Quebec Immigration Program
Quebec, being the francophone province in Canada is known for its multicultural and vibrant atmosphere. The federal government has granted more freedom to Quebec to operate its own immigration programs enabling the province to invite eligible candidates to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency, which is why it is different from other provinces and does not participate in the Express Entry Program.
The candidates who are interested to relocate to Quebec can directly apply to the Governing body. In order to the same, the candidates are initially required to submit an EOI i.e., Expression of Interest to the Quebec Ministry of Immigration. Additionally, the official language of Quebec is French, therefore in many of its immigration programs, it requires the candidate to be proficient in French. However, it is not mandatory for all pathways as there are non-French speakers who also wish to migrate to Canada.
Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ)
The applications for Quebec immigration are approved via two processes i.e., Selection and Admission. At provincial level, selection takes place whereas admission occurs at the federal level. An applicant must meet both the requirements in order to immigrate to Quebec. The selection takes place through a Certificat de selection du Quebec i.e., Quebec Selection Certificate – CSQ. It is a document that is issued by the provincial authorities via one of the Quebec’s immigration programs.
There are two categories in Quebec’s immigration i.e., Business and Permanent workers. Let’s look at the programs offered by them:
PERMANENT WORKERS CATEGORY
1) Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSW-Arrima)
It is a pathway which allows skilled workers to apply for permanent residency. For the same, the candidates are required to demonstrate a minimum amount of skilled work experience along with meeting the criteria of a minimum score as required by the points assessment grid system. Although French is not mandatory for this program, however, proficiency in French may increase the chances. Those who are eligible for this program can submit an EOI i.e., Expression of Interest to the online Arrima portal in order to be considered for the same.
2) Programme de l'Expérience Québécoise (PEQ) - Québec graduate
In order to be eligible for this program, the candidates are required to have a degree from Quebec either in Bachelors, Masters, Ph.D., DEC, DEP, or DEP+ASP with minimum 1,800 hours or more of study. Additionally, the candidates must have lived in the province for minimum of half of the duration of education. Further, the candidate must have knowledge of intermediate oral French.
3) Programme de l'Expérience Québécoise (PEQ) - Temporary Foreign Workers
In order to be eligible for this program, the candidates must be legally residing in the province of Quebec as a temporary foreign worker or under the IEC program. In addition, they must have been in an employment full time for minimum 12 months out of a total of 24 months prior the submission of the application. Last but not the least, in this program as well the candidates are required to demonstrate proficiency in intermediate oral French.
Note: There are three more programs under the permanent workers category. The following are the same:
1) Permanent immigration pilot program for food processing workers
2) Permanent immigration pilot program for orderlies
3) Permanent immigration pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors
BUSINESS CATEGORY
1) Quebec Investor Program
To be eligible for this program the candidates are required to have net assets of at least $2 million CAD. They must also demonstrate the ability to invest at least $1.2 million CAD with Quebec’s financial intermediary.
2) Quebec Entrepreneur Program
This program required the candidates to have the financial capacity along with the experience and intent to manage or acquire a business project in Quebec.
3) Quebec Self-Employed
Through this program , people who are self employed can immigrate to Quebec and create their own job. To be eligible under this program , the candidates are required to have net assets of at least $100,00 CAD along with minimum two years of work experience as a self-employed worker in the relevant field they are planning to practice.
How to apply for Quebec Immigration?
The eligibility criteria and procedure for each immigration program of Quebec is different. One of the most prominent pathway among immigrants in Quebec is the QSWP which has two steps:
Step 1 - Get the CSQ - Quebec Selection Certificate
Initially, the candidates are required to submit an EOI i.e., Expression of Interest to the online portal of ARRIMA. Candidates who are vastly eligible will be offered an ITA by MIDI for permanent selection. The candidates must apply for the same via Mon Projet Quebec Portal within 60 days of receipt of the Invitation to apply. If the application would be approved, then the CSQ - Quebec Selection Certificate is offered to the selected candidates.
Step 2: Application for Permanent Residency
On sucessfully receiving the CSQ, the candidates can apply for Canadian Permanent Residency with the IRCC. Upon the verification, IRCC may approve the Canada PR Visa.
Processing time for Quebec immigration
1) Permanent Workers
It is divided into two time periods:
- CSQ processing time by Quebec immigration authorities
QSWP ( Arrima ) – It usually takes six months to process the application.
PEQ Quebec Graduate – It takes about 20 working days to process the application, if they don not require an audit interview.
PEQ Temporary Foreign Workers – It takes about 20 working days to process the application, if they do not require an audit interview.
- Federal Processing time by IRCC
Usually, the applications are processed in 15-17 months by the IRCC.
2) Business People
It is also divided into time periods:
- CSQ processing time by immigration authorities – The time period for Business people category is not yet disclosed.
- Federal processing time by IRCC – It usually takes 46 months to process the application by the IRCC.
FAQs
1) What is the ARRIMA Portal?
This portal is specifically designed for those people who wish to immigrate to Quebec via the QSWP. The portal is accessible all the year and the EOI can be submitted free of cost by the candidates at any time.
2) What is Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ)?
In order to authorize temporary stay in Quebec, the candidates are required to have a Quebec Acceptance Certificate i.e., CAQ. This consist most of the study programs for international students. It must be noted that a CAQ is different from CSQ i.e., Quebec Selection Certificate, which provides the authority of permanent stay in the province.
3) What is Mon Projet Quebec Portal?
The Candidates who receive the ITA i.e., Invitation to apply for CSQ will be led to a protected space in the Quebec portal Mon Projet. Such candidates will be required to submit their application along with making the payment of the required fees within the period of 3 months. Also, the candidates can track the status of their application via this portal.
4) How many points are required for Quebec Immigration?
For individual candidates, 43 points are the employability threshold. Some additional points are given for financial independence and the presence of children.
The selection threshold score required for qualifying under QSWP is 50 points.
Candidates who are married can have their spouse get into consideration of on the basis of education, age, and proficiency in French. For employability the cut-off score is 52 points and for QSWP the cut-off score is 59 points.
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