Settling permanently in Québec

Application fees

• $895 for the graduate
• $192 for the spouse or common law partner accompanying the graduate and for each dependent child

Fees in effect as of January 1, 2024. They may be modified without notice. You must pay the fees by credit card and online through the Arrima platform when you submit your application.

Processing time

The processing time is approximately 6 months.

Québec experience program (PEQ) applications must be completed entirely online through the Arrima platform. This involves submitting the application form and supporting documents as well as paying the processing fees all online.

To learn more about the Arrima platform so you can apply for a CSQ through the PEQ, we encourage you to visit the following sites:

• Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program) — Applying for permanent selection
• Support capsules [in French only]
• Frequently asked questions  [in French only]

Here are a few more details: 

• If you already have an Arrima account, you can use that account. 
• Provide scanned documents in color.
• Some apps, such as Genius Scan, let you scan documents using a smartphone or tablet. 
• Make only one PDF file for each type of document that is requested. 

At any time while MIFI is assessing your application, it may ask you for the original or certified true copy of documents you sent in. So it is important to have the original or certified true copy of documents in your possession. 

Main eligibility requirements

At the time you apply, you must:

• Be planning to settle in Québec to work (excluding employment with a company over which you exercise legal or de facto control, for example if you are self-employed or the owner, and employment in an ineligible sector).
• Be legally in Québec when you submit your application.
• Have fulfilled the requirements of your stay as an international student.
• Be at least 18 years old.
• Have fulfilled the requirements of your stay as an international student.
• Hold a PEQ-eligible Québec diploma (Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD) that you earned in the three years before you apply. Your Québec diploma is not PEQ-eligible if you completed over 50% of the study program outside Québec (there are no COVID-19 pandemic exceptions).
• Have studied in French if you applied on or after November 23, 2024. This can be proven by meeting one of these criteria:
  • Have completed at least 75% of the courses or credits in your PEQ-eligible program of study in French; or
  • Have successfully completed at least 3 years of full-time secondary or post-secondary education in French in Québec or abroad.
• Have a minimum knowledge of spoken French (level 7) and written French (level 5). This knowledge of French can be demonstrated in various ways, including if you have completed your study program entirely in French in Québec, including your thesis if applicable. Be aware that if you submitted your thesis partially or totally in English, you must demonstrate your level of French by other means.
• Partner/spouse included in the application must a minimum knowledge of spoken French (level 4).
• Have obtained an attestation of learning about democratic and Québec values within the time limit. If your partner/spouse and dependent children 18 years of age or older are included in your application, they also have to obtain an attestation. There are two ways to get the attestation:
  • Complete the online assessment. A few weeks or months after you submit your application for permanent selection, you will receive a message in your Arrima account inviting you to take the necessary steps to obtain it. As soon as you receive that message, you have 60 days to do the assessment.
  • Attend the Objectif Intégration information session (available through various places, including Option-travail and Centre R.I.R.E. 2000). You can attend the session before or after submitting your application for permanent selection. The attestation remains valid for two years.
• Commit to providing for your basic needs (and those of your family if they are included in your application) for three months.
• Please note that MIFI may at any time require further proof or an interview to verify your knowledge of French or any other information provided in the application.

You are not eligible for the PEQ if:

• You are on a scholarship that includes a clause stipulating that you return to your country, unless you have already fulfilled this condition.
• You completed over 50% of your study program outside Québec (there are no COVID-19 pandemic exceptions).

Université Laval documents to include with your application package are:

• Proof-of-graduation documents. These 2 documents will be available on the dates indicated on the website of the Secretary General’s Office’s [in French only]. If you have any overdue balances on your Université Laval student account (tuition fees, unpaid rent, etc.), no official documents confirming the completion of your studies will be issued to you. After your graduation date, your final transcript will be automatically mailed to the address indicated in Capsule within two to four weeks. Your transcript will likely be accompanied by your diploma.
  • Diploma or certificate of achievement. At Université Laval, the certificate of achievement requested by MIFI is called an “attestation de diplôme” and is issued by the Secretary General’s Office. You must order it online [page in French only]. Please note: the digital version is not accepted by MIFI. You must scan the paper version.
  • Official final transcript with the mention “grade obtenu.” You can order it online in the “Documents officiels” menu of monPortail for $9. Transcripts printed from Capsule are not accepted.
• Proof that your thesis or memoir has been written in French, if required: You must apply for a personalized registration certificate ($9). In the section «Type d’attestation» (type of certification), select «Attestation d’inscription personnalisée en français» (personalized registration certificate in French) and specify in the space provided for this purpose that you want to have a certificate stating that you did your dissertation or your thesis entirely in French.
• Letter stating the absence of a return to your native country clause: for the scholarship received from Université Laval, send an email to the Bureau des bourses et de l'aide financière at info@bbaf.ulaval.ca. Include your full name and NI in the email as well as a mention that you need this letter to apply to the PEQ.  

Form and additional information

Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ –Québec experience program)
Application form
 

The PEQ for temporary workers may be open to others, including the spouses of international students with an open work permit.

