PSTQ:
Quebec's Skilled Worker Selection Program
The main road to permanent residence for workers who choose Quebec: 4 streams, a 1,400-point grid and targeted Arrima draws. See how it works and where your profile stands.
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The PSTQ (Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés) is how Quebec picks its skilled workers. Since November 2024 it has replaced the former PRTQ and its points-only Arrima draws with 4 distinct streams and targeted, sector-based invitations. This guide covers the streams, the French requirements, the 1,400-point grid and the latest draw results, in English.
What is the PSTQ?
You do not apply to the PSTQ directly. You first submit a free expression of interest in Arrima, the platform run by MIFI (Quebec's immigration ministry). Your profile receives a score out of 1,400 points based on French, age, education, work experience, job offer and family factors.
MIFI then runs targeted draws by stream and by sector: healthcare, education, construction trades, Quebec graduates and more. Each draw has its own cut-off. If you are invited, you file your application for permanent selection to obtain the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ), then federal permanent residence with IRCC.
- 1Expression of interest in Arrima · Free and valid 12 months. Your profile is scored out of 1,400 points: French, age, education, experience, job offer, family.
- 2Invitation in a draw · MIFI invites by stream and by targeted exercise (healthcare, trades, Quebec graduates and more). Every draw has its own cut-off.
- 3Application for permanent selection (CSQ) · After the invitation, you file your complete application with supporting documents within the stated deadline.
- 4Federal permanent residence · With the CSQ in hand, you file the PR application with IRCC (medical exams, background checks, biometrics).
The 4 PSTQ streams
Your stream depends on the TEER category of your occupation (NOC 2021) and your situation.
Highly qualified and specialized skills
TEER 0, 1 or 2 occupations (management, professional, technical)
- French: oral level 7+ and written level 5+
- 12 months of full-time experience within the last 5 years
- Diploma of at least 1 year related to the occupation (DEP, AEC, DEC or university)
Intermediate and manual skills
TEER 3, 4 or 5 occupations (trades, material handling, services)
- French: oral level 5+
- 12 months of experience in Quebec, 24 months total (max 12 months outside Quebec counted)
- Minimum diploma: high school, DEP, ASP or AEC
Regulated professions
Occupations on the MIFI regulated list (healthcare, engineering, law and more)
- Authorization to practise in Quebec or recognition of equivalence (5 years old or less)
- French: oral 7+ (TEER 0-2) or 5+ (TEER 3-5), written 5+ for TEER 0-2
Exceptional talent
Internationally recognized expertise contributing to Quebec’s prosperity
- Achievement on the MIFI list or an opinion from a designated partner (MEIE, FRQ, CALQ, INS)
- 36 months of experience within the last 5 years
- Selection at MIFI’s discretion, no points draw
Common conditions: be 18 or older and sign the financial self-sufficiency contract (3 months). Source: quebec.ca.
French requirements: the entry ticket
French is non-negotiable in the PSTQ. The minimum is oral level 5 on the Quebec scale, and it rises to oral level 7 plus written level 5 for stream 1 and for TEER 0-2 regulated professions in stream 3. You prove your level with a recognized test (TEFAQ, TCF Quebec) taken within the last 2 years.
| Stream | Minimum French level |
|---|---|
| Stream 1 · Highly qualified skills | Oral 7+ · written 5+ |
| Stream 2 · Intermediate and manual skills | Oral 5+ |
| Stream 3 · Regulated professions (TEER 0-2) | Oral 7+ · written 5+ |
| Stream 3 · Regulated professions (TEER 3-5) | Oral 5+ |
| Stream 4 · Exceptional talent | No published minimum |
Levels refer to the Quebec scale of French proficiency (Échelle québécoise). Oral level 7 is intermediate-advanced.
How the 1,400-point grid works
Your Arrima profile is scored out of 1,400 points across three blocks:
Human capital · 520 points
French proficiency (the biggest single factor), age, education level and work experience. This is the block you carry wherever you are in the world.
Quebec labour market needs · 700 points
Occupation in demand, validated job offer, Quebec diploma, Quebec work experience and settling outside the Montreal area. This block explains why targeted draws favour people already connected to Quebec.
Adaptation factors · 180 points
Accompanying spouse profile (French, age, education), family in Quebec and previous stays in the province.
Latest Arrima draw · June 26, 2026
501 invitations across the 4 streams. Official quebec.ca data, updated June 26, 2026.
| Healthcare, education | 628 points |
| Food service, manufacturing | 726 points |
| Manufacturing, skilled trades | 656 points |
| Healthcare support | 628 points |
| Food service, hospitality | 726 points |
| TEER 4-5 occupations | 628 points |
| Regulated professions (published floor) | 475 points |
First exceptional talent invitations in the program's history · selection at MIFI's discretion, no points cut-off.
Why volumes dropped in this draw
Since the PEQ reopened on July 2, 2026, MIFI splits Quebec Selection Certificates roughly 50/50 between the PEQ and the PSTQ until 2029. That is why this draw issued 501 invitations instead of the 1,500 to 2,000 seen earlier in the year. Stream 3 published a floor of 475 points, and stream 4 issued its first 7 invitations ever.
2026 draws: invitations targeted candidates residing in Quebec (except stream 4). Draw criteria (sectors, Quebec diploma, TEER) change every month. Since the PEQ reopened on July 2, 2026, MIFI splits CSQs equally between the PEQ and the PSTQ, hence reduced PSTQ volumes. First stream 4 (exceptional talent) invitations were issued on June 26, 2026.
Would your score clear the cut-offs?
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PSTQ vs Express Entry: two different doors
Quebec selects its own immigrants. Through the PSTQ you obtain a CSQ first, then federal permanent residence; the CRS score never applies. Express Entry, the federal system, leads to PR anywhere in Canada except Quebec.
Strong French plus no Quebec ties? Compare both doors before you commit: the same profile can win in one system and stall in the other. Our Montreal team works daily with both.
Read the Express Entry guidePSTQ: frequently asked questions
What is the PSTQ?+
Is French required for the PSTQ?+
Do I have to live in Quebec to apply?+
How are PSTQ draws decided?+
What is the difference between the PSTQ and Express Entry?+
How long does the PSTQ process take?+
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