Arrima: How Quebec's Online Immigration Portal Works

Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) runs Arrima. As of September 2026, Quebec lists these online services in Arrima:

• the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ),
• the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), starting at 8:30 a.m. Montreal time on July 2, 2026,
• electronic document submission for students,
• the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (for the Quebec side of work permits), and
• a comparison tool for diplomas obtained outside Quebec.

Collective sponsorship of refugees abroad is listed as suspended until December 31, 2029.

Business immigration programs (Investor, Entrepreneur, Self-Employed) still use paper applications sent by mail.

To file an expression of interest for the PSTQ, you must intend to live and work in Quebec, in a job you can do, for a company you do not control, and outside the ineligible sectors.

You will enter details about:

• your identity, status, and contact information,
• your education and your accompanying spouse's education,
• every paid job and internship in the last five years (including required unpaid internships),
• your French test results (and your spouse's, if any), taken within the last two years,
• any job offer validated by Quebec, and
• for regulated professions, any assessment from the Quebec regulator (optional at this stage).

Your main occupation is the most important field. It decides your PSTQ stream. If you accept an invitation, that occupation cannot change.

Family members: your accompanying spouse can file their own expression of interest. Each of you must enter the other's number so the profiles are linked. Children under 18 are listed in your profile and cannot file their own.

Deadline to finish: once you create an expression of interest, you have 90 days to complete and submit it, or it is deleted.

A submitted expression of interest stays in the pool for 12 months. If Quebec does not invite you in that time, it expires.

• You cannot extend or renew it, but you can create a new one for free. Quebec copies your earlier information into the new profile, so review every field.
• Updating your profile does not reset the 12 months.
• You can withdraw it at any time.

You must keep your information up to date. If your French score, job, or family situation changes, update your profile. Wrong or old information can lead to a refused application later.

Quebec runs invitation rounds by stream. It first picks profiles that match a stream's requirements, may add targeting criteria (such as a Quebec diploma or a specific occupation), and then invites the highest scores. There is no random selection.

If you are invited:

1. You get a message in your Arrima message center and an email alert. Check your junk folder, but remember it is your job to check the message center itself.
2. You have 30 days to accept or decline. If you do nothing, your expression of interest becomes void and is removed.
3. After accepting, you have 60 days to submit your full application, documents, and fees (one year in the regulated professions stream).

As of January 1, 2026, the PSTQ application fee is C$940 for the main applicant and C$201 for each spouse or child. The fee is paid by credit card and is not refunded.

Only if you agree. In the Consent section of your expression of interest, you can allow your profile to appear in Quebec's Employer Portal (Portail employeurs). Quebec companies use it to find foreign workers. An employer might contact you about a temporary job or a permanent immigration program.

Being contacted by an employer does not mean you will be invited. Be careful with anyone who asks for money in exchange for a job offer. See our scam protection guide.

• Paying for access. Arrima is free, and Quebec says you do not need a paid representative. If you hire one, check that they are authorized to represent clients before MIFI. See how to verify a lawyer or consultant.
• Guessing your NOC code. Look up your main occupation's five-digit code before you start. A wrong code can put you in the wrong stream.
• Old French results. Tests must be recent. Plan your French test so the result is valid when you file and when you apply.
• Missing messages. Log in regularly. Invitations have firm deadlines.
• Fake government contacts. Quebec warns about people who pose as government representatives online. Rely on messages in your Arrima message center and on official Quebec.ca pages.