Canada is made up of different provinces and each one has their own rules and laws, especially on immigration. Quebec is one of those provinces which offers their own immigration programs, such as the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).
This program allows internationals who have skills which match the needs of the province to apply for Quebec immigration, and if selected, become permanent residents of Canada who live in that province.
This article will go through the requirements and the process of becoming a Quebec Skilled Worker.
What is the QSWP immigration?
The Quebec Skilled Workers Program is an immigration program based only on Quebec. Only people who want to live in Quebec permanently must apply for this program directly because the application is evaluated based on the rules of the province.
If selected, you will be able to find a job and housing in Quebec and continue to live there. You will be considered a Canadian permanent resident and get all the benefits that are entitled to you. In addition, after a few years, you will be able to apply for Canadian citizenship and get a Canadian passport.
What are the requirements of the Quebec Selected Skilled Workers Program?
In order to make the application process fairer, Quebec has designed their requirements and selection factors based on a grid of points. When you apply, you will be assigned Quebec immigration points, which will rank you in comparison to the other applicants. Those who have the highest points are then selected.
The selection factors considered are education, work experience, age, language proficiency, family in Quebec, spouse or common-law partner points, job offer, age of children, and financial standing. The tables below show each factor and how many points you can get.
| Education | Points (26 points max) | |
| Level of Education | General high school | 2 |
| Vocational high school | 6 | |
| General postsecondary 2 years | 4 | |
| Technical postsecondary 1 year or 2 years | 6 | |
| Technical postsecondary 3 years | 8 | |
| University, undergraduate, 1 year | 4 | |
| University, undergraduate, 2 years | 6 | |
| University, undergraduate, 3 years or + | 10 | |
| University, master’s, 1 year or + | 12 | |
| University, doctorate | 14 | |
| Area of Education | Points in Part I (foreign diploma) or in Part II (diploma from Quebec or equivalent) of the list of education degrees | Section A – 12 points; Section B – 9 points; Section C – 6 points; Section D – 2 points; Section E – 0 points |
| Work Experience | Points (8 points max) | |
| Work experience of skilled worker | Less than 6 months | 0 |
| 6 months to 11 months | 4 | |
| 12 months to 23 months | 4 | |
| 24 months to 35 months | 6 | |
| 36 months to 47 months | 6 | |
| 48 months or + | 8 |
| Age | Points (16 points max) | |
| Age of skilled worker | 18 to 35 years | 16 |
| 36 years | 14 | |
| 37 years | 12 | |
| 38 years | 10 | |
| 39 years | 8 | |
| 40 years | 6 | |
| 41 years | 4 | |
| 42 years | 2 | |
| 43 years or + | 0 |
| Language Proficiency | Points (22 points max) | |
| French | Oral Comprehension | 0, 5, 6, or 7 |
| Oral Expression | 0, 5, 6, or 7 | |
| Written Comprehension | 0 or 1 | |
| Written Expression | 0 or 1 | |
| English | Oral Comprehension | 0, 1, or 2 |
| Oral Expression | 0, 1, or 2 | |
| Written Comprehension | 0 or 1 | |
| Written Expression | 0 or 1 |
| Stay and Family in Quebec | Points (8 points max) | |
| Stay for study purposes of 900 to less than 1,800 hours, combined with at least 6 months or more of full-time experience in Quebec related to the area of education | 5 | |
| Stay for study purposes of 1,800 hours or more for an undergraduate, master’s or doctoral diploma | 5 | |
| Stay for wor purposes with work permit of at least 1 year and full-time work experience of 6 months or more | 5 | |
| Other stays of 3 months or + | 2 | |
| Other stays of 2 weeks to 3 months | 1 | |
| Family in Quebec | Spouse, father, mother, brother, sister, son, daughter, etc. | 3 |
| Characteristics of the accompanying spouse or de facto spouse | Points (17 points max) | |
| Level of Education | General high school | 1 |
| Vocational high school | 2 | |
| General postsecondary 2 years | 1 | |
| Technical postsecondary 1 year or 2 years | 2 | |
| Technical postsecondary 3 years | 3 | |
| University, undergraduate, 1 year | 1 | |
| University, undergraduate, 2 years | 2 | |
| University, undergraduate, 3 years or + | 3 | |
| University, master’s, 1 year or + | 4 | |
| University, doctorate | 4 | |
| Area of Education | Points in Part I (foreign diploma) or in Part II (diploma from Quebec or equivalent) of the list of education degrees | Section A – 4 points Section B – 3 points; Section C – 2 points; Section D – 1 point; Section E – 0 points |
| Age | Under 18 years | 0 |
| 18 to 35 years | 3 | |
| 36 years | 2 | |
| 37 years | 2 | |
| 38 years | 2 | |
| 39 years | 2 | |
| 40 years | 1 | |
| 41 years | 1 | |
| 42 years | 1 | |
| 43 years or + | 0 | |
| Language Proficiency | Oral Comprehension | 0, 2, or 3 |
| Oral Expression | 0, 2, or 3 |
| Validated Job Offer | Points (14 points max) | |
| Validated job offer in CMM | 8 | |
| Validated job offer outside CMM: | ||
| a) Abitibi-Temiscamingue | 13 | |
| b) Bas-Saint-Laurent | 12 | |
| c) Capitale-Nationale | 14 | |
| d) Centre-du-Quebec | 13 | |
| e) Chaudiere-Appalaches | 14 | |
| f) Cote-Nord | 12 | |
| g) Estrie | 13 | |
| h) Gaspesie-Iles-de-la-Madeleine | 10 | |
| i) Lanaudiere | 13 | |
| j) Laurentides | 12 | |
| k) Mauricie | 12 | |
| l) Monteregie | 14 | |
| m) Nord-du-Quebec | 12 | |
| n) Outaouais | 13 | |
| o) Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean | 12 |
From all of these criteria, to get to the cutoff for employability, you must either have 43 or 52 points. If you do not have these points, you will not be considered. In addition to the cutoff for employability, the province of Quebec takes also into account the age of children if you have any and financial standing.
