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Quebec's PSTQ: how skilled worker selection works, from Arrima to the CSQ

Quebec, not IRCC, selects its own skilled workers. Under the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) you file an expression of interest in Arrima (no charge; the later application fee is $940 for the main applicant), may receive an invitation, apply to Quebec for selection, and if selected receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) before applying to IRCC for permanent residence. This guide is information only, read from quebec.ca and canada.ca on 10 October 2026. Check those pages before you act.

Quebec has a special agreement on immigration with the Government of Canada, and the practical result is that Quebec chooses its own economic immigrants. IRCC's page on Quebec-selected skilled workers puts it plainly: "This means you need to apply to Quebec before you apply for permanent residence." So there are two decision-makers, in a fixed order. Quebec's immigration ministry (the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration, or MIFI) decides whether to select you. If it does, it issues a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), and IRCC then decides the permanent residence application.

The program Quebec now uses for most skilled workers is the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, or PSTQ. Quebec's page on skilled worker programs says that the earlier regular program, the PRTQ, "has been replaced by the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ)", and the invitation page dates that change to 29 November 2024. This guide explains how the PSTQ works as Quebec and IRCC describe it, in plain English: the expression of interest, the four streams, the invitation process, the application and its fee, what happens at examination, and the federal step that follows.

This is a page about a Quebec program, so a few notes apply. Quebec selection is run by Quebec, and the authoritative pages are on quebec.ca. This guide is information only. It does not say whether anyone qualifies, does not recommend a stream, and does not predict invitations or scores. Programs like this one open, close and change often, so every figure here is dated, and you should read the Quebec page before relying on it.

Who does what: Quebec first, then IRCC

The sequence is the same for every PSTQ candidate.

  1. Quebec: expression of interest. You file an expression of interest in Arrima, Quebec's online platform.
  2. Quebec: invitation. If your profile matches Quebec's needs, you may be invited to apply for permanent selection.
  3. Quebec: application and decision. You apply to Quebec, pay Quebec's fee and Quebec decides. If you are selected, you receive a CSQ.
  4. IRCC: permanent residence application. IRCC's page says that to apply as a Quebec-selected skilled worker you must hold a Quebec Selection Certificate and submit a complete permanent residence application, including police certificates. IRCC then decides the permanent residence application.

IRCC's "How to apply" page (page date 4 August 2026) adds that applying online is mandatory, through the permanent residence portal. It lists forms completed online (IMM 0008, IMM 5669, IMM 5406 and IMM 5562 for you and family members aged 18 or over) and PDFs to upload, including the document checklist (IMM 5690) and the declaration of intent to reside in Quebec (a schedule to IMM 0008). It says a CSQ stays valid until IRCC makes a decision on your application, even if it has expired, and that MIFI no longer renews CSQs.

Because Quebec runs the selection, Quebec's pages and rules, not federal ones, answer most of the questions people ask about the PSTQ. In particular, Arrima plays the role for Quebec that the Express Entry pool plays for the federal programs elsewhere in Canada. The Express Entry guide explains that federal system, which is a different route from the one in this guide.

Step 1: the expression of interest in Arrima

Quebec's page on the expression of interest says it is filed online at no charge in Arrima and that you can file one at any time. It states: "You do not need the services of a paid person to complete an expression of interest."

What the page says about conditions and validity:

  • To submit, you must be 18 or over, intend to reside and work in Quebec in a job you are capable of doing, intend to work for a company over which you have no control, and intend to work in a sector that is not one of the ineligible sectors listed in the general requirements.
  • The expression of interest is valid for one full year (12 months). If you have not been invited in that time it becomes invalid. You cannot extend or renew it, but you can create a new one at no charge, and the information from the first is transferred. Updating an expression of interest does not extend its validity.
  • You have 90 days from creating it to complete and submit it, or it is deleted.
  • You must list all paid jobs and internships in the last five years, including compulsory internships in a degree program, and give details of an accompanying spouse and of your children, whether or not they are accompanying you. An accompanying spouse can file their own expression of interest, and the two are linked by entering each other's numbers.
  • You can accept that your profile be visible to Quebec companies on an employer portal. This is optional and sits in the "Consent" section.

