On This Page, You Will Find:
- What the Skilled Worker Selection Program is called, officially
- What changed in 2025 and 2026
- General requirements that apply to every stream
- The four PSTQ streams and who they target
- How Arrima invitation rounds work
- Applying step by step
- Fees and processing
- Frequently asked questions
Quebec runs its own economic immigration selection, separate from the federal system. The province selects skilled workers; Ottawa then decides admissibility and grants permanent residence.
The vehicle for that selection is the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, or PSTQ. It is the province’s principal permanent pathway for skilled workers, whether they are already in Quebec or applying from abroad.
This guide sets out the current requirements, the four streams, and how invitations have actually been issued through 2026.
The Official Name, and the Ones You Can Ignore
Naming around this programme is genuinely confusing, so it is worth settling.
- The French name is Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ). This is the name used in Quebec regulation and on official forms.
- The English name used on Québec.ca is the Skilled Worker Selection Program. Some Québec.ca pages render it as the “Qualified Worker Selection Program” — the same programme, an inconsistent translation.
- The Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés (PRTQ), or Regular Skilled Worker Program, is the predecessor. It has been replaced.
- “Quebec Skilled Worker Program” and “QSWP” are legacy shorthand for the old programme. They are not current official names.
Throughout this page, PSTQ and Skilled Worker Selection Program mean the same thing.
What Changed in 2025 and 2026
Two changes matter more than any other.
First, the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) was abolished on 19 November 2025. For a period, the PSTQ was the only route to permanent selection as a skilled worker in Quebec.
Second, the PEQ was then reactivated on a temporary basis, running from 2 July 2026 to 2 July 2028. A first application window in both PEQ streams runs from 2 July to 31 October 2026.
The two programmes now operate in parallel. The Ministère has said there is no accelerated treatment in either, and that applicants must weigh which programme suits their situation. Filing in both means paying both examination fees, with no refunds.
The PEQ reopening also reshaped PSTQ invitations. The ministry signalled that while the PEQ window is open, PSTQ invitation rounds would be reduced and aimed at candidates the PEQ does not cover — for example those in FEER 4 and 5 occupations, or who have not yet accumulated two years of work experience.
General Requirements
Every PSTQ candidate, in every stream, must meet the general requirements.
- Be 18 years of age or older.
- Intend to settle in Quebec to take up employment, and be likely to be able to hold that job.
- Not be taking a job with a company over which you exercise legal or de facto control, directly or indirectly.
- Not be working in an ineligible sector. These are payday loans, cheque cashing and pawnbroking; and the production, distribution or sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products, or services tied to the sex industry.
- Meet the criteria that triggered your invitation.
- Sign a Financial Self-Sufficiency Contract covering yourself and any accompanying family members for the three months after you become a permanent resident.
- Obtain the Attestation of learning of democratic values and Québec values. Accompanying family members aged 18 or over need one too.
- Comply with any return-to-country condition attached to a Quebec scholarship.
FEER, TEER and Your Main Occupation
Your stream is determined by your main occupation — the one you intend to practise in Quebec and declare in Arrima.
That occupation carries a National Occupational Classification (NOC) code. The second digit of the five-digit code gives its category: “training, education, experience and responsibilities”, abbreviated FEER in French and TEER in English. Québec.ca uses both abbreviations; they mean the same thing.
Two practical points. You do not need to be employed in your main occupation when you are invited or when you apply. But if you no longer intend to practise it, you must decline the invitation, update your declaration, and wait for a new one — which is not guaranteed.
The Four PSTQ Streams
Stream 1: Highly Qualified and Specialized Skills
- Main occupation in FEER 0, 1 or 2, and not requiring a licence to practise.
- At least one year of full-time or equivalent paid experience in the main occupation in the five years before applying. Compulsory course internships count for up to three months, paid or unpaid.
- A diploma leading directly to a profession, from a programme of at least one year full time. Quebec diplomas must be at least 900 hours at secondary or college level, or 30 credits at university level.
- Oral French at level 7 or higher and written French at level 5 or higher on the Échelle québécoise. An accompanying spouse needs oral level 4 or higher.
Stream 2: Intermediate and Manual Skills
- Main occupation in FEER 3, 4 or 5, and not requiring a licence to practise.
- At least two years of paid full-time experience in the five years before applying, including at least one year in Quebec. Experience outside Quebec counts for up to one year.
- At minimum a diploma equivalent to a Quebec high school diploma, or a one-year vocational or college attestation. Quebec diplomas must be at least 600 hours at secondary level or 900 hours at college level.
- Spoken French at level 5 or higher. An accompanying spouse needs oral level 4 or higher.
Stream 3: Regulated Professions
- Your main profession appears on the Ministère’s List of Regulated Professions, which is updated each 31 January.
