Quebec is the largest and the only French-speaking province of Canada. Extremely vibrant and multicultural, it is popular for its vast forest landscape, rolling hills and waterways. The economy of the province is highly industrialised, constituted by advanced manufacturing sector for producing a wide array of products for export. Additionally, its commercial capital Montreal contributes to its economic growth with competitive industries including space and aeronautics, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy, transportation and finance. It offers a diverse range of opportunities for foreign nationals and invites them to apply for Canadian permanent residence through Quebec Immigration Program. It is steadily adding a huge number of jobs and also attracting renowned international companies to establish themselves in the province.
Quebec Immigration Program is the Skilled Worker Program. It is designed strategically to identify and invite candidates to work and establish themselves in the province. Foreign nationals who wish to reside in Montreal or any other region in the province can apply for Quebec Immigration Program that works differently then the other Canadian Provincial Nomination Programs. The Skilled workers or international graduates are assessed under a different system which is also known as ‘Regular Skilled Worker Program’, Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) or Quebec Experience Program (QEP).
Quebec’s Expression of Interest System streamlines the application process of QSWP for the Government as well as candidates. The application process for Quebec Skilled Worker Program begins by submitting an Expression of Interest via Quebec’s online portal- Arrima. The immigration process includes the following steps for filling a successful application:
Government of Quebec introduced Arrima Portal which allows the foreign nationals to create Expression of Interest profile. It evaluates the candidates’ capabilities and intent to move to Quebec under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program. The portal is free to access and available to candidates above 18 years of age or older.
Mon Projet Quebec is a safe and secure online immigration application management system introduced by the province. It allows the applicants to submit their application, facilitates online payment and check the application status.
In order to receive a Quebec Selection Certificate, the applicants are required to score enough points based on certain selection factors. Before providing Canadian permanent residence, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducts a check on the medical and criminal record of the applicants in order to go ahead with the process.
| Selection factors and minimum points required | |
|---|---|
| Factors | Points |
| Education | Up to 14 points (Cutoff Score = 2 points) |
| Area Of Training | Up to 12 points |
| Validated Employment Offer | Up to 14 points |
| Work Experience | Up to 8 points |
| Age | Up to 16 points |
| Language Proficiency | Up to 22 points |
| Stay And Family In Quebec | Up to 8 points |
| Spouse/Common-law partner Characteristics | Up to 17 points |
| Presence Of Accompanying Children | Up to 8 points |
| Financial Self-Sufficiency | 1 point |
As part of the mandatory documentation, the result of language proficiency test will also require to be submitted by the applicant.
The processing time of application for Quebec Skilled Worker Program depends on the Canadian Immigration Visa Office. It applies to the federal part once the application for permanent residence has been received. It does not include the time taken for processing the CSQ by the province.
The processing time at the federal stage takes about 15 to 17 months.
The updated processing fee for Quebec Skilled Worker Program as in 2019 is stated below:
| Applicant | Fees |
|---|---|
| Principal Applicant | CAD $798 |
| Spouse, de facto spouse | CAD $171 |
| Each dependent child | CAD $171 |
