Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs

What are the Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs?

The Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs (QIPP) are initiatives designed to address specific labor market shortages in the province. These programs target skilled workers in various industries and offer them a pathway to obtain permanent residency in Quebec.

Successful applicants receive a Quebec Selection Certificate (QSC). The CSQ serves as an official document indicating that an individual has been selected by Quebec to apply for permanent residency.

By participating in these pilot programs, foreign workers can contribute to the economic development of Quebec while fulfilling their career aspirations.

Quebec Pilot Programs for Workers in Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Visual Effects

One of the prominent Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs is tailored for foreign workers or Quebec graduates in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), information technology (IT), and visual effects.

These programs aim to address the growing demand for skilled professionals in high-tech industries and encourage foreign workers or Quebec graduates to contribute their expertise to Quebec.

General Eligibility Criteria for Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology, and Visual Effects Pilot Programs

To be eligible for the Quebec Pilot Programs in AI, IT, and visual effects, you must meet certain general criteria. These general criteria include:

• Being a minimum 18 years of age,
• Demonstrating intentions to live and work in Quebec permanently,
• Adhering to the rules of your stay in Québec, and
• Showing your financial self-sufficiency.

Eligibility Requirements for Artificial Intelligence (AI) Workers

If you’re going to apply as a foreign worker or Quebec graduate to the Artificial Intelligence stream, make sure to follow the following eligibility requirements.

For Foreign AI Workers

If you’re working in Quebec as a temporary foreign worker, ensure to follow the conditions of your stay in Quebec as per the rules established in the:

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP),
• International Mobility Program (IMP), or
• Youth Exchange/Mobility Programs such as the:
  • Young Professionals permit,
  • International Co-op Internship, and
  • Working Holiday permit.

Ensure your education and work experience meet the criteria outlined below, which include:

• Graduating with a college diploma with credentials equal to a Quebec bachelor’s degree according to the Education Credential Assessment (ECA),
• Acquiring full-time Quebec or foreign AI working experience in an occupation commensurate with Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) levels 0,1 and 2 for a 24 to 60-month period before submitting your application,
• Obtaining a college degree that corresponds to a Quebec master’s or doctoral degree according to the ECA 12 months before submitting your application,
• Having a full-time AI remunerative job offer in Quebec with a minimum gross salary of 75,000 CAD (employer is in the Metropolitan Montréal Community (MMC)) or 100,000 CAD (employer is outside the MMC).

For Quebec Graduates

If you are a Quebec graduate who pursued studies in artificial intelligence and wish to permanently extend your stay in the province via the Artificial Intelligence stream, ensure you:

• Settled in Quebec with the sole intention of studying for at least half of the duration of your program,
• Have a university degree granted by a Quebec tertiary institution 24 months before you applied in higher specialized studies (DESS), master’s or doctoral programs,
• Have full-time Quebec work experience in a TEER level 0,1 and 2 jobs for 6 to 12 months after graduating with a higher specialized studies (DESS) diploma, and
• Received a full-time job offer by an employer in Quebec’s Artificial Intelligence sector.

Please Note

You will not be considered eligible to apply as a Quebec graduate if you have received a scholarship stating that you have to return to your home country at the end of your studies.

Committee of Experts

When applying, ensure to include an opinion provided by a committee of experts that is administered by the Information and communications technologies sectorial workforce committee (Comité sectoriel de main-d’œuvre des technologies de l’information et des communications Techno-compétences). The opinion proves that your position in the AI sector aligns with your skills profile.

Eligibility Requirements for Information Technology and Visual Effects Stream (IT & VES)

If you are a temporary foreign worker in Quebec with working experience in Information Technologies and Visual Effects (IT&VE), you can apply for this stream provided you:

• Hold a full-time job offer in Quebec with an hourly wage equal to the highest wage in your profession.
• Have full-time work experience for a minimum of 24 months in the 60 months before submitting your application,
• Graduated with a diploma validated as minimally equivalent to a Quebec college diploma (technical training, or bachelor degree),
• Abide by the conditions of your stay in Quebec as per TFWP, IMP, or youth exchange program regulations.

