Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ): The 4 Streams Explained

The PSTQ is the program Quebec uses to select most skilled workers for permanent residence. It covers every occupation on the Quebec job market, from managers and engineers to trades and manual jobs. It replaced the Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés (PRTQ, Regular Skilled Worker Program). Only people invited before November 29, 2024, could still apply under the PRTQ.

Quebec, not the federal government, decides who is selected. This is why the PSTQ has nothing to do with Express Entry scores or the Provincial Nominee Program. If Quebec approves you, it issues a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). You then apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

To be eligible in any stream, you must:

• intend to settle in Quebec to take a job that you are able to do,
• not work for a company that you control, directly or indirectly, and
• not work in an ineligible field (payday loans, check cashing or pawnbroking, or the sex industry).

Your main occupation, as you list it in your expression of interest, decides your stream. Quebec uses the TEER level of the National Occupational Classification (NOC). TEER stands for Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities. It is the second digit of the five-digit NOC code.

Accompanying spouses need spoken French at level 4 in Streams 1 and 3. Quebec does not list a spouse French requirement for Streams 2 and 4. See French requirements for Quebec for tests and levels.

Stream 1: Highly qualified and specialized skills

• Main occupation in TEER 0, 1, or 2, and you can work without a professional license (or in a setting where none is required).
• At least one year of full-time (or equivalent) paid experience in that occupation in the five years before you apply. Up to three months of required internships can count.
• A diploma from a program of at least one year of full-time study, equal to a Quebec vocational diploma (DEP), college diploma (AEC or DEC), or a university credential. Quebec diplomas must meet minimum hours or credits.
• French: oral level 7 and written level 5.

Stream 2: Intermediate and manual skills

• Main occupation in TEER 3, 4, or 5, with no license needed.
• At least two years of paid experience in the last five years, with at least one year in Quebec. Experience outside Quebec counts for up to one year.
• At least a high school diploma equal to a Quebec DES, or a one-year vocational or college program.
• French: oral level 5.

Because it needs Quebec work experience, Stream 2 mainly suits people already working in Quebec on a work permit.

Stream 3: Regulated professions

• Your occupation must be on Quebec's list of regulated professions, and the job you intend to do must actually require authorization.
• You need a document from the Quebec regulator: a license to practice, or proof of partial or full recognition of your training dated within five years.
• You have one year after accepting your invitation to get this document, so Quebec suggests waiting for the invitation before you start with the regulator.
• Nurses, engineers, and many health workers fall here.

Stream 4: Exceptional talent

• You must stand out clearly in your field, with a record of achievements.
• You prove this with an achievement on Quebec's official list, or with an opinion from a Quebec partner organization in strategic economic sectors, research, arts, or sports.
• At least three years in your main occupation in the last five years.

All four streams share some requirements:

• Financial self-sufficiency contract. You sign a contract showing you can support yourself and your family for three months after you become a permanent resident. Quebec publishes the minimum amounts, which depend on family size.
• Values attestation. You must obtain the Attestation d'apprentissage des valeurs démocratiques et des valeurs québécoises (attestation of learning about democratic and Quebec values). Family members aged 18 or older also need it.
• Scholarship conditions. If a scholarship requires you to return to your home country, you must respect that condition.

You do not need a job offer, and you do not need to be working in your main occupation when you are invited. A job offer validated by Quebec can, however, be used as an invitation criterion.

You file your expression of interest in Arrima. It is free and stays valid for 12 months. You can update it, but updates do not extend the 12 months.

Quebec then invites people in three steps:

1. Stream targeting. Quebec picks profiles by main occupation that meet most of the stream's rules on French, experience, and education.
2. Profile targeting (optional). Quebec can add criteria, such as a Quebec diploma, a specific occupation, a region, or a validated job offer.
3. Highest scores. Quebec invites the top-scoring people in that group until it reaches its target.

There is no random draw. Minimum scores change from round to round and differ by stream, so comparing them across streams is not useful. Quebec published rounds covering all four streams in 2026. Check MIFI's invitation results page for the latest criteria.

After an invitation, you have 30 days to accept or decline it. If you do nothing, your expression of interest is cancelled.

Quebec's application fees as of January 1, 2026 (adjusted every January 1):

You pay by credit card, and the fee is not refunded if Quebec refuses or rejects your application. Federal permanent residence fees are separate and paid to IRCC later.

As for timing, as of September 2026 Quebec's website said it was reviewing PSTQ applications received in January 2026, with some older files still pending. If Quebec asks for missing documents, you get 60 days to send them. IRCC's processing of your permanent residence application comes after that. Check the processing times tool for the federal step.

A CSQ is not permanent residence. You must apply to IRCC as a Quebec-selected skilled worker and pass medical, security, and criminal checks.

While you wait:

• If you live abroad and hold a CSQ that is 24 months old or less, or are waiting on your permanent residence decision, you may qualify for an open work permit under the federal IMP+ measure, which lets you start working in Quebec sooner.
• If you already work in Quebec, make sure your work permit stays valid. You may qualify for an employer-specific, LMIA-exempt work permit without a new Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ).

Keep in mind that your main occupation cannot change after you accept an invitation. If you want to switch occupations, you must decline or let the invitation lapse and file a new expression of interest.

The PSTQ fits best if you:

• speak French at the level your stream needs, or can get there,
• plan to live in Quebec long term, and
• have recent experience in your main occupation.

If you are a recent Quebec graduate or have two years of skilled work in Quebec, also look at the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) while it is open. If you want to live elsewhere in Canada, compare Express Entry and provincial programs such as the Ontario Workforce Priority Stream or the New Brunswick Strategic Initiative for French speakers.