| Children | Points (8 points max) |
| 12 years or – (per child) | 4 |
| 13 to 21 years (per child) | 2 |
| Financial Self-sufficiency (Cutoff) (Signature of Undertaking) | 1 |
At the end of the evaluation, in order to get a passing score at the preliminary and selection phase, you must have at least 50 out of the 59 points.
To be considered financially stable, you must have these sums of money for the three-month period after arriving in Quebec.
| Basic needs of family for the 3-month period after arriving in Quebec | ||
| One adult | Two adults | |
| No children | $3,188 | $4,676 |
| One child (- 18 years) | $4,284 | $5,238 |
| Two children (- 18 years) | $4,836 | $5,653 |
| Three children (- 18 years) | $5,388 | $6,068 |
How to apply for the Quebec Selected Skilled Workers Program?
In order to apply for this program, there are a few steps as outlined below.
Get a Certificate of Selection from the Province of Quebec
To get this certificate, you must first submit an Expression of Interest to immigrating in Quebec. This can be done through submitting an application with your information on the Arrima portal. Your expression of interest will be valid for 12 months and if you are not contacted by the Quebec immigration officials during this time, then you must submit your profile again or it will be invalid.
If the Quebec immigration officials choose your expression of interest, then you are invited to apply for permanent selection. This means that the officials will send you a personalized list of what information and supporting documents they need. You will also be asked to pay the application fees.
The fees for the permanent selection are:
| Applicant | Fee (in Canadian Dollars) |
| Principal applicant | $798 |
| Spouse or de facto spouse | $171 |
| Each dependent child | $171 |
You will have 90 days to complete the requirements or your application will be lost. After you submit all the required documents, the Quebec immigration officials will evaluate everything you submitted based on the points system that was outlined in the previous section of this article.
Finally, you may either get immediate approval, immediate rejection, or an invitation for an interview. If your interview is then successful, you will either get the Certificate of Selection or you will be rejected. If rejected, you will have to start the application from the beginning.
Apply for permanent residence to the Government of Canada
The Quebec province has the authority to select skilled workers which will contribute to the economy of Quebec with their skills. However, the Government of Canada is responsible on whether to issue permanent residence or not to those skilled workers. So after passing phase one and getting the Certificate of Selection from Quebec, you must be approved for permanent residence from the Government of Canada.
After you are selected, the Government of Canada will send you an application package with forms which you need to fill out and a list of supporting documents. The forms could include the following:
- Document Checklist [IMM 5690]
- Generic Application Form for Canada [IMM 0008]
- Additional Dependants/Declaration [IMM 0008DEP]
- Schedule A—Background/Declaration [IMM 5669]
- Additional Family Information [IMM 5406] (PDF, 570KB) September 2018
- Schedule 5: Economic Classes—Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec
- Supplementary Information—Your travels [IMM 5562]
- Separation Declaration for Minors Travelling to Canada [IMM 5604]
- Statutory Declaration of Common-law Union [IMM 5409]
- Use of a Representative [IMM 5476]
- Application for Permanent Residence: Guide for Quebec-Selected Applicants [IMM EQ7000]
Fill out these forms and gather the documents and submit them through the Government of Canada website. You will have to also pay the following fees:
| Type of Fee | Fee (in Canadian Dollars) |
| Application Fee | $550 |
| Right of Permanent Residence Fee | $490 |
| Include spouse or de facto spouse | $1,040 |
| Include dependent child (per child) | $150 |
After you submit your complete application, you may be asked to give biometrics information, hold an interview, complete medical examinations, or send additional information. If the Government of Canada finds that you are admissible and fulfill all the criteria to become a Canadian permanent resident in Quebec, then they will send you a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and permanent residence visa.
All in all, the process to become a Quebec Selected Skilled Worker will take approximately 17 months. Afterwards, you can start making arrangements for travel and housing in Quebec, where you will be settling down.