Documents that may help you complete it include passports, French language results (tests must have been taken within the last two years), a job offer validated by the ministry if you have one, diplomas, employment certificates for the last five years, and for regulated professions an assessment from the regulatory authority. The page says that assessment is not mandatory at the expression-of-interest stage.

Messages come through the Arrima message centre, and the page tells you to check it yourself, including junk mail for the email notices. It also warns about people who pose as government representatives.

The four streams and the general requirements

Quebec's "Requirements that need to be met" page (last update 25 June 2026) says the PSTQ has four streams covering all occupations on the Quebec job market. General requirements apply to all of them, and each stream has its own criteria. The ministry determines the component in which you may be invited, from the main occupation you give in your expression of interest.

General requirements. You must be 18 or older, intend to settle in Quebec to take up employment (not for a company you control, and not in the ineligible areas the page lists), and be likely to be able to do the job. For all four streams you must also: meet the criteria that led to your invitation; show, by signing a Financial Self-Sufficiency Contract, that you can support yourself and any accompanying family members for the three months after becoming a permanent resident; obtain the Attestation d'apprentissage des valeurs démocratiques et des valeurs québécoises (attestation of learning of democratic and Québec values), with family members aged 18 or over also needing one; and comply with any conditions on returning home imposed by a scholarship.

Your main occupation and its FEER category. Quebec uses the National Occupational Classification and a category it calls FEER (training, education, experience and responsibilities), which is the second digit of the five-digit NOC code: 0 management, 1 usually a university degree, and so on to 5, which usually needs a brief demonstration of skills. The occupation you declare decides the stream. If you receive and accept an invitation, your main occupation must stay the same in your application. You do not need to be working in that occupation when you are invited. The NOC and TEER guide explains the federal version of the same idea.

  • Stream 1: Highly qualified and specialized skills. Main occupation in FEER 0, 1 or 2 with no licence required to practise in Quebec; at least one year of full-time or equivalent paid work experience in the main occupation in the five years before applying; a diploma leading directly to a profession from a program of at least one year full-time; and French at oral level 7 and written level 5 on the Échelle québécoise.
  • Stream 2: Intermediate and manual skills. Main occupation in FEER 3, 4 or 5 with no licence required; at least two years of paid work experience in the main occupation including at least one year in Quebec (experience outside Quebec counts for up to one year); at least a secondary school diploma equivalent; and oral French at level 5.
  • Stream 3: Regulated professions. A profession on the ministry's list of regulated professions, and an authorization to practise or proof of partial or full recognition of your training from the regulatory authority, dated no more than five years before applying. The French level follows the FEER category: oral 7 and written 5 for FEER 0 to 2, and oral 5 for FEER 3 to 5. Quebec advises not starting the process with the regulator until you have an invitation, and gives one year from the invitation to obtain the proof.
  • Stream 4: Exceptional talent. Exceptional expertise in your main occupation, at least three years of practice in the five years before applying, and either an achievement on the ministry's list or a positive opinion from a ministry partner in strategic economic sectors, research, arts or sports.

For streams 1 to 3, an accompanying spouse needs oral French at level 4 or higher. The French scale is Quebec's own, and the page links to the documents it accepts as proof.

Step 2: how invitations work

Quebec's invitation page explains the process in unusually clear terms, and it contradicts a few common myths.

Invitations are issued by stream. Quebec says the process has three steps. Step 1 uses criteria that target a stream, based on your main occupation and related information. Step 2 may add criteria that target a specific profile. Step 3 invites the individuals with the highest scores from those selected, until the target number for that profile is reached. In the page's words: "No randomly selected individuals are invited during the invitation process."