Main eligibility requirements

• Be at least 18 and planning to settle in Québec to work.
• Be legally in Québec when you submit your application.
• Have fulfilled the requirements of your stay.
• Legally hold, and have held for at least 24 of the last 36 months, a job in TEER category 0, 1, 2, or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) in Québec (see our National Occupational Classification page for more information). This job must not be in an ineligible sector or for a company over which you exercise legal or de facto control. 
• Have a minimum knowledge of spoken French (level 7).
• Partner/spouse a minimum knowledge of spoken French (level 4).
• Have obtained an attestation of learning about democratic and Québec values within the time limit. If your partner/spouse and dependent children 18 years of age or older are included in your application, they also have to obtain an attestation. There are two ways to get the attestation:
  • Complete the online assessment. A few weeks or months after you submit your application for permanent selection, you will receive an email with the necessary information. Keep an eye on your inbox and spam folder.
  • Attend the Objectif Intégration information session (available through various places, including Option-travail and Centre R.I.R.E. 2000). You can attend the session before or after submitting your application for permanent selection. The attestation remains valid for two years.
• Commit to providing for your basic needs (and those of your family if they are included in your application) for three months.

Form and additional information
Programme de l'expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program)
Application form
 

The Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP) is intended for anyone who wants to settle in Québec to work.

To apply to the RSWP, you first have to submit an expression of interest through Arrima. This step is free of charge. The expression of interest (EI) remains valid for one year.

Next, you may be invited to apply for a CSQ through the RSWP. You get awarded points (in French only) based on various criteria. Fill out a self-assessment (in French only) to get an idea of your score. Points are given for certain criteria. Here are some examples:

• Education: Level of education, field of training, and Québec diplomas; to be considered, you must have your diploma before submitting your expression of interest
• Validated job offer (in French only)
• Full-time occupation at the time of submitting your expression of interest
• Work experience gained during the 5 years before the date you submitted your expression of interest; this includes paid or unpaid internships during your education; you will earn different points for work experience gained in Québec, elsewhere in Canada, or elsewhere in the world
• Language proficiency: It is a good idea to take the MIFI recognized language tests before completing your expression of interest

There are regular draws inviting people to apply for a CSQ. To be considered, you have to first submit your expression of interest. Invitations are based on one or more criteria, such as a combination of your score and occupation or simply the fact that you have a validated job. The criteria used in the latest round of invitations are available on the MIFI website: Invitations. Oral proficiency in French (level 7 or higher) is an essential condition to be invited to apply.

After you submit an expression of interest, potential employers will be able to access your profile, which will have your identifying information removed from view. If they are interested in your skills, they will be able to make a request via Arrima to contact you and possibly offer you a job.

If you receive an invitation to apply, you have to submit your application and pay the fees within 60 days and provide the various documents needed to process your application. Your application will then be assessed based on several selection factors and criteria. The selection grid (in French only) is not the same as the criteria and scoring (in French only) used in assessing the expression of interest. Also, getting invited to apply for a CSQ does not necessarily mean you will get one.

The Québec government has set up pilot programs for selecting workers in specific employment sectors.

The “artificial intelligence” stream of the permanent immigration pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors has certain requirements that make it ideal for Québec graduates.

See the government webpages to learn about the different requirements for these pilot programs:

• Permanent immigration pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors
• Permanent immigration pilot program for orderlies
• Permanent immigration pilot program for workers in food processing
   

You have to apply online. Information about the Quebec-selected skilled workers program and the application package can be found on IRCC website.

• Within 4 to 8 months after sending your application, you will receive a confirmation of receipt of your application with your file number and instructions for communicating with the IRCC office processing your application.
• Do not try to contact IRCC or send any other documents until you have received your confirmation of receipt and file number.
• Once CIC has received your application, notify them of any:
  • Change of mailing address, telephone number, or email
  • Change in marital status (marriage, divorce, etc.)
  • Birth of a child outside Canada

You and your family members (children and spouse) — whether they are traveling with you or not —must undergo a medical exam in order to become permanent residents. IRCC will send you detailed instructions, including medical exam forms and a list of physicians in your area who are authorized to perform medical exams for immigration cases. Do not have a medical exam before submitting your application. The list of approved physicians is available at the IRCC website.

A temporary public policy for medical exams exempts many in-Canada applicants from medical requirements. For more information, go to Medical exam for permanent resident applicants.

You must submit a valid police certificate or a certified criminal record check for each country, other than Canada, in which you or your family members have lived six or more consecutive months since the age of 18. The certificate must have been issued after your last period of residence in the country in question, and it is normally valid for one year.

Detailed, up-to-date information on how to get a police certificate from every country is available at the IRCC website.

Biometrics must be collected as part of an application for permanent residence, even if you have already given them to get a study or work permit. Instructions about this will be provided to you after your case file has been opened.

The processing fee is $950 for the principal applicant and their spouse and is $260 for each dependent child. These fees must be included with your application (fees in effect in April 2024).

If your application is successful, you will need to pay the right of permanent residence fee. It is $575 for the principal applicant and their spouse (fees in effect in April 2024). You can choose to pay this fee at the beginning of your application or at the end.

The processing time is on the IRCC website.