Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ): 2026 Guide

Under the Canada–Quebec Accord, Quebec selects the economic immigrants who will live in Quebec, and Canada admits them. Section 9 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act gives this effect: a person who meets Quebec's selection criteria is granted permanent residence unless inadmissible, and a person who does not meet them cannot be. At the federal stage, PSTQ applicants apply to IRCC as Quebec-selected skilled workers, which requires a CSQ.

The PSTQ replaced the Regular Skilled Worker Program (Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés, PRTQ) on November 29, 2024. It is run by Quebec's immigration ministry, called the Ministère de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration (MII) since October 22, 2026. Many Quebec pages and forms still use the former name, Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI).

Streams covering all occupations

4

Validity of an Arrima expression of interest

12 months

To apply after you accept an invitation

60 days

Latest round listed on Quebec.ca

Sept 24, 2026

1. November 29, 2024

   The PSTQ replaces the PRTQ

2. July 2, 2025

   Invitation criteria and scoring published in the Gazette officielle du Québec (erratum July 9, 2025)

3. November 19, 2025

   Quebec ends the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), making the PSTQ the only skilled worker route

4. January to June 2026

   Five rounds of about 2,500 invitations each

5. July 2 to October 31, 2026

   First intake period of the reopened PEQ (announced June 10, 2026); PSTQ rounds shrink to about 500 invitations

6. October 22, 2026

   The ministry is renamed Ministère de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration

The ministry decides your stream from the main occupation you declare in Arrima, its National Occupational Classification (NOC) code and its TEER category (training, education, experience and responsibilities; FEER in French). Your application is examined on the occupation you declared when you were invited, so keep it up to date.

Stream 1: a Quebec diploma must cover at least 900 hours at the secondary vocational or college level, or 30 university credits. Compulsory internships in a degree program can count for up to 3 months of experience, paid or unpaid. You do not need a comparative evaluation for studies done outside Quebec.

Stream 2: experience outside Quebec counts for up to 1 year and can be in the same broad occupational category (the same first NOC digit). A Quebec diploma must be at least 600 hours at the secondary level, 900 hours at college or 30 university credits.

Stream 3: you need an authorization to practise from the Quebec regulatory body, or proof of partial or full recognition of equivalence dated within 5 years of your application. Quebec suggests you wait for an invitation before starting with the regulator: once invited, you have 1 year to get the document. A receipt from the regulator is not proof, and a refusal of recognition means you do not meet the stream.

Stream 4: you need an achievement on the ministry's List of Exceptional Achievements, or a positive opinion from a ministry partner in a strategic economic sector (ministère de l'Économie, de l'Innovation et de l'Énergie), research (Fonds de recherche du Québec), the arts (Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec) or sports (Institut national du sport du Québec).

In every stream you must meet the general requirements, the stream's requirements and the criteria that led to your invitation.

• 18 or olderRequired to file an expression of interest and to apply
• Intention to settle and work in QuebecIn a job you are likely able to do, not on behalf of a company you control directly or indirectly
• Eligible job sectorNot payday loans, cheque cashing or pawnbroking, and not the sex industry
• Financial Self-Sufficiency ContractYou sign a contract showing you can support yourself and your accompanying family for 3 months after becoming permanent residents, using Quebec's current scales
• Values attestationYou and accompanying family members aged 18 or over obtain the Attestation d'apprentissage des valeurs démocratiques et des valeurs québécoises within 60 days of the ministry's request
• Scholarship conditionsYou must respect any condition to return to your country attached to a scholarship for studies in Quebec
• French testA result accepted by the ministry, taken within the last 2 years, on the Quebec French proficiency scale (Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français) or its equivalent

Occupations that require Canadian citizenship or permanent residence, such as police officers and members of the Canadian Armed Forces, are excluded from all invitation rounds.

You file your expression of interest in Arrima, free of charge, and must submit it within 90 days of creating it. It stays valid for 12 months and cannot be extended or renewed; updating it does not extend it. If you are not invited, you can file a new one. You may also let Quebec employers see your profile in the Employer Portal.