Eligibility Requirements For Francophone Profiles

To be eligible to apply under the Francophone profile, your fluency in French must be a level 7 on the Quebec Scale of French Proficiency Levels of Adult Immigrants (Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes). Furthermore, you must also ensure that you:

• Provide a final transcript demonstrating your completion of full-time French language post-secondary or secondary education,
• Have an attestation from your designated learning institution (DLI) showing the duration and language of instruction of your study program if you are not from a Francophone country or educational institution is not French,
• Submit French language test results or diplomas that may be accepted by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration), in particular from the following organizations:
  • Test de connaissance du franccedil ais pour le Québec (TCF-Quebec),
  • Test de connaissance du franccedilais pour le Canada (TCF-Canada),
  • Test de connaissance du franccedilais (TCF),
  • Diplocircme approfondi de langue franccedilaise (DALF),
  • Diplocircme deacutetudes en langue franccedilaise (DELF),
  • Test deacute valuation du franccedilais adapteacute pour le Queacutebec (TEFAQ),
  • Test deacute valuation du franccedilais pour le Canada (TEF Canada), and
  • Test deacute valuation du franccedilais (TEF).

Please Note

When submitting a permanent selection application under the Francization profile, ensure to sign the Francization agreement.

Quebec Pilot Program for Workers in Food Processing

This pilot program allows you to settle in Québec permanently if you are a temporary foreign worker in Québec’s food processing sector. This program aims to fill labor gaps in this sector and attract skilled workers to contribute to Quebec’s food industry.

Eligibility Requirements for Workers in the Food Processing Industry

To be eligible to apply for the Quebec Food Processing Industry pilot, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old,
• Want to settle and work permanently in Quebec,
• Respect the rules of your stay in Quebec,
• Have a diploma that is equal to a Canadian high school or vocational studies diploma as per ECA accreditation,
• Have a job offer in Quebec’s food processing sector,
• Have full-time Quebec food processing work experience for a minimum of 24 months in the 36 months before your application,
• Ensure your fluency in French is equal to Level 7 on the Quebec Scale of French Proficiency Levels of Adult Immigrants (Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes),
• Provide proof of your financial self-sufficiency.

Eligible Food Processing Occupations

The pilot program for workers in food processing encompasses a range of eligible occupations within the industry. These occupations, with National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes, include:

• Industrial butcher and meat cutter, poultry preparer and related worker (NOC 94141),
• Labourer in food and beverage processing (NOC 95106),
• Labourer in fish and seafood (NOC 94142),
• Specialized cleaner (NOC 65311),
• Process control and machine operator, food and beverage processing (NOC 94140),
• General farm worker (Chicken catcher) (NOC 85100),
• Fish and seafood plant worker (NOC 94142),
• Food manufacturing (NOC 95106), and
• Beverage manufacturing (NOC 95106).

Please Note

Ensure the work experience you gained and the job offer you received are also listed under the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) of the government of Canada.

Quebec Pilot Program for Orderlies

The Quebec Immigration Pilot Program for orderlies provides a permanent residency immigration pathway for individuals with work experience as an orderly.

The pilot enables you to settle and work permanently in Quebec as a temporary foreign worker as an orderly. This program addresses the province’s need for qualified orderlies, offering a streamlined immigration process for eligible candidates.

General Eligibility Requirements for Work and Work-Study Streams

The Quebec Orderlies Pilot Program comprises work and work-study streams, each tailored to accommodate the needs and aspirations of individuals seeking to settle and contribute to Quebec’s healthcare sector permanently. The general eligibility requirements you must meet for both streams include:

• Ensuring that you are at least 18 years old when you apply,
• Being respectful of the conditions of your stay in the province,
• Having an orderly job in Quebec when submitting your application,
• Demonstrating your intentions to permanently settle and hold a job in Quebec, and
• Providing proof that you will be financially self-sufficient in Quebec.

Eligibility Requirements for the Work Stream

If you are applying for the workstream of the Quebec Orderlies Pilot Program you must meet specific eligibility criteria, including:

• Holding a full-time, minimum one-year study program diploma related to the orderly occupation. Ensure the diploma is ECA equivalent to a Quebec vocational studies diploma.
• Have a minimum of 24 months of work experience as an orderly in the past 36 months before applying or 12 months of personal basic healthcare experience in Quebec and 12 months of orderly work experience during the 36 months before applying.