Scored criteria include human-capital factors (knowledge of French, age, work experience, education), labour market factors (a labour market diagnosis, a Quebec diploma, Quebec work experience, time spent outside the Montreal metropolitan area, a job offer validated by the ministry) and adaptation factors (time studying in Quebec, family in Quebec, and spouse factors). Some criteria carry no score but can still decide who is invited, such as the occupation code, the FEER category, intention to practise a regulated profession, or a document showing an achievement. Quebec published its decision on invitation criteria and scoring in the Gazette officielle du Québec on 2 July 2025, with an erratum on 9 July 2025.

Two sentences are worth keeping in front of you. "The minimum score required for an invitation is just one of many criteria." And: "Having a score above the minimum score does not guarantee receipt of an invitation." Quebec also says the minimum score may vary from one invitation exercise to another, so comparing scores across streams is not useful. This guide does not predict draws or scores.

If you are invited, you have 30 days from the date of the invitation to accept it in Arrima. You can instead decline it and either keep your expression of interest in the pool or have it removed. If you do not respond within 30 days, the expression of interest becomes null and void and is removed. The page also describes a route to ask for an invitation without the criteria being applied, by letter, where you can show your presence in Quebec contributes to its prosperity. The page says that sending such a request does not guarantee an invitation or selection.

Step 3: the application, the fee and the decision

After you accept an invitation, Quebec's application page sets the deadlines.

  • Streams 1, 2 and 4 (and stream 3 if you already hold proof of recognition): 60 days from the date you accept to submit your application with the required documents and fees.
  • Stream 3 without proof of recognition: one year from acceptance, to allow time with the regulator.

The Quebec fee. The page lists the fees for examining an application for permanent selection as of 1 January 2026, adjusted each 1 January: $940 for the main applicant, $201 for a spouse or common-law partner and $201 for each dependent child. It is paid by credit card, in full, in Canadian dollars, and it says: "This fee is non-refundable, even if your application is refused or rejected." This is Quebec's fee. The federal fee comes later.

Documents. All documents must be scanned in colour and compiled into a single PDF, legible, complete, accurate, and in French or English, or with a translation by a recognized translator. If documents are rejected as incomplete, you have 60 days to resubmit or the application is rejected.

Honesty rules. The page says you are responsible for all the information you provide, and that anyone submitting false or misleading information faces serious consequences, including rejection of their application for permanent selection and for all subsequent applications for a period of five years.

Processing. As of 14 September 2026, Quebec said it was reviewing applications received in January 2026, though some earlier applications pending additional verification were still under review, and that processing time starts when the application is received, not at the invitation. It also said that since 13 May 2026 it has been prioritizing applications from temporary foreign workers whose work permits are expired or about to expire, and that there is no guarantee of a decision before a permit expires. These figures change, so read the page for the current position.

Examination. Quebec's examination page says that after you apply you receive a communication inviting you and any accompanying family members aged 18 or over to obtain the values attestation within 60 days (unless already held), that you may be asked to attend an interview, and that there are three outcomes: selection with a CSQ; an "intent to refuse" letter, to which you can respond with documents within the deadline; or an "intent to reject" letter, for example where the ministry doubts the authenticity of documents or where you did not attend your interview. Where a refusal or rejection follows, the page says that under certain conditions you may submit a request for administrative review.

Step 4: the CSQ and the federal application

A CSQ is not permanent residence. Quebec's page on what to do after the CSQ says that once you have it you must continue your immigration process with the Canadian government, and apply for permanent residence with the federal government.

IRCC's fee list (date modified 21 September 2026) lists Quebec-selected skilled workers with the other economic programs: $1,590 for the principal applicant, including the processing fee and the $600 right of permanent residence fee (or $990 without the right of permanent residence fee), $1,590 to include a spouse or partner ($990 without), and $270 per dependent child. Biometrics, medical exams and police certificates are extra; see the PR fees guide.

