Immigration to Quebec-Skilled Workers
Skilled workers who wish to settle in Québec and receive Canada permanent residence must meet requirements of both the selection and the admission. The government of Québec is responsible for selection of applicants. As a preliminary step, applicants can evaluate their chance of being selected by Québec using an online evaluation tool. Selected Candidates will receive a Québec selection certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec) and those who successfully apply for a permanent resident visa, and successfully pass a medical examination and the required security checks will be admitted (will receive Canada permanent residence). Note that there are also some requirements for applicants’ families (both in the selection and the admission steps) that must be met.

Selection
Selection factors and requirements for Québec-selected skilled workers are different than of the federal skilled workers. Professional and skilled workers who wish to be selected by Québec to immigrate to Canada must hold at least a diploma equivalent to a Québec secondary school or vocational diploma. The diploma or degree must have been obtained in the five years preceding the Québec Selection Certificate application date. The applicant must have worked for at least one year out of the five years in a field directly related to the diploma or degree obtained.
Applicants who apply for Canada residence under the Québec-selected skilled workers program will be assessed against nine selection criteria as follow:
Area of training: applicant’s training is assessed based on the List of Areas of Training. This list has been compiled with particular regard to Québec job market demand.
Work experience: the applicant’s work experience must be in a job with a skill level above “D” on NOC and have to be gained in the five years preceding the date of submission of an application for a selection certificate.
Age: Applicants between the ages of 18 and 35 will obtain the maximum point
Language abilities: having adequate knowledge of French is an essential requirement and knowledge of English is also an asset but not to be overlooked.
Stay in Québec and having Canadian relatives: applicant’s stay in Québec and his/her family relationship with a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident of Québec is awarded.
Accompanying spouse’s characteristics: spouse’s characteristics, factors such as education, diploma, area of training, and experience, may be awarded.
Financial self-sufficiency: applicants are expected to be able to provide their needs (and their family’s needs) at least for the first three-month period after arrival in Québec. The following table shows the minimum amount of money that need to be demonstrated:

 

Note: Amounts (in Canadian dollars) in effect from January 1 to December 31, 2009. These amounts are updated every year.

Offer of arranged employment: this is an essential requirement. Applicant must receive a validated job offer from a Québec employer.
Accompanying dependent children: the number of applicant’s accompanying children may is awarded (for each child 12 years of age or younger 4 points and each child 13 to 21 years of age 2 points is scored – maximum 8 points).
Adaptability: this factor is assessed based on the plan and the steps that applicant has undertaken to be prepared for social and economical integration in Québec.

Admission
If the assessment of applicant in the selection step is positive, the Québec Selection Certificate is issued for applicant. Then, admission process starts and selected applicant must submit an application for permanent residence to the Canadian visa office or embassy that serves his/her country. The candidate, and his/her family members, (who may or may not accompany him/her) must pass the required medical examination and security checks. When all the requirements are met, a permanent residence visa will be issued by the Government of Canada.

 

Immigration to Quebec-Business people
Persons who wish to immigrate to Québec via business immigration can submit their application under three available programs: Entrepreneurs program, Investors program, and Self-employed program. Applicants (and their families) must meet requirements of both the selection and the admission processes. The selection of candidates is done by Quebec government and the admission is responsibility of federal government of Canada. These tow processes and the requirements for each program (Investors, Entrepreneurs, Self-employed persons) are described in following sections.

Selection
The selection process for candidates who meet the requirements of one of three business immigration programs starts with submitting an Application for a Selection Certificate and ends when the selected applicant receives CSQ, Québec selection certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec). This certificate is the official immigration document issued by the Québec government.

Admission
Business applicants, who are selected by the Québec government and received a CQS, also need to be admitted by the government of Canada. They, and their family members, (who may or may not accompany them) must pass the required medical examination and security checks. On arrival, those who do not present a safety or health public risk in Canada are granted Canada permanent resident status.

 

Investors
Businesspeople who want to apply under the Québec Investors program must:

Some other factors such as age, language skills, and the duration and nature of applicants’ training will also be considered in the evaluation of candidates’ application.

 

Entrepreneurs
Eligibility criteria for applicants who tend to apply under the Québec Entrepreneurs subcategory are as follow:

Some other factors such as applicants’ age (and, if applicable, their spouse’s age), their language skills, the duration and nature of applicants’ training, their personal qualities, and their knowledge of Québec will also be considered in the assessment of candidates’ application.
Permanent resident status of entrepreneurs is conditional and they must comply with following conditions after arriving in Québec:

These conditions must be fulfilled by entrepreneur for a period of at least one year within the period of three years after the day on which the entrepreneur becomes a permanent resident.

 

Self-employed persons
Persons who have at least two years of self-employment experience and want to create their own job in Québec are eligible for this program providing that their net assets is over C$100,000 and it is legally obtained with, if applicable, their accompanying spouse.
Following factors will also be considered in the assessment of candidates’ application:

 

For more information about immigration to Québec and to know how to apply under this program, you may contact our immigration bureau.

 

 

Quebec at a glance
Québec is in eastern Canada and is the second-largest province/territory, covering 1,542,056 sq. km. Québec with a population of 7.7 million people is the second most populated Canadian province/territory. The majority of Québec’s population lives in the province’s capital, Québec City, and in Montreal, Québec’s largest city. Quebec’s official language is French – it’s the only Canadian province/territory where English isn’t an official language. Quebec has its own legal code and immigration rules.
Québec City is the capital of Québec and is in south-east Quebec. Québec City with around 550,000 people is an attractive, historic city. The Winter Carnival is the most famous event in Québec City which attracts a lot of tourists every year.
Montreal is in south Quebec and with a population of 3.6 million people is Canada’s second-largest city. Montreal is wet, with rain spread quite consistently throughout the year. Winter days are very cold and the wind chill factor often makes them even colder than they are. Summer is hot and high humidity is common.