Quebec permanent immigration pilot programmes

Quebec has launched new pilot immigration programmes for workers in the food processing, orderly and technology sectors in order to meet urgent labour needs in several key industries.

Overview of the Quebec permanent immigration pilot programmes

Quebec’s pilot programmes have been developed to help the province find the talent it needs in several sectors facing labour shortages. The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) expects to issueQuebec Selection Certificates (CSQ)to a maximum of 600 principal applicants plus their family members each year under each of the three pilot programmes.

All three pilot programmes will be in force from November 2023 until 1 January 2026.

The food processing sector

This pilot programme provides a route to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers holding eligible employment in the food processing sector.

General requirements

• Be aged 18 or over
• Intend to settle in Quebec in order to work
• Have complied with the conditions of stay in Quebec
• Be able todemonstrate financial self-sufficiencyfor at least the first 3 months after arriving in Quebec

Education requirements

• Hold a qualification at least equivalent to a Quebec secondary school diploma or vocational diploma obtained from a full-time programme of at least 1 year

Work experience requirements

• Hold full-time employment in an eligible sector in Quebec;
• Have worked in eligible, paid, full-time employment for at least 24 months in Quebec in an eligible sector within the 36 months preceding the date of application;
• The work experience or employment must fall within one of the two eligible sectors under the Government of Canada’sNorth American Industry Classification System (NAICS):
  • NAICS 311 – Food manufacturing; or
  • NAICS 3121 – Beverage manufacturing

Language requirements

• Demonstrate knowledge of French equivalent to level 7 (upper intermediate) on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes, or the equivalent.

Target occupations

The work experience or current employment must correspond to one of the following occupations under theNational Occupational Classification (NOC):

• NOC 94141 – Industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers
• NOC 95106 – Labourers in food and beverage processing
• NOC 95107 – Labourers in fish and seafood processing
• NOC 65311 – Specialised cleaners
• NOC 94140 – Process control and machine operators in food and beverage processing
• NOC 85100 – Livestock labourers, chicken catcher positions only
• NOC 94142 – Fish and seafood plant workers

In addition, the work experience and/or current employment must fall within one of the eligible sectors under the Government of Canada’s North American Industry Classification System (NAICS):

• NAICS 311 – Food manufacturing
• NAICS 3121 – Beverage manufacturing.

The healthcare sector

This pilot programme provides a route to Canadian permanent residence for those who have been living in Quebec and working as orderlies, nurses’ aides or patient service associates. The programme is divided into two streams:

• Worker
• Worker – Study

General requirements for both streams

• Be aged 18 or over;
• Intend to settle in Quebec in order to work for a company over which the applicant exercises no direct or indirect legal control and no effective control;
• Have complied with the conditions of stay in Quebec;
• Demonstrate financial self-sufficiency for at least the first three months after arriving in Quebec.
• Demonstrate knowledge of French equivalent to level 7 (upper intermediate) on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes, or the equivalent. Read more here.

Worker stream

Education requirements

• Hold a qualification related to the orderly occupation obtained on completion of a full-time programme of at least one year;
• The qualification must be equivalent to a Quebec vocational diploma (DEP).

Work experience requirements

• At least 24 months of eligible work experience as an orderly in Quebec within the 36 months preceding the date of application; or
• At least 12 months in a healthcare occupation involving basic personal care outside Quebec and at least 12 months as an orderly in Quebec within the 36 months preceding the date of application;
• The work experience must have been acquired lawfully, and must have been paid and full-time.

Target occupations

The work experience or current employment must correspond to the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) code:

• NOC 33102 – Nurses’ aides, orderlies and patient service associates.

In addition, work experience may have been acquired outside Quebec in an occupation other than the one above, in which case it must correspond to one of the following NOC codes:

• NOC 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors;
• NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses;
• NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners;
• NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses.

Worker – Study stream

Education requirements

• Have obtained a Quebec Diploma of Vocational Studies (DVE) leading to practice in the eligible orderly occupation within the 24 months preceding the date of application;
• To qualify for the worker – study stream, applicants must have successfully completed the Institutional and Home Care Support Programme and hold a secondary-level vocational diploma.

