Québec fast-tracks applications for specialised temporary workers and students
To accelerate the arrival in Québec of skilled workers to fill a job that is in demand, the province has launched its own immigration program. The new program is aimed at international students and foreign workers who meet labour market priorities.
With the new immigration program, foreign students and specialised temporary workers can go through a simplified selection process that removes the preliminary processing as well as the “adaptability” factor in the selection grid for Québec skilled workers.
International students
To qualify for a Certificate of Selection of Québec, international students must have one of the following:
- A secondary school vocational diploma
- A diploma of college studies in a technical program
- A university diploma attesting to a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or a doctorate from an educational institution recognised by the