouse (or common-law partner), child, parent, sibling and grandparent.
-
Factor 6 – Characteristics of your Partner (Accompanying Factors of Your Spouse or Common-Law Partner)
Accompanying spouse or common-law partner can also make claims on the Selection Grid (Level of Education, Area of Training, Age and Language Proficiency), except for the language proficiency where only oral French (comprehension and expression) is assessed to obtain points.
-
Fact 7 – Valid Job Offer
If you or your accompanying partner have received a permanent job offer in Quebec that meets certain conditions, the Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration will valid the job offer. Employer can do this by submitting a validation application (in French).
Once your job offer has been validated, you can be awarded points for the permanent job offer in the Selection Grid, particularly if the post is outside the Montreal Metropolitan Community (MMC). The number of points will depend on the job location criteria (whether the job is inside or outside the MMC).
-
Fact 8 – Children (Accompanying Family Members)
The criteria will be assessed based on the age, number of your dependent children, number of your accompanying partner’s dependent children. If a Canadian citizen dependent child is accompanying, they will be assessed too.
-
Fact 9 – Capacity for Financial Self-Sufficiency
Financial Self-Sufficiency Contract – Skilled Workers, Entrepreneurs and Self-Employed Workers are required to be signed when you submit your application. By signing, you agree to provide for your needs and your accompanying family member’s needs for at least the first three months following your arrival in Quebec.
From 01 January 2021 to 31 December 2021, below are the amounts that you must have at your disposal. The amount varies according to the number dependent people accompanying you:
| Number of Accompanying Children Under 18 | One Adult | Two Adults |
| 0 | CAD$3,284 | CAD$4,816 |
| 1 | CAD$4,413 | CAD$5,395 |
| 2 | CAD$4,981 | CAD$5,822 |
| 3 | CAD$5,549 | CAD$6,251 |
*Add CAD$1,531 per dependent child that is 18 years old or older
Selection Interview
Immigration counsellor may invite you for an interview to verify the information provided in your application for permanent selection.
When invited, you will receive a notice specifying the:
- Date of interview
- Location of the interview
- Time of the interview
- List of documents to bring
Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration may also conduct additional verification.
Quebec Experience Program
The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), also known as the Programme de l’expérience Québécoise, is for temporary foreign workers or international students who completed a qualification from an eligible Quebec institution. This program will allow applicants to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate and migrate to Quebec.
Temporary Foreign Workers
To be eligible for this program, you must be 18 years of age older, legally in Quebec as a temporary foreign worker or under a youth exchange program including Working Holiday, Young Professionals and International Co-Op Internship for at least 24 of the 36 months before you submit the application. Occupation must be at level ‘0’, ‘A’ or ‘B’ of the NOC and be a full-time remunerated position (minimum of 30 hours of paid work a week). No part-time work period can be considered for eligibility for the PEQ.
In relation to language requirement, you must have a knowledge of oral French equivalent to Level 7 on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes.
Accompanying Spouse
Under certain conditions, accompanying spouse may obtain an open work permit to work. If an accompanying spouse has a work permit, the spouse can also apply as part for the PEQ as a principal applicant.
Selection Interview
Immigration counsellor may invite you for an interview to verify the information provided in your application for permanent selection.
When invited, you will receive a notice specifying the:
- Date of interview
- Location of the interview
- Time of the interview
- List of documents to bring
Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration may also conduct additional verification.
Quebec Graduates
For this stream, you must be 18 years of age older, legally in Quebec at the time of application and intend to settle in Quebec to hold a job. Same with the Temporary Foreign Works stream, you must have a knowledge of oral French equivalent to Level 7 on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes. You also must prove that you have stayed in Quebec for at least half the duration of your study program.
For qualification, in the last 36 months you must have completed a full-time Diploma at an education institution. Eligible Diplomas are:
- Bachelor’s degree (university undergraduate)
- Master’s degree (including a Master of Business Administration degree)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Diploma of college studies, technical training (DCS)
- Diploma of vocational studies (DVS) attesting to 1,800 hours or more of study
- Diploma of vocational studies (DVS) followed by an Attestation of vocational specialisation (AVS) of 1,800 hours or more of continuing education leading to a given trade
Work Experience
If you have obtained a DVS of 1,800 hours or more of training, alone or with an AVS, you must have obtained work experience of at least 18 months after the end of your study program and the job must be full-time at NOC level ‘0’, ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’.
You must also hold a full-time job at NOC level ‘0’, ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’ at the time of application submission. If your job level is at ‘0’, ‘A’ or ‘B’, it does not have to be related to your study program, but if your job is level ‘C’, it must be related to the DVS you obtained in Quebec.
For all other PEQ-eligible Diplomas, you must have gained full-time paid work experience after completing your study program of at least 12 months in a job at NOC level ‘0’, ‘A’ or ‘B’.
You must also hold a full-time job at the same NOC level ‘0’, ‘A’ or ‘B’ at the time of application submission and this job does not have to be related to your study.
To have your mandatory internship recognised, you must have received a work permit issued by IRCC. For a full-time internship, your experience may be recognised for a maximum of three months and for part-time internship, the recognised period corresponds to its full-time equivalent.
You will not be eligible for the PEQ if:
- You have a bursary with a return to your country clause, unless you have already fulfilled this condition
- You have started a new study in Quebec
- You have stayed in Quebec for less than half the duration of your study
Obtaining or Renewing Your Work Permit
You may obtain a post-graduation work permit from IRCC to hold a job after graduation. This permit will allow you to work for different employers.
You can also be hired by a Quebec employer and obtain a work permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
Accompanying Spouse
Under certain conditions, accompanying spouse may obtain an open work permit to work. If an accompanying spouse has a work permit, the spouse can also apply as part for the PEQ as a principal applicant.
Selection Interview
Immigration counsellor may invite you for an interview to verify the information provided in your application for permanent selection.
When invited, you will receive a notice specifying the:
- Date of interview
- Location of the interview
- Time of the interview
- List of documents to bring
Ministére de I’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration may also conduct additional verification.
*Transitional Measures in the Wake of Regulatory Changes in 2020*
New conditions came into effect on 22 July 2020. The following transitional measures apply:
If you had successfully completed an advanced intermediate course, were in the process of completing it, or were already registered for it on 01 July 2020, you may submit an attestation of successful completion of this course as proof of your French proficiency.
As of 22 July 2021, spouses included in a PEQ application will be required to have level 4 spoken French. Your spouse will not have to demonstrate knowledge of French if you are applying under the temporary foreign workers stream and had a valid work permit on 21 July 2020, regardless of when the application was submitted.
Kunal Thakur
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant R#519955
Kunal Thakur is a passionate Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC), holding close to two decades of immigration experience, during which he has successfully guided thousands of immigrants in their immigration journey. He is quick in responding to client queries and would always give his clients the right advice. Kunal also brings immense value in all his talks and discourses on immigration and when not in front of his laptop reading and analysing client cases he could be seen exploring new places and trying new things. Kunal is currently based in Adelaide, Australia. You can book a time with him here.
RCIC: R519955