On December 13, Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) published results of a Skilled Worker Selection Program (Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés – PSTQ) draw held earlier in the month. A total of 1,870 invitations were issued across all four PSTQ streams—highly qualified skills, intermediate/manual skills, regulated professions and exceptional talent.
The selection round is notable for two reasons. First, it ends a three-month pause that had left many Arrima-profile holders in limbo. Second, MIFI refined its scoring grid to give extra points to candidates willing to live outside the Montreal Metropolitan Community, a response to regional labour shortages in manufacturing, agri-food and health care.
![Quebec invites 1,870 skilled workers in first PSTQ draw since September]()
Cut-off scores ranged from 535 to 781, depending on stream and region. Manufacturing occupations such as welders, machinists and sheet-metal workers dominated Stream 1 and Stream 2 invitations, while Stream 3 focused on regulated professionals—including engineers and physicians—who already hold Quebec licensure. Only 12 invitations went to Stream 4 “exceptional talent” applicants, but those candidates benefit from priority processing and concierge support.
For employers, the draw re-opens a critical pipeline. Quebec’s distinct selection authority means PSTQ nominees can secure Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) approvals in as little as six months—a faster route than waiting for federal category draws. Regional mayors in Sherbrooke and Saguenay have already issued statements encouraging invitees to consider local settlement incentives such as housing subsidies and free French classes for spouses.
Mobility takeaway: Companies with operations in Quebec should revisit retention bonuses and language-training budgets; the new regional weighting makes it easier to attract foreign talent to plants outside Montreal but also heightens competition among employers for francophone professionals.
The selection round is notable for two reasons. First, it ends a three-month pause that had left many Arrima-profile holders in limbo. Second, MIFI refined its scoring grid to give extra points to candidates willing to live outside the Montreal Metropolitan Community, a response to regional labour shortages in manufacturing, agri-food and health care.
Cut-off scores ranged from 535 to 781, depending on stream and region. Manufacturing occupations such as welders, machinists and sheet-metal workers dominated Stream 1 and Stream 2 invitations, while Stream 3 focused on regulated professionals—including engineers and physicians—who already hold Quebec licensure. Only 12 invitations went to Stream 4 “exceptional talent” applicants, but those candidates benefit from priority processing and concierge support.
For employers, the draw re-opens a critical pipeline. Quebec’s distinct selection authority means PSTQ nominees can secure Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) approvals in as little as six months—a faster route than waiting for federal category draws. Regional mayors in Sherbrooke and Saguenay have already issued statements encouraging invitees to consider local settlement incentives such as housing subsidies and free French classes for spouses.
Mobility takeaway: Companies with operations in Quebec should revisit retention bonuses and language-training budgets; the new regional weighting makes it easier to attract foreign talent to plants outside Montreal but also heightens competition among employers for francophone professionals.
Source: CIC News
