Immigrating to Quebec: how Quebec selection and the CSQ work

Quebec has a special immigration agreement with Canada, the Canada–Quebec Accord of February 5, 1991. Under the Accord, Quebec has sole responsibility for selecting immigrants who will live in Quebec, and Canada has sole responsibility for admitting them. Section 9 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) gives this effect in federal law: a person who meets Quebec's selection criteria is granted permanent residence unless they are inadmissible, and a person who does not meet them cannot be.

In practice there are two stages. First, Quebec's immigration ministry decides whether to select you and issues a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, CSQ). Second, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) checks your medical, security and criminal admissibility and decides your permanent residence application. The ministry was renamed on October 22, 2026: it is now the Ministère de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration (MII). It was previously the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI), and many forms and pages still use the old name.

In 2026 the main route for skilled workers is the Skilled Worker Selection Program (Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, PSTQ). It replaced the Regular Skilled Worker Program (PRTQ) on November 29, 2024. The Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l'expérience québécoise, PEQ) ended on November 19, 2025, was reopened for a limited intake from July 2 to October 31, 2026, and is closed to new applications today.

Likely a good fit if:

• You want to settle and work in Quebec for the long term.
• You speak French, or can reach the levels Quebec requires, such as oral level 7 and written level 5 for most skilled jobs.
• You already live, study or work in Quebec. Every PSTQ invitation round Quebec published for Streams 1, 2 and 3 from January to September 2026 targeted people staying in Quebec.
• You hold a Quebec diploma or have Quebec work experience, which earn points in the PSTQ.
• Your spouse or partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Quebec and can sponsor you.

Look at other options if:

• You plan to live in another province. Use Express Entry or a provincial nominee program instead.
• You do not speak French and cannot reach the required levels in a reasonable time.
• You live abroad with no Quebec ties. Recent PSTQ invitations have mostly gone to people already in Quebec, so waiting times are uncertain.
• You were counting on the PEQ. It is not accepting new applications, and Quebec has not decided whether there will be another intake period.

Read next: for federal routes outside Quebec, see the Express Entry and Provincial Nominee Program pages. For temporary stays, see the study and work permit pages. For the federal sponsorship rules that also apply in Quebec, see the family sponsorship page.

All four PSTQ streams share general conditions. You must be 18 or older and intend to settle in Quebec to work in a job you are able to do. The job cannot be for a company you control, and it cannot be in an ineligible sector such as payday loans, cheque cashing, pawnbroking or the sex industry. You must also sign a Financial Self-Sufficiency Contract showing you can support yourself and your family for three months after becoming a permanent resident. You and each accompanying family member aged 18 or over must obtain the Attestation of learning about democratic values and Quebec values (Attestation d'apprentissage des valeurs démocratiques et des valeurs québécoises).

Your stream depends on the main occupation you declare, its National Occupational Classification (NOC) code and its TEER category (training, education, experience and responsibilities; FEER in French).

• Education: Stream 1 needs a diploma from a program of at least one year full time that leads to a trade or profession. Stream 2 needs at least a high school diploma or a one-year vocational or college diploma.
• Stream 3 holders of an invitation have one year to obtain proof from the regulatory body, such as a licence or a full or partial recognition of equivalence dated within five years.
• Stream 4 needs an achievement on the ministry's list of achievements, or a positive opinion from a ministry partner in a strategic economic sector, research, the arts or sports.
• French is measured on the Quebec French proficiency scale (Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français). Test results must be from the last two years.

You start by filing an expression of interest in Arrima, the ministry's online platform. It is free, you can file at any time, and you must submit it within 90 days of creating it. It stays valid for 12 months. If you are not invited in that time it expires, and you can file a new one. Keep it up to date, especially your main occupation.

The ministry runs invitation rounds stream by stream in three steps. First it filters profiles by the stream's minimum criteria (occupation, experience, education, French). Next it may target a profile, for example people staying in Quebec, people with a Quebec diploma, or listed occupations in priority sectors such as health, education, construction or manufacturing. Finally it invites the highest-scoring profiles until it reaches the number it chose. There is no random selection.

• Scoring factors include French, age, work experience, education, labour market needs, a Quebec diploma, Quebec work experience, time spent outside the Montreal metropolitan area (CMM), a validated job offer and your spouse's profile.
• Quebec published its invitation criteria and scoring grid in the Gazette officielle du Québec on July 2, 2025.
• A high score is only one criterion. Minimum scores change from round to round and cannot be compared between streams.
• From January to June 2026, each round invited about 2,500 people across the four streams. From July to September 2026, while the PEQ was open, rounds were much smaller, about 500 people each. The latest round listed on Quebec.ca on November 3, 2026 was September 24, 2026.