Work experience requirements

• Have at least 12 months of work experience as an orderly in Quebec, accumulated within the 24 months preceding the date of application and after the date the programme of study was completed;
• The work experience must have been acquired lawfully, and must have been paid and full-time;
• On completing the programme of study, the applicant must be hired by a Quebec employer and obtain a work permit.

The artificial intelligence, information technology and visual effects sector

This permanent immigration pilot programme aims to attract and retain international students in Quebec in the field of artificial intelligence, as well as international talent working in the technology sector in Quebec or holding a job offer from a Quebec employer.
The programme is divided into two streams:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Information Technology and Visual Effects (IT/VE)

The programme aims to select 300 international students in Quebec and temporary workers in the AI field, along with 300 foreign workers in the IT/VE field.

General requirements

• Be aged 18 or over;
• Intend to settle in Quebec in order to work for a company over which the applicant exercises no direct or indirect legal control and no effective control;
• Have complied with the conditions of stay in Quebec, where applicable;
• Demonstrate financial self-sufficiency for at least the first three months after arriving in Quebec.

Language requirements

Both streams of this programme include French-speaking and non-French-speaking profiles (francisation).

• Those selected under the French-speaking profile must demonstrate knowledge of French equivalent to level 7 (upper intermediate) on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes, or the equivalent.
• Those selected under the non-French-speaking profile are automatically enrolled in a free personalised programme called “Accompagnement Québec”, which supports integration into Quebec society and the learning of French.

Artificial intelligence stream

Foreign workers

• Hold a qualification equivalent to a Quebec bachelor’s degree and have at least one year of full-time work experience within the five years preceding the application, in employment at NOC skill level 0, A or B; or
• Have obtained a qualification equivalent to a Quebec master’s or doctoral degree in the year preceding the application and hold or accept employment in Quebec in the AI field. The gross annual salary for the position must be at least US$75,000 if the employer is located outside the Montréal Metropolitan Community, or at least US$100,000 if it is within the Montréal Metropolitan Community.

International students in Quebec

• Hold a specialised graduate diploma (DESS), master’s degree or doctorate awarded by a Quebec educational institution within the past 24 months;
• Hold or accept full-time employment in Quebec in the AI field;
• Applicants holding a specialised graduate diploma (DESS) must hold full-time employment at National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill level 0, A or B for at least 6 months after completing their studies;
• Have lived in Quebec as an international student for at least half the duration of their programme of study.

Information technology and visual effects stream

Education requirements

• Hold a qualification equivalent to a Quebec college diploma in technical training, or a Quebec bachelor’s degree.

Work experience requirements

• Have held eligible full-time employment for at least 2 years; and
• Hold or accept eligible full-time employment at an hourly wage equivalent to the upper limit of the average wage for the occupation as set out on the Emploi-Québec website.

Target occupations

The work experience or current employment must correspond to one of the following occupations under the National Occupational Classification (NOC):

• NOC 0213 – Computer and information systems managers
• NOC 2133 – Electrical and electronics engineers
• NOC 2171 – Information systems analysts and consultants
• NOC 2173 – Software engineers and designers
• NOC 2174 – Computer programmers and interactive media developers
• NOC 2241 – Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
• NOC 2281 – Computer network technicians
• NOC 5131 – Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations,
• NOC 5225 – Audio and video recording technicians
• NOC 5241 – Graphic designers and illustrators

Ineligible types of employment

Under all three pilot programmes, applicants must not work, or have work experience, in any of the following sectors:

• Payday lending, cheque cashing or pawnbroking;
• The production, distribution or sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products or services connected with the sex industry, such as nude or erotic dancing, escort services or erotic massage.

The application process

Applicants who wish to immigrate to Québec under one of the three permanent immigration pilot programmes must apply on the online immigration platformArrima of Quebec.

Applications for Canadian permanent residence under the Quebec programmes follow a two-step process. Applicants must first apply to the Quebec government for a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). Once the CSQ has been issued, they may apply to the federal government for permanent residence.