Quebec’s Immigration Ministry, the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI), will introduce an Expression of Interest (Déclaration d’intérêt) application intake system to help facilitate permanent immigration applications under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program. The act enabling this new system will come into effect on August 2, 2018.
The new system will replace the current first-come, first-served application process for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).
The process of applying immigration under the Quebec Skilled Worker program, or what the government calls the Regular Skilled Worker Program, will include the following steps for candidates:
1. Submission of an Expression of Interest to settle in Quebec and entry into Quebec’s Expression of Interest Bank.
2. Successful selection from the Quebec Expression of Interest Bank results in an invitation to apply for the QSWP.
3. Submission of an application for a Quebec Selection Certificate, or certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) to the MIDI.
4. Submission of a Canadian permanent residence application to the federal government.
After the initial step of submitting an Expression of Interest to MIDI, candidates will be entered into the Quebec Expression of Interest Bank.
Quebec immigration candidates who meet the requirements, cut-off thresholds and passing scores for the program will be considered for selection.
How candidates will be selected from Quebec’s Expression of Interest Bank
Any foreign national 18 or older may submit an expression of interest to the province.
To be selected from the Expression of Interest bank, a candidate will be assigned a score based a set of criteria not yet revealed by the Government of Quebec.
Candidates selected to apply for a CSQ under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program will need to demonstrate that they have met the passing scores required for the program based on the QSWP Points Grid.
Quebec Skilled Worker candidates who meet the initial requirements for education and financial self-sufficiency must then meet the required cut-off score of 43 points for Employability factors.
If a candidate has a spouse, his or her education and training, work experience and language proficiency will be considered towards a candidates overall cut-off score.The Employability cut-off score for candidates with a spouse or common-law partner is 52.
Candidates selected to apply for a CSQ under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program will also be required to meet the minimum threshold for Selection factors, which is a passing score of 50 points (and 59 with a spouse or common-law partner). Selection factors take into consideration all Employability factors, the presence of accompanying children and the ability to demonstrate financial self-sufficiency.
Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) candidates who submit a profile to the program’s new Expression of Interest Bank will be classed in two groups — one group for candidates with a job offer or who are living in Quebec and meet specific criteria, and another for candidates living outside of Quebec.
According to regulations published August 1, the first group is for candidates who:
have a job offer in Quebec; OR
are residing in Quebec with the principal goal of working and
have a work permit and an eligible degree from a Quebec educational institution; OR
have a work permit that is valid for 12 months or more, six-months of full-time work experience and are currently working full-time.
This first group will be ranked on the basis of scores obtained under the following seven factors:
Age
Quebec diploma
Canadian or U.S. work experience
Proficiency in French
Knowledge of other languages
Education
A spouse or common-law partner’s education and proficiency in French.
Candidates in this group will also receive points for the following “Skill Transferability” combinations:
Education combined with proficiency in French (either their own or, if applicable, their spouse’s — whichever score is highest);
Education combined with work experience in Canada or the US and proficiency in French;
Foreign work experience combined with proficiency in French;
Foreign work experience combined with work experience in Canada or the U.S. and proficiency in French.
The second group is for candidates who do not reside in Quebec.
Candidates in this group will be ranked based on scores obtained under the following eight factors:
Age
Quebec diploma
Canadian or U.S. work experience
Area of Training
Proficiency in French
Knowledge of other languages
Education
A spouse or common-law partner’s education and proficiency in French.
Candidates in this second group will also receive points for the Skill Transferability combinations listed above.
The regulations state that Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration (MIDI) could issue invitations to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, or CSQ) to the highest scoring candidates or based on selection criteria or conditions that are deemed a priority.
