Processing of your permanent selection application through the Regular Skilled Worker Program

The processing of your permanent selection application will begin when you have:

• completed and signed the permanent selection application form;
• submitted the form within the prescribed timeframe;
• provided the requested documents in the required format;
• paid the processing fees for your application.

Your application for permanent selection will be examined according to the definition of skilled worker, based on the Grille de sélection du Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés (PDF 136 Kb) (Selection Grid for the Regular Skilled Worker Program - in French only).

A skilled worker is a foreign national at least 18 years of age who comes to Québec to work in a job that is not for an enterprise over which he or she exercises control and that is not in one of the following ineligible sectors:

• Payday loans, cheque cashing or pawnbroking;
• Production, distribution or sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products or services related to the sex industry, such as nude or erotic dancing, escort services or erotic massages.

You need to have obtained a sufficient number of points in the grid to be selected to receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), as stipulated in Québec Immigration Regulation and the Regulation respecting the weighting applicable to the selection of foreign nationals.

The selection grid has nine factors with different criteria for assessment. These factors enable an assessment of your potential for integration into the Québec labour market and society, as well as that of your accompanying spouse.

To understand your training, the criteria assessed are your level of education and your area of training.

Level of education

To be eligible for selection, you must have at least a diploma that is equivalent to general or vocational high-school studies in Québec.

Diplomas obtained outside Québec are assessed according to their equivalence with the Québec education system.

Points are awarded according to your level of education in Québec:

• vocational high school;
• technical postsecondary;
• university.

Area of training

The assessment of your training is based on the List of Areas of Training (PDF 176 Kb) (in French).

This list contains programs of study which are worth points in the selection grid and are in demand in Québec's labour market; these programs are at the following levels: 

• vocational high school;
• technical postsecondary;
• university.

Points are awarded on the basis of:

• the qualifications most in demand in Québec's labour market;
• job prospects in Québec;
• the requirements for practising the occupations in question;
• the type of diploma, whether it is a Québec diploma (or equivalent) or a foreign diploma.

To be awarded points, your training must be similar to one of the areas of training indicated on the list. If your diploma is not included on the list, or if it is in the “0 points” section, you will not obtain points in the selection grid for your area of training.

For your work experience, the criterion assessed is the duration of employment.

The following jobs are recognized:

Remunerated job posts that you held:

• full-time;
• part-time.

Work internships you completed to obtain a diploma:

• full-time;
• part-time.

For your work experience to be taken into account when considering your application, it must have been gained:

• in the 5 years preceding the submission of your application;
• in a category A, B or C occupation as defined by the National Occupational Classification (NOC) ;
• legally in the country concerned.

To obtain points in the selection grid for your age, you must be between 18 and 42 years old.

For your language proficiency, the criteria assessed are your knowledge of French and English.

Knowledge of French:

You can earn points on the selection grid for your knowledge of French based on your results in:

• Listening comprehension
• Oral production
• Written comprehension
• Written production

This is one of the factors that enables you to score the most points in the selection grid.

To obtain points on the grid, your knowledge of French must be at least at level 7 (advanced intermediate) of the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (PDF 4.94 Mb) (in French) or its equivalent.

To obtain points for your knowledge of French, you must present

• Attestations of test results or French evaluation diplomas accepted by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration;
  
  OR
   
• One of the high school diplomas accepted by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration, even if French is your mother tongue

The French assessment tests and diplomas accepted by the Ministère are:

• Test de connaissance du français pour le Québec  (TCF-Québec), France Éducation international;
• Test de connaissance du français pour le Canada  (TCF-Canada), France Éducation international;
• Test de connaissance du français  (TCF), France Éducation international;
• Diplôme approfondi de langue française  (DALF), France Éducation international;
• Diplôme d’études en langue française  (DELF), France Éducation international;
• Test d’évaluation du français adapté pour le Québec  (TEFAQ), Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris Île-de-France (CCIP-IDF);
• Test d’évaluation du français pour le Canada  (TEF Canada), CCIP-IDF;
• Test d’évaluation du français  (TEF),CCIP-IDF.