1. 1

   1. Check your stream and French level

   Find the NOC code of your main occupation and its PSTQ stream. Take a French test accepted by the ministry if you have not done so in the last two years.

2. 2

   2. File an expression of interest in Arrima

   Create an Arrima account and complete your profile within 90 days. It stays in the bank for 12 months. You may agree to let Quebec employers see your profile.

3. 3

   3. Respond to an invitation within 30 days

   Invitations arrive in your Arrima message centre. Accept or decline within 30 days. If you do not respond, your expression of interest is cancelled.

4. 4

   4. Submit your permanent selection application

   You have 60 days from accepting the invitation to apply with your documents and fees. In Stream 3, if you do not yet have recognition from your regulator, you have one year. Documents must be in French or English, or come with a recognized translation.

5. 5

   5. Complete the values attestation and any interview

   After you apply, the ministry asks you and adult family members to obtain the Attestation of learning about democratic values and Quebec values within 60 days. You may be called to an interview.

6. 6

   6. Receive your CSQ or a notice

   If you meet all conditions, the ministry issues CSQs for you and your family. If not, you receive an intention to refuse or reject, and you must answer within the deadline given.

7. 7

   7. Apply to IRCC for permanent residence

   Apply online as a Quebec-selected skilled worker, with police certificates and the Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec (IMM 0008 Schedule 5). IRCC then requests biometrics and medical exams and makes the final decision.

Quebec ended the PEQ on November 19, 2025, making the PSTQ the only selection route for skilled workers. On June 10, 2026, it announced that the PEQ would reopen for two years, from July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028, with intake in set periods. The first period ran from July 2 to October 31, 2026, with no cap on applications.

• To apply in that period, Quebec graduates needed an eligible Quebec diploma (for example a bachelor's, master's or doctorate, a technical DEC or a DEP of at least 1,800 hours) obtained by November 19, 2025.
• Temporary foreign workers needed at least two years of Quebec work experience in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation by November 19, 2025.
• French requirements stayed: oral level 7 and written level 5 for graduates, and oral level 7 for workers.
• Quebec said the earlier six-month processing commitment does not apply to these applications.

Quebec runs its own business immigration programs. On November 3, 2026, Quebec.ca says applications to all three are accepted at any time, with no maximum number. Each requires oral French at level 7 or higher on the Quebec scale, and you must show that your net assets were obtained legally.

• Investor Program: at least two years of management experience in the last five years and net assets of at least $2,000,000. Through an approved financial intermediary, you make a five-year investment of $1,000,000 (repaid without interest) and a $200,000 financial contribution. After a notice of intention to select, you get a work permit and must stay in Quebec for at least 12 months within two years.
• Entrepreneur Program: three streams, for an innovative business with a specialized support organization, a business startup, or a business takeover. The startup and takeover streams require net assets of at least $600,000 ($300,000 for some people who have lived in Quebec for at least two years and already started or acquired the business).
• Self-Employed Worker Program: at least two years of self-employed experience in your profession in the last five years and net assets of at least $100,000. Real estate activities are not eligible.

For many temporary stays, Quebec must agree first. You then apply to IRCC for the permit. The Quebec document is the Quebec Acceptance Certificate (Certificat d'acceptation du Québec, CAQ).

• Study: for a program longer than six months you need a CAQ for studies and a federal study permit. You must be admitted to a designated learning institution, apply to Quebec as soon as you have your letter of admission, and apply to IRCC once your CAQ is issued. Some people are exempt, for example for programs of six months or less.
• Study caps: from December 17, 2025 to December 16, 2027, Quebec limits the number of CAQ applications each school, school service centre or school board can receive for vocational, college and university studies. Once a school reaches its limit, you cannot apply unless you qualify for an exemption.
• Work through an LMIA: under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program you need a written contract with a Quebec employer whose job offer went through a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), a CAQ and a federal work permit.
• Work without an LMIA: under the International Mobility Program you do not apply for a CAQ.
• French for long-term workers: people applying for a CAQ under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program after three years of work in Quebec must have oral French at level 4. Quebec will check this for applications sent from December 17, 2028. Agricultural workers and some others are exempt.

To get a CAQ for studies, you must show you can pay tuition, round-trip transportation and basic living costs, and keep health insurance for your whole stay. The amounts for basic needs are in the costs section below.

