Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) — Stream 1: Highly qualified and specialized skills
Quebec's main skilled-worker route for people whose main occupation falls in FEER (TEER) categories 0, 1 or 2 and is not a regulated profession they intend to practise. Candidates are ranked in Arrima and invited in stream-specific exercises. Those selected receive a Quebec Selection Certificate and then apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
Invitation only
Access is only by invitation: candidates first file a declaration of interest in Arrima and may apply for permanent selection only if invited.
Status
Job offer
How you apply
Key requirements
| Age | 18 years or older (general PSTQ condition) |
| Education | A diploma from a full-time program of at least one year that qualifies the applicant for the main occupation (vocational, college or university level) |
| Language | French required on the Quebec scale (Échelle québécoise): spoken level 7 or higher and written level 5 or higher for the principal applicant; an accompanying spouse must reach spoken level 4 or higher |
| Work experience | At least one year of paid work experience in the main occupation during the five years before applying |
| Job offer | Not required |
| Ties to Quebec | No Quebec experience or diploma is required to be eligible, but invitation exercises in 2025-2026 have prioritized candidates already in Quebec, with a Quebec diploma, working in the regions or in high-demand occupations |
| How you apply | Expression of Interest (EOI) — you register a profile and wait to be invited |
| Points system | PSTQ invitation-criteria scoring in Arrima — declarations of interest are scored and ranked in the Arrima bank and invitations are issued by stream and exercise |
| Employer requirements | The intended job must not be in a business the applicant owns or controls and must not be in an ineligible sector (e.g. payday loans, cheque cashing/pawnbroking, sex industry) |
Summary only — requirements change and details decide real cases. Always confirm the full criteria on the official program page before applying: https://www.quebec.ca/en/immigration/permanent/skilled-workers/skilled-worker-selection-program/requirements (this record was verified against that source on 23 Oct 2026). This page is general information, not legal or immigration advice.
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