Quebec's page also covers the period around the federal application. If you hold a valid CSQ (24 months old or less) or are waiting for a decision and you live abroad, you may be eligible for the International Mobility Program Plus, which allows an open work permit. If you already work in Quebec, the options depend on whether you have applied for permanent residence and whether you have an acknowledgement of receipt. IRCC has a separate page on these optional work permits, and the rules are set federally, so read it directly.

Adding or removing a family member after you have the CSQ is done by a form sent by mail to Quebec, without fees, and Quebec then contacts you with the procedure.

Representation and fraud in Quebec

Quebec's pages are blunt about representation. The application page says: "You will not receive priority or special treatment if you use the services of an immigration professional." Quebec's page on being represented says representation is not necessary, and sets out who may represent you:

  • Unpaid: for example a family member or a friend.
  • Paid: a lawyer who is a member in good standing of the Barreau du Québec; a notary who is a member in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec; a person with special authorization from either; or a recognized immigration consultant registered with the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration.

You must declare to the ministry that a person represents you, and the page says that failing to do so could lead to rejection of your request and could be an offence. For the PSTQ the mandate is submitted in Arrima. Note that the list names Quebec's own register of immigration consultants, not the register of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. You can also check whether someone is a lawyer or notary with their professional body.

Quebec warns about people who pose as government representatives and links to a page on immigration fraud and its impact on your plans. No one can guarantee an invitation or selection, so treat any promise of one as a warning sign.

Mistakes to avoid, and where to look next

  • Treating the expression of interest as an application. It is a profile that may or may not lead to an invitation.
  • Letting the 90-day, 30-day or 60-day clocks run. Each step has its own deadline.
  • Changing your main occupation after an invitation. Quebec says the occupation must stay the same in your application. If you want to change it, the page explains how to decline or let the invitation lapse and file again.
  • Forgetting the fee is non-refundable. The Quebec fee is not returned if the application is refused.
  • Starting regulator steps too early or too late. For stream 3, Quebec has timing advice on its page.
  • Mixing up Quebec and federal pages. Express Entry and the federal pilots do not apply to Quebec selection.

This page is information only, based on Quebec's published rules on the date shown, and it does not say whether any person qualifies. For your own file, read the Quebec pages, and if you want paid help, use someone who appears on one of the lists above: the Barreau du Québec, the Chambre des notaires du Québec or the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration. Migratio does not currently list advisers for Quebec files.

Questions people ask

What is the PSTQ in Quebec?

The Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés is Quebec's skilled worker selection program. Quebec's page says it replaced the PRTQ, and the invitation page dates the change to 29 November 2024. You file an expression of interest in Arrima, may be invited to apply, and if selected receive a CSQ.

Does it cost anything to file a PSTQ expression of interest?

No. Quebec says the expression of interest is filed online at no charge in Arrima. The fee comes later: as of 1 January 2026, Quebec's examination fee is $940 for the main applicant, $201 for a spouse or partner and $201 for each dependent child, and it is non-refundable. IRCC's fees follow separately.

How do PSTQ invitations work?

Quebec says invitations are issued by stream through a three-step process using stream criteria, possibly profile-specific criteria, and then the highest scores until a target number is reached. No randomly selected individuals are invited, and a score above the minimum does not guarantee an invitation. Quebec does not give a fixed cut-off score.

How long do I have to accept a PSTQ invitation?

Thirty days from the date of the invitation, through your Arrima account. After accepting, you generally have 60 days to submit your application, or one year for stream 3 if you still need proof of recognition from a regulatory authority. Check Quebec's page for current deadlines.

Do I need a CSQ for permanent residence in Quebec?

For the Quebec-selected skilled worker route, yes. IRCC's page says you must hold a Quebec Selection Certificate and submit a complete permanent residence application, including police certificates. IRCC's page says a CSQ stays valid until IRCC decides your application, even if it has expired.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-10.

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