Eligible Occupations for the Work Stream

Occupations in the healthcare sector eligible for the workstream if you are not an orderly include, with NOC codes:

• Nursing coordinator and supervisor (NOC 31300),
• Registered nurse and registered psychiatric nurse (NOC 31301),
• Allied primary health practitioner (NOC 31303),
• Licensed Practical Nurse (NOC 32101), and

• Home support worker, housekeeper (if they provide personal, bedside, and routine medical care in an institutional setting) (NOC 44101).

Eligibility Requirements for Work-Study Stream

If you want to combine work and study in Quebec’s healthcare field, you can apply for the Work-Study Stream of the Quebec Pilot Program for Orderlies if you meet the following eligibility requirements.

• You must have a Quebec vocational studies diploma that leads to employment as an orderly in the 24 months before applying,
• You must have legal, full-time (30 hours or more) remunerated/paid work experience as a Quebec orderly which you received in the last 24 months before your application, and
• You must obtain a secondary vocational studies diploma and complete 870 hours of continuous training in the Institutional and Home Care Assistance study program.

Please Note

After completing the Institutional and Home Care Assistance study program, you must get hired by an employer in Quebec and apply for and receive a Canada work permit.

Financial Self-Sufficiency for Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs

Ensure to include a signed Financial self-sufficiency contract -skilled workers form in your application submission. The contract is to demonstrate your commitment to supporting yourself and your family during the first three months after your arrival in Quebec. The amount of money you must have to demonstrate your self-sufficiency is outlined below:

Please Note

If your accompanying dependant child is over 18 years old, ensure to add 1,672 CAD toward your financial self-sufficiency funds.

How to Apply for the Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs

When applying for permanent selection for Quebec using the Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs, ensure you follow the steps outlined below:

Step 1: Complete the Relevant Permanent Selection Application Form

As an applicant of the Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs, ensure to select and complete the permanent selection application form aligned with the stream or pilot program you are applying to. All relevant forms are outlined below according to each QIPP stream or pilot:

• Artificial Intelligence Stream: Pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies, and visual effects sectors (PP AI/IT-VE) – AI stream (A-0524-AA) form,
• Information Technologies and Visual Effects Stream: Pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies, and visual effects sectors (PP IA/TI-EV) – TI-EV stream (A-0524-BA) form,
• Food Processing Pilot: Permanent Immigration Pilot Program selection application form for workers in food processing form, and
• Orderlies Pilot: Permanent Immigration Pilot Program selection application form for orderlies.

All forms must be signed and dated accordingly.

Step 2: Prepare the Required Documentation

When preparing the list of required supporting documents to be submitted, ensure that you:

• Scan all original documents in color,
• Have all scanned documents in PDF format,
• Have multiple-page documents scanned into one,
• Have completed and made legible all documents.

You will find the full list of relevant supporting documents in the second part of your permanent selection application form.

Step 3: Create an Arrima Account

Unless you already have one, you must create an account on the Arrima platform. You can consult the tutorials on the Quebec immigration site for guidance on how to create an Arrima account (instructions in French only).

Step 4: Submit Your Permanent Selection Application on the Arrima Platform

When submitting your permanent selection application, it is important to:

• Submit information on all accompanying family members,
• Upload all supporting documents and permanent selection forms,
• Pay application review fees (Applicant: 869 CAD, Spouse, and per dependent child:186 CAD),
• Submit Your Permanent Selection Application File.

Please Note

The Quebec Immigration Pilot Program generally accepts up to 600 applicants. The pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies, and visual effects sectors splits the number of applicants evenly between AI and Visual Effects workers and sets aside 150 application spots for the Francization profile.

After submitting your application, the Minister of Immigration, Francization, and Integration will send you a request to obtain and submit within 60 days an attestation of learning about Quebec’s democratic values. Ensure to include all accompanying family members in your submission.

With this detailed look into the Quebec Immigration Pilot Programs, you can now begin to trod the path toward receiving permanent residency in Quebec.

Ready to Start Your Journey?

FAQs

Can Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) Holders Outside Quebec Apply for Open Work Permits?

Yes, holders of the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) who reside outside Quebec may be eligible to apply for open work permits under certain conditions. In some cases, CSQ holders residing outside Quebec may be permitted to apply for open work permits to facilitate their employment in the province while their permanent residency applications are processed.

What is Mon Projet Québec?

Mon Projet Québec is an online platform used for submitting applications to the Quebec Immigration Department (MIDI) under various immigration programs, including the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) and the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).

This platform allows individuals to create and manage their immigration profiles, submit required documents, and track the status of their applications.