Quebec Immigration Program

The name ‘Quebec’, tracing its roots to an Algonquian word meaning “where the river narrows”, was first used to describe the narrowing of the St Lawrence River near the City of Quebec.

Over the years, Quebec has been referred to by various names at different points in time, such as Canada, New France, Lower Canada, and Canada East.

With the provincial motto of Je me souviens (I remember), Quebec has a rich historical background indeed.

Quebec is the largest of the 10 provinces that make up Canada, second only to Ontario in terms of the total population.

Quebec’s capital – Quebec City – is considered the oldest city in Canada.

Other prominent cities in Quebec province are Montréal, Laval, Terrebonne, Gatineau, Longueuil, Trois-Rivières, Saguenay and Lévis.

With greater autonomy over the selection of newcomers into the province, Quebec is the only Canadian province that is not a part of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP).

To meet the needs and the particular situation of Quebec, the Canada–Québec Accord relates to the –

• Selection of individuals that wish to reside (temporarily or permanently) in Quebec,
• Their admission into Canada,
• Their integration into Quebec society, and
• The determination of levels of immigration to Quebec.

Despite there being no such thing as Quebec PNP, the province does have its own immigration program for the induction of newcomers.

Generally, a 2-step immigration process must be followed by foreign nationals looking at pathways to settling within Quebec.

Basic 2-step Quebec immigration process

STEP 1: The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) selects candidates that it finds to be likeliest to settle in Quebec successfully.

STEP 2: Selected candidates will be issued a Quebec Certificate of Selection (CSQ), attesting the selection of the candidates by the MIFI. This CSQ will be required for filing Canadian permanent residence form with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).

Quebec immigration programs have selection criteria different from that of the other Canadian immigration programs, both at the federal as well as the provincial level.

Quebec Immigration programs

Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP)

Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)

Quebec Immigrant Investor Program (QIIP)

Quebec Entrepreneur Program

Quebec Self-Employed

Validated Job Offer

 

Quebec Skilled Worker Program

Foreign nationals interested in immigrating to Quebec as skilled workers will be required to begin the process with the creation of their Expression of Interest profile through the Arrima Portal.

The Quebec EOI system, managed through the Arrima Portal, includes an evaluation of the candidates as per the Selection Grid for the Regular Skilled Worker Program.

In order to immigrate to Canada and settle within Quebec, an individual will require a Certificat de sélection du Québec or CSQ. Also referred to as a Québec Selection Certificate.

Obtaining a CSQ is a pre-requisite before being able to submit to IRCC for Canadian permanent residence.

Quebec – Invitations through Arrima in February 2022 Total Invitations: 523
Invitation Dates	Number of Invitations issued
February 10, 2022	523

So far, 14 Arrima draws have been held by Quebec. The first Arrima draw was held on July 4, 2019.

All Arrima draws [since the launch of the program in September 2018]
No. of draw	Invitation Dates	Number of Invitations issued
1	July 4, 2019	691
2	July 17, 2019	259
3	August 19, 2019	444
4	September 4, 2019	32
5	September 25, 2019	169
6	October 23, 2019	89
7	October 29, 2019	73
8	December 12, 2019	85
9	December 17, 2019	220
10	January 16, 2020	23
11	June 18, 2020	7
12	September 24, 2020	365
13	December 16, 2020	233
14	January 26, 2021	95
15	March 30, 2021	208
16	April 29, 2021	83
17	May 27, 2021	90
18	June 17, 2021	69
19	August 12, 2021	515
20	August 19, 2021	502
21	August 26, 2021	585
22	September 2, 2021	517
23	October 21, 2021	23
24	November 11, 2021	33

 

Quebec Arimma Draws in 2024

Month	No. of draws	Total no. of Invitations
September	1	1417
August	3	4455
July	1	1560
June	3	4279
May	2	2791
April	2	2,451
March	2	2,493
February	2	2,041
January	1	1,007

 

Total Quebec PNP Draws in 2023 

Month	Number of Invitations issued
December	1,187
November	1,210
October	1,220
September	2,451
August	2,384
July	1,633
June	2,224
May	802
April	1,020
March	2,255
February	2,022
January	0
Total	18,408

 

Y-Axis can help you with

• Qualification / Education Assessment
• Customized checklist of requirements
• Guidance on key requirements
• Filing of an online form to create a profile for Invitation

 

Other PNPs

ALBERTA	MANITOBA	NEWBRUNSWICK	BRITISH COLUMBIA
NOVASCOTIA	ONTARIO	SASKATCHEWAN	DEPENDENT VISA
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND	NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR	NORTHWEST TERRITORIES