1. 1

   Step 1: filter by stream

   The ministry applies each stream's minimum criteria, such as occupation, experience, education and French.

2. 2

   Step 2: target a profile (optional)

   It may add criteria, such as staying in Quebec, holding a Quebec diploma, living outside the Montreal metropolitan area or working in a listed occupation.

3. 3

   Step 3: invite the highest scores

   It invites the top-scoring profiles until it reaches the number it chose. There is no random selection, and minimum scores cannot be compared between streams.

Scored factors include French, age, work experience, education, a labour market diagnosis of your occupation, a Quebec diploma, Quebec work experience, time spent outside the Montreal metropolitan area (CMM), a validated job offer, family in Quebec and your spouse's profile. Quebec's self-evaluation form estimates your score, but a score above a past minimum does not mean you will be invited.

1. 1

   1. Check your stream and French

   Find your NOC code and stream. Take a French test accepted by the ministry if you have none from the last 2 years.

2. 2

   2. File an expression of interest

   Create an Arrima account and submit your profile within 90 days. List all paid jobs and internships from the last 5 years. Your spouse can file a linked profile.

3. 3

   3. Accept the invitation within 30 days

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

4. 4

   4. Apply within 60 days

   Submit your application with documents and fees within 60 days of accepting. In Stream 3 without the regulator's document, you have 1 year. Documents must be in French or English or come with a recognized translation, in colour, in one PDF.

5. 5

   5. Values attestation and any interview

   Obtain the attestation within 60 days of the request. The ministry may call you to an interview to check your information.

6. 6

   6. CSQ or a notice

   If you meet all requirements, you and your family receive CSQs in Arrima. Otherwise you receive an intention to refuse or reject and must answer by the deadline.

7. 7

   7. Apply to IRCC

   Apply online in IRCC's Permanent Residence Portal as a Quebec-selected skilled worker, with police certificates and the Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec (IMM 0008 Schedule 5). Give biometrics within 30 days of IRCC's letter.

Quebec processing: on October 13, 2026, the ministry said it was examining PSTQ applications received in February and March 2026. Processing time counts from receipt of the application, not from the invitation. Since May 13, 2026, it has prioritized temporary foreign workers whose work permits have expired or are about to expire, and it tells them to renew their permit with IRCC if they can. For the federal stage, check IRCC's processing times tool.

After a refusal or rejection, you may, under certain conditions, ask Quebec for an administrative review. Quebec can also select a person who does not meet every criterion under its override power, but it says this power is exceptional and discretionary.

• Apply to IRCC for permanent residence. IRCC says your CSQ stays valid until it decides your application, even if it has expired, and Quebec no longer renews CSQs.
• If you work in Quebec and have not yet applied to IRCC, you may apply for an LMIA-exempt, employer-specific work permit without a CAQ; your employer pays the compliance fee in IRCC's Employer Portal.
• Once IRCC has acknowledged receipt of your permanent residence application, you may apply for a bridging open work permit, with no CAQ needed.
• If you live outside Quebec: Quebec's after-CSQ page (updated November 3, 2026) still says CSQ holders abroad may be eligible for the International Mobility Program Plus (IMP+) open work permit. IRCC says Quebec is no longer sending IMP+ invitation letters to CSQ holders outside Quebec, and that it processes IMP+ work permit applications only with an invitation letter Quebec issued before January 16, 2025. Follow IRCC: without such a letter, you cannot get an IMP+ work permit.
• After you become a permanent resident, get a permanent Social Insurance Number and a new health insurance card from the Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec (RAMQ). Coverage may not start for 3 months, so private insurance may be needed.
• A foreign driver's licence can be used for at most 6 months after you become a permanent resident.
• You can register with Accompagnement Québec, the government's integration service, and take French courses.

You do not need a representative. Quebec says using one gives no priority or special treatment, and the Arrima expression of interest is free. If you pay someone, Quebec allows only 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 Registre québécois des consultants en immigration. You must declare any representative, paid or unpaid, through a representation mandate in Arrima, or your application could be rejected.