Quebec Skilled Worker Program

The QSWP - Quebec Skilled Worker Program is administered by the Government of Quebec in collaboration with the Federal Government of Canada. It offers a pathway for immigration to Canada for trained and highly educated overseas nationals to arrive at Quebec as skilled workers.

Immigration candidates who apply for the QSWP are assessed based on a grid of factors for selection. The applicants who secure adequate points are offered a CSQ - Quebec Selection Certificate and they can use it to apply for Canada PR Visa.

The Immigration Department of Quebec functions independently of the IRCC. Quebec does not participate in the Express Entry Program and it does not seek qualified immigrants through the Express Entry draw.

Interested applicants are required to apply directly to the Governing Body of Quebec. If you wish to permanently settle in Quebec, you must first submit an EOI Expression of Interest to the Quebec Ministry of Immigration - Ministre de immigration. You will then receive an invitation to furnish an application for permanent selection if your qualifications and/or skills meet the requirements of the province. It must be noted that noteworthy higher points are allocated for skills in the French language over the English language.

What are different Quebec Immigration Programs?

The Government of Quebec has made several changes to its immigration programs through the Immigration Act of Quebec -2016 and Immigration Regulation of Quebec 2018.

The chief features of the new immigration programs are as follows:

• Launching of immigration system ARRIMA similar to Federal-style EOI - Expression of Interest for skilled worker category applicants in place of the earlier First-arrived first processed system
• Selection grid for Skilled Workers that allocates points for an offer of job across several Quebec regions
• Extension of the QEP - Quebec Experience Program allowing workers and their de facto spouse/spouse to possess employment in Quebec at any skill level
• Launching of Entrepreneur Pathway for entrepreneurs who receive support from a University entrepreneurship center, incubator, or business accelerator
• Increase in net worth and investment requirements for Quebec Investor Program
• Launching of Security and Startup Deposits for Self-employed Worker and Entrepreneur Programs

Quebec selects most of the overseas nationals for immigration every year through the Economic Class which consists of the following 5 programs:

Quebec Skilled Workers Program:

The overseas national settle in Quebec for holding the employment that the overseas national is possibly capable to hold. This is determined chiefly based on the experience, education, and other selection factors of the candidates.

Quebec Experience Program:

The overseas national who has worked in Quebec for 1 year within 2 years before the application date or has obtained a qualified Diploma from an educational institution in Quebec within 3 years before the application while completing a minimum of 50% of the program duration in Quebec and can prove proficiency in the French language at the intermediate-advanced level through standardized tests.

The overseas national applying under the Quebec Entrepreneur Program must operate a business created solely or in partnership, and has obtained an offer of service from a university entrepreneurship center, incubator, or business accelerator, or creates a business with 25% ownership, or acquires a business with a minimum of 51% control of the business.

Quebec Investor Program:

The overseas national who has

• Appropriate management experience of 2 years in the last 5 years before the application.
• Solely or with his accompanying de facto spouse or spouse has assets of the net worth of a minimum of $2,000,000 legally obtained excluding recently gifted amounts.
• Agreed to invest $1,200,000 for 5 years in an approved investment through an undertaking.

Quebec Self-employed Worker Program:

The overseas national arrives in Quebec for creating employment for the applicant through the practice of a profession specified in the NOC - National Occupational Classification.

The selection process for Economic Class immigrants is based on points. The Immigration Department of Quebec MIDI: Ministre de immigration, de la Diversity et de inclusion, usually through a Ministerial Order legislates:

• The sum of points that can be awarded for each factor for selection
• The power for creating, eliminating, and/or modifying the compulsory cut-off points that the applicants can be asked to secure for each of the factors of selection within every class of immigrants
• The power for retrospectively enacting amendments that can be applied to applications furnished before the amendment and that have not progressed to a distinct phase in the process of assessment

Quebec province has the governmental authority for admitting 50,000 immigrants annually as per the current plan for annual immigration. This includes around 30,000 immigrants under the economic class that far exceeds any other Canadian province. MIDI submits its yearly report to the National Assembly of Quebec every year outlining the total number of immigrants to be accepted to the province for the subsequent year.