Quebec Immigration for Skilled Workers

Annually Quebec welcomes thousands of new immigrants who have been selected under the Skilled worker stream of the provincial program. In order to be selected as a successful immigrant under this stream, an applicant must meet certain requirements to prove his ability to integrate into the Quebec society and moreover must score sufficient points to be selected.

The factors based on which selection is conducted are as follows:

Education and area of training: Points are awarded per the highest level of education the applicant has achieved. For example, a 3-year Bachelor’s degree gives the applicant 10 points, whereas the master’s degree may give to the applicant 12 points. There is a minimal requirement to have completed high school as no applicant without high school will be processed further. In addition, points are awarded for the area of training the applicant was studying within the 5 years preceding the application submission. The area of training is determined by the list of areas of training and in addition there is a list of preferred areas of training according to which the applicants with training in the preferred areas receive priority processing.

Work experience during the last five years: The applicant’s work experience that have been acquired during the last 5 years is assessed and awarded points as well – the more work experience the applicant has, the more points he may score.

Age: Age is also a factor to be taken into consideration. The maximum points for this factor are awarded to the people between 18 to 35 years of age (16 points) and the points are decreasing with the applicant’s age so that anyone older than 43 years of age is not able to score any points at all.

Knowledge of English or French : Both Canada’s official languages are assessed in a total score calculation. The language ability is assessed based either on submitted proof of language ability or at the interview. The ability to speak French may give the applicant up to 16 points and the ability to speak English may give up to 6 points.

Previous visits to Quebec / relationship with Canadian citizens or permanent residents of Quebec: Previous visits and stays in Quebec ate taken into consideration as the applicant may have already got to know the province and the way of life in Quebec and as such may be able to integrate more successfully. The presence of relatives residing in Quebec may additionally provide more points as it is believed that having connections in the province will make it easier to integrate once in Quebec.

Ability to support oneself: Applicants are expected to become economically established, however for the first 3 months of their stay in the province they are expected to have sufficient funds (around $5,000 for the family of 4).

Offer of employment in Quebec: Having an offer of employment confirmed by Ministère de l'Immigration et des Communautés culturelles au Québec as well as by Service Canada can provide additional points towards final calculation, the offer of employment in Montreal may give 6 additional points, outside – 10 additional points.

Number of accompanying dependent children: Having children is a positive factor in assessing one’s application under the program – for each child that will be accompanying the applicant to Quebec, the family will be given additional 4 points, for a child older that 12 but younger than 21 – 2 points.

Adaptability: This factor is assessed based on the personal immigration plan and steps taken to facilitate integration into the Quebec society and economy.

Eligibility is assessed based on the points awarded for the above factors. The immigration program of Quebec is considered accessible mainly because the pass mark is usually easy to reach, provided that some of the above requirements are met.

You may wish to contact us to receive assessment of your case against the program’s requirements and further if you need any assistance with preparing documents in order to successfully apply under the Quebec program.