New Process Launched: Gain Quebec Residency in Three Simple Steps

Quebec runs its own skilled worker selection, separate from the federal system the rest of Canada uses. If you want to settle in Quebec, whether that is Montreal, Quebec City, or a smaller town, you go through the province first and the federal government second. Quebec decides who it wants, and only after that do you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence itself.

The province has reworked this system more than once. In 2019, under a law known as Bill 9, Quebec cancelled roughly 16,000 pending applications and asked those people to start over. Since then the program has been renamed and rebuilt again. The current route for most skilled applicants is the Skilled Worker Selection Program, run through an online portal called Arrima. Starting a profile costs nothing.

Who Quebec is looking for

The rules favour some profiles over others. You tend to score better if you fit one of these:

• Skilled workers willing to live and work outside the big centres, so away from Montreal and Quebec City
• People already living in Quebec on a temporary status
• People who have already worked in the province
• Applicants who arrive with a validated job offer
• Applicants with French ability, which Quebec weights heavily

The three stages, in plain terms

The skilled worker route moves through three stages. Here is what each one actually involves.

• Expression of interest. You create an Arrima account and submit a profile covering your work, education, language, and ties to Quebec. This is not a full application, and there is no fee at this point. Your profile sits in a pool and is ranked.
• Invitation. If your profile ranks high enough, the Ministere de l’Immigration invites you to apply. Only after you accept an invitation do you file a full application, and only then does a government fee apply.
• Selection. Quebec assesses your full application against its points grid. If you pass, you get a Certificat de selection du Quebec (CSQ), which is Quebec’s approval. You then apply separately to IRCC for permanent residence.

On fees: the expression of interest is free. From 1 January 2026, the fee to examine a permanent selection application as a skilled worker is CAD $940, plus CAD $201 for each accompanying family member, paid inside Arrima. Quebec adjusts these amounts every January, so confirm the current figure before you pay. Processing times shift with demand, so treat any single number you see quoted online as a rough guide, not a promise.

What the points grid measures

The grid scores your profile, and your spouse’s or partner’s where it applies, to gauge how well you are likely to settle into Quebec and its job market. The main factors are:

• Your work experience
• Your education, meaning both the level and the field. Only diplomas you already hold when you submit count toward education points.
• French and English ability, with French carrying the most weight
• Your age
• A permanent job offer validated by the Minister
• Time spent in Quebec and family ties to a permanent resident or Canadian citizen there
• Financial self-sufficiency. You sign an undertaking to cover your family’s needs for at least the first three months after arrival.
• Your spouse or partner’s profile, where it applies
• Dependent children under 22 who will move with you

How to start

Applications run through the Arrima portal on the Quebec government site (quebec.ca). You create an account, complete the expression of interest, and wait to see whether you receive an invitation. You are a stronger candidate if you have a Quebec job offer, already live in the province, or are open to work in a smaller regional community rather than the main cities.

How Cosmos Immigration helps

Quebec’s rules change often, and the points grid rewards details that are easy to overlook. Our counselling team can look at your profile, tell you honestly where you stand against the current criteria, and help you prepare an Arrima expression of interest that reflects your real work history, education, and language results. No consultant can guarantee an invitation or a CSQ, because Quebec controls both. Where formal representation is needed, named CICC or MARA registered advisors handle the individual file.

Reviewed by the Cosmos Immigration counselling team, August 2026. [Immigration rules change; confirm current requirements on the relevant official government site before you apply.]