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Quebec Immigration Programs

Check our table summary of all Quebec immigration programs, with their main criteria, their applicant fees, etc.

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The Quebec immigration programs allow the government of Quebec to nominate individuals to immigrate to the province.

Quebec has one of the most varied and dynamic Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs), with streams and categories designed to welcome skilled workers, graduates, and business immigrants.

Choosing Quebec Immigration

The Quebec province, located at the east of Ontario, is the second most populated province in Canada, with more than 23% of the Canadian population. The country’s second largest city, Montréal and eastern part of the national capital, Ottawa, are both located in the province.

Except for some federal programs, the immigration authorities of Quebec also propose some very specific pathways to the Canadian province, however, none of them are aligned with Express Entry, there is thus no need to be eligible for Express Entry and being in the pool.

The nomination certificate in Quebec is called "Certificat de Sélection du Québéc (CSQ)". Only after receiving the CSQ that the federal government (IRCC) will process your application for permanent residence (processing times are longer than the 6-month processing time of Express Entry).

There are streams targeted at international graduates and temporary foreign workers who meet a set of conditions. Other streams are open for business people wishing to invest their money in the province to receive their nomination.

Overview of Quebec's Immigration Programs

The following table shows the range of immigration streams and categories operated by the Quebec immigration authorities.

Stream	Main Criteria (not exhaustive)	Job Offer Required	Aligned with Express Entry	Application Fees
Category: Permanent Workers
Skilled Worker Program (Arrima)	Score a minimum of 50 points (single) or 59 points (with spouse) in the Selection Grid To be invited to apply, the profile has to satisfy to the invitation criteria established by the immigration authorities of Quebec (criteria are not public)	No	No	$844 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Programme de l'Expérience Québécoise (PEQ) - Québec graduate	Have a degree from Quebec: Bachelors, Masters, PhD, DEC, DEP (or DEP+ASP) with 1,800 hours or more of study Have lived in Quebec for at least half the duration of studies Have advanced intermediate knowledge of oral French	No	No	$844 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Programme de l'Expérience Québécoise (PEQ) - Temporary Foreign Workers	Be legally in Québec as a temporary foreign worker or under the IEC program Have been employed full-time for at least 12 of the 24 months preceding the submission of your application Demonstrate advanced intermediate knowledge of oral French	No	No	$844 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Permanent immigration pilot program for food processing workers	Have obtained a diploma minimally corresponding to a high school diploma or a Québec diploma of vocational studies, obtained in a study program of at least one year, full time Hold an eligible job (eligible NOC codes: 9462, 9617, 9618, 6732, 9461, 8431, 9463) in an eligible sector (NAICS 311 – Food manufacturing or NAICS 3121 – Beverage manufacturing) in Québec Have held an eligible job for a period of at least 24 months on a full-time basis in Québec in an eligible sector in the last 36 months Have knowledge of oral French that minimally corresponds to Level 7 on Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes or its equivalent Demonstrate financial self-sufficiency	No	No	$844 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Permanent immigration pilot program for orderlies	Hold a job as an orderly (NOC code 3413) in Québec Have knowledge of oral French that minimally corresponds to Level 7 on Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes or its equivalent Demonstrate financial self-sufficiency Work stream: Hold a diploma related to the occupation of orderly of at least one year on a full-time basis that minimally corresponds to a Québec diploma of vocational studies Have acquired (i) at least 24 months as an orderly in Québec or (ii) at least 12 months in a health occupation related to basic personal care outside (eligible NOC codes: 3011, 3012, 3124, 3233, 4412) of Québec and at least 12 months as an orderly in Québec in the last 36 months Study-work stream: Have obtained a Québec diploma of vocational studies leading to the occupation of orderly in the last 24 months Have at least 12 months of work experience as an orderly in Québec obtained in the 24 months and after the completion date of the study program	No	No	$844 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Permanent immigration pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors	Have knowledge of oral French that minimally corresponds to Level 7 on Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes or its equivalent OR sign a francization agreement to support learning of French and your integration into Québec society Demonstrate financial self-sufficiency Artificial intelligence stream - Foreign Workers: Have obtained a diploma that minimally corresponds to a Québec bachelor’s degree Have acquired work experience in an NOC Level 0, A or B job on a full-time basis for a period of at least 24 months in the last 60 months OR have obtained a diploma that minimally corresponds to a Québec master’s or doctoral degree in the last 12 months Hold or have accepted a job in Québec on a full-time basis in the artificial intelligence sector (with an official notice from the Comité sectoriel de main-d’oeuvre en technologies de l'information et des communications), and for which the gross annual salary is (i) at least $75,000 if the employer is established outside the territory of the Metropolitan Montréal Community or (ii) at least $100,000 if it is established inside the Metropolitan Montréal Community Artificial intelligence stream - Quebec graduates: Have lived in Québec for at least half of your study program Have obtained a university diploma issued by a Québec educational institution in the last 24 months for completion of higher specialized studies (DESS), a master’s program or a doctoral program. If the case of a DESS, also hold a job in Québec at NOC Level 0, A or B on a full-time basis and for a period of at least 6 months during the 12 months following the date of the end of your study program Hold or have accepted a job in Québec on a full-time basis in the artificial intelligence sector (with an official notice from the Comité sectoriel de main-d’oeuvre en technologies de l'information et des communications) Information technologies and visual effects stream: Hold a diploma that minimally corresponds to a Québec diploma of college studies or a Québec bachelor’s degree Have held an eligible job on a full-time basis for a period of at least 24 months in the last 60 months Hold or have accepted an eligible job (eligible NOC codes: 2171,  5241,  0213, 2173, 2133, 5131, 2174, 5225, 2281, 2241) in Québec on a full-time basis and for which the hourly wage is equivalent to the maximum wage of the average occupation salary	No	No	$844 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Category: Business People
Entrepreneur Program	Stream #1: Settle in Québec to create and operate a business for which you have already received a service offer from a business accelerator or incubator or a university entrepreneurship center Stream #2: Have min net worth of $900,000 and min investment of $200,000 and (i) acquire a business (at least 51% ownership) or (ii) create a business (at least 25% ownership) in Quebec	No	No	$1,142 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent
Investor Program	Min net worth of $2,000,000 and min investment of $1,200,000 Have 2 years of management experience in a legal farming, commercial or industrial business	No	No	$16,383
Self-Employed Worker Program	Min net worth of $100,000 and min investment of $25,000 Come to Québec to create own job by practising a profession or business activity	No	No	$1,142 +$181 for spouse +$181 per dependent

For more information on the Quebec streams, check the corresponding link below:

Processing Times

Permanent Workers (you need to add the Quebec AND the Federal processing times)

CSQ processing times (by Quebec immigration authorities):
- A skilled Worker Program (Arrima) application will be processed within six months from submitting the application.
- A PEQ Québec Graduate application will be generally processed within 20 working days, if they do not require an audit interview. See more here.
- A PEQ Temporary Foreign Workers application will be generally processed within 20 working days, if they do no require an audit interview. See more here.
Federal processing times (by IRCC): An application is processed between approximately 15 to 17 months. You can check the processing times here. You need to select "Economic immigration", then "Skilled Workers (Quebec)".

Business People (you need to add the Quebec AND the Federal processing times)

CSQ processing times (by Quebec immigration authorities): Processing times for Business People programs are not disclosed. More information for the Investor Program here, and for the Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Worker Program here.
Federal processing times (by IRCC): An application is processed in approximately 46 months. You can check the processing times here. You need to select "Economic immigration", then "Business Class (Quebec)".