- You hold either an authorisation to practise in Quebec, or proof of partial or full recognition of your training, dated no more than five years before you apply.
- French depends on category: FEER 0, 1 or 2 need oral 7 and written 5; FEER 3, 4 or 5 need spoken level 5. An accompanying spouse needs oral level 4.
The list distinguishes fully regulated occupations, where every associated job is regulated and Stream 3 is compulsory, from non-fully regulated occupations, where only some jobs are regulated and Stream 1 or 2 may be an option instead.
The ministry advises waiting until you are invited before starting with the regulatory body. You then have one year from the invitation to obtain your proof of recognition.
Stream 4: Exceptional Talent
- Exceptional expertise in your main occupation, with a proven track record of achievement.
- At least three years practising that occupation in the five years before applying.
- Either an achievement on the Ministère’s published list, or a supporting opinion from a designated partner in strategic economic sectors, research, arts or sport.
How Arrima Invitations Work
The PSTQ is an expression-of-interest system. You file a declaration of interest in Arrima, it is scored, and it sits in the bank until the ministry runs an invitation round.
Rounds are typically monthly. The ministry extracts the bank on a set date, applies criteria, and invites candidates above a cut-off score. Under section 45 of the Québec Immigration Act, the criteria and the score threshold for each round are published afterwards.
Rounds are not a single sweep. Each is split into several exercises, each with its own occupation list and its own cut-off. In practice this means the score you need depends heavily on which occupation you declared.
Invitation criteria in 2026 have consistently favoured candidates who are staying in Quebec, hold a Quebec diploma, speak French at the required level, and work in a priority sector.
Applying Step by Step
- Identify the NOC code for your main occupation and its FEER category.
- Confirm which stream applies, and check that stream’s specific requirements.
- Estimate your score against the Ministère’s published selection factors.
- Submit or update your declaration of interest in Arrima. Declarations filed under the old programme must be revised against PSTQ criteria.
- Wait for an invitation. Criteria and thresholds are published after each round.
- Assemble your documents: proof of French, diplomas, work references, proof of funds, and any Quebec licence or recognition.
- Submit your application for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) within the deadline in your invitation.
- Once you hold the CSQ, apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
Fees and Processing
Quebec adjusts its immigration fees each 1 January. 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. Fees are paid in Arrima by credit card and are non-refundable, even if the application is refused.
These amounts cover Quebec selection only. Federal permanent residence fees are separate and additional. For a broader view of timelines across Canadian programmes, see our guide to immigration processing times.
If Quebec is one option among several you are weighing, it is worth comparing against the federal Express Entry system, which operates on entirely different criteria and does not require French. A wider view of provincial options is set out in our Quebec immigration overview.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the official English name of Quebec’s skilled worker programme?
Québec.ca calls it the Skilled Worker Selection Program, translating the French Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ). Some official pages render it as the Qualified Worker Selection Program instead. The older names Regular Skilled Worker Program, PRTQ and QSWP refer to the predecessor programme and are no longer current.
Do I need a job offer to qualify for the PSTQ?
No. A job offer is not a requirement in any of the four streams. A validated offer does add points to your Arrima score, and offers outside the Montréal region are worth more than offers within it, so it can meaningfully improve your ranking.
What level of French do I need?
It depends on your stream and occupation category. Stream 1 and FEER 0–2 candidates in Stream 3 need oral level 7 and written level 5 on the Échelle québécoise. Stream 2 and FEER 3–5 candidates in Stream 3 need spoken level 5. An accompanying spouse needs spoken level 4 in every case.
Is the PEQ open again, and should I use it instead of the PSTQ?
The PEQ reopened temporarily on 2 July 2026 and runs to 2 July 2028, with a first application window from 2 July to 31 October 2026. Applications in the two programmes are processed in parallel with no priority given to either. You may file in both, but you pay both examination fees and neither is refunded.
How many people does Quebec invite in each PSTQ round?
It varies sharply. Stream 1 rounds ran between roughly 890 and 1,100 invitations per month through the first half of 2026, then dropped to 74 in July and 105 at the end of July once the PEQ reopened. Separate rounds are held for Streams 2, 3 and 4.
How is my Arrima score calculated?
The Ministère publishes a scoring grid covering human capital factors such as French, age, education and work experience, alongside factors reflecting Quebec’s needs, including in-demand occupations, Quebec diplomas, Quebec work experience, time spent outside the Montréal region and validated job offers. Where two candidates tie, Arrima ranks by the time the declaration was submitted.
Ready to Begin?
Create or update your declaration of interest in Arrima, review your score, and start gathering the documents you’ll need. With strong French skills, relevant work experience and a strategic profile, you can maximise your chances of receiving an invitation and building a future in Quebec.