If you live in Quebec and sponsor a family member, you deal with both governments. First you apply to IRCC, which decides whether you are eligible to sponsor. Only after IRCC tells you to continue do you send an undertaking application to Quebec. IRCC warns that Quebec will not process an undertaking sent before IRCC's confirmation. Quebec then reviews your undertaking and issues a CSQ, and IRCC decides permanent residence.

• You must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, at least 18, and live in Quebec. A citizen living abroad may apply but must undertake to live in Quebec when the sponsored person becomes a permanent resident.
• An undertaking for a spouse, common-law or conjugal partner lasts three years. You stay bound even if you separate, your finances worsen or you move to another province.
• From July 2, 2026 to June 30, 2028, Quebec will accept at most 15,700 undertaking applications: 13,300 for spouses and partners and 2,400 for parents, grandparents and other relatives.
• You can submit only from the date set in Quebec's intake schedule, which depends on the date of your IRCC eligibility letter or acknowledgment of receipt. Early applications are returned.
• Dependent children, children being adopted and orphaned minor relatives are exempt from the cap and the schedule.
• IRCC has paused its Parents and Grandparents Program and is not inviting new sponsors, so new parent and grandparent sponsorships cannot start at the federal stage for now.

Quebec sets its own yearly immigration levels. Its plan for 2026, tabled on November 6, 2025, is part of a 2026–2029 plan that aims for about 45,000 new permanent residents a year.

You do not need a representative for Quebec. The ministry says you will not get priority or special treatment by using one, and the Arrima expression of interest is free. If you do pay someone, Quebec allows only these people to represent you: a lawyer of the Barreau du Québec, a notary of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, a person with special authorization from one of those bodies, or an immigration consultant recognized by the ministry and listed in the Quebec register of immigration consultants (Registre québécois des consultants en immigration). You must declare your representative to the ministry, or your application could be rejected.

Tuition and round-trip travel are on top of these amounts. PSTQ processing: on October 13, 2026, the ministry said it was reviewing permanent selection applications received in February and March 2026, and that since May 13, 2026 it has prioritized temporary foreign workers whose work permits are expired or about to expire. For a CAQ for studies, the ministry decides 80% of complete applications within 25 business days. Federal processing times for Quebec family sponsorship appear below, from IRCC's live data.

• False or misleading information: Quebec can cancel an invitation or refuse or reject the application, and can reject your later applications for five years. At the federal stage, misrepresentation makes you inadmissible under IRPA section 40.
• Missing or improper documents: if documents are incomplete or in the wrong format, you get 60 days to fix them, and after that the application is rejected.
• No answer to an intention to refuse or reject, or a missed interview: if you do not reply within the deadline, the application is refused or rejected.
• Values attestation not obtained within 60 days of the ministry's request.
• Changing your main occupation after an invitation: your application is assessed on the occupation you declared when invited, so you must decline and wait for a new invitation instead.
• Stream 3 recognition refused: if the regulator refuses to recognize your qualifications, you do not meet a Stream 3 requirement.
• French below the required level, or test results older than two years.
• Federal inadmissibility: even with a CSQ, IRCC refuses permanent residence for medical, criminal or security reasons, or if you do not intend to live in Quebec.
• For family undertakings: sending the undertaking before IRCC confirms your eligibility, or before your date in Quebec's intake schedule.

In some cases you can ask Quebec for an administrative review of a refusal or rejection. Quebec also has a discretionary power to select someone who does not meet every criterion, but it says this power is used only in exceptional cases.

• Apply to IRCC for permanent residence online. IRCC says your CSQ stays valid until it decides your application, even if the CSQ has expired, and Quebec no longer renews CSQs.
• If you work in Quebec and have not yet applied for permanent residence, you may apply for an LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permit, with no CAQ needed.
• If you have applied and received IRCC's acknowledgment of receipt, you may apply for a bridging open work permit.
• Quebec no longer sends invitation letters for the International Mobility Program Plus (IMP+) open work permit to CSQ holders outside Quebec. IRCC processes IMP+ only for invitation letters issued before January 16, 2025.
• After you become a permanent resident, get a permanent Social Insurance Number and a new Quebec health insurance card from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). Coverage may start only after three months, so private insurance is wise.
• A foreign driver's licence can be used for at most six months after you become a permanent resident. You then need a Quebec licence.
• You can register with Accompagnement Québec, the government's integration service, and with French courses.