Your results must be less than two years old at the time of application.

If you have one of the high school diplomas accepted by the Ministère, you could obtain a level 9 (advanced) on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes l’Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (PDF 4.94 Mb) (Québec scale of French proficiency levels for adult immigrants) or its equivalent in both oral and written skills.

Here are the high school diplomas accepted by the Ministère:

• general, vocational and technological baccalaureates issued by the French Ministry of Education;
• the Certificat d'enseignement secondaire supérieur (CESS) issued by the Government of the French-speaking Community of Belgium;
• the Certificat de maturité (maturity certificate) issued on completion of studies at a school in a French-speaking canton of Switzerland.

The person responsible for examining your application may call you and, if applicable, your accompanying spouse for an interview to verify the level of French you have declared on your application for permanent selection.

The language skills of your accompanying spouse are also examined in the same way. Dependent children do not have to submit results.

Knowledge of English

To earn points for your knowledge of English, you must present proof of test results or diplomas accepted by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration, even if English is your mother tongue.

You can earn points on the selection grid for your knowledge of English based on your results in:

• Listening comprehension;
• Oral production;
• Written comprehension ;
• Written production.

Your results must be less than two years old at the time of application.

You must submit your results from the test recognized by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration: the International English Language Testing System  (IELTS).

To obtain points on the grid, your knowledge of English must be at least at level 5 (intermediate) of the Canadian Language Benchmarks .

Your spouse's knowledge of English is not assessed. Therefore, no points are awarded for this.

The “stay in Québec” criterion is assessed on:

• the nature of the stay;
• the length of the stay;
• the date that you came to Québec.

You can obtain points for stays undertaken for work, study or tourism.

To obtain points, your stay in Québec must have been at least two weeks or more, in the ten years preceding the date of submission of your selection application.

You must have complied with the conditions for any temporary stay in Québec during the five years preceding the date of your application. This requirement also applies to your accompanying spouse or common-law partner.

You can also obtain points for the “family in Québec” criterion if one or more of your family members has Canadian citizenship or permanent residency in Québec. The recognized family relations are:

• the wife, husband, spouse or common-law partner;
• the child;
• the parent;
• the sibling;
• the grandparent.

The selection grid also applies to your accompanying spouse for the following criteria:

• level of education;
• area of training;
• age;
• language proficiency.

For these criteria, the same requirements and number of points apply, except for language proficiency where only oral French (comprehension and expression) is assessed to obtain points in the selection grid.

If an employer who operates a business in Québec makes you a job offer, the employer may apply to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration  to have the offer validated. To be validated, the job offer must meet certain conditions

A validated job offer gives you points on the selection grid.

The number of points allocated varies according to the region where the job is located.

The criteria assessed are:

• the number of your dependent children;
• the number of your accompanying spouse's dependent children
• their age.

If a Canadian citizen dependent child is accompanying you, they are also assessed.

When you submit your application, you must sign the Financial Self-Sufficiency Contract - Skilled Workers (PDF 277 Kb).

By signing this contract, you agree to provide for your needs and your accompanying family’s needs for at least the first three months following your arrival in Québec.

Below are the amounts, in Canadian dollars, that you must have at your disposal for the period from January 1^st to December 31, 2023. This varies according to the number and kind of dependent people accompanying you:

Basic needs of a family unit for the three-month period covered by the contract (in effect from January 1^st to December 31, 2023)

Add $1,672 per dependent child that is 18 or older.

You may have to attend an interview with an immigration adviser to check, for example, the veracity of the statements, information and documents provided in your application for permanent selection.

If so, you will receive a notice specifying the:

• date of the interview;
• location of the interview;
• time of the interview;
• documents to bring.

The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration may also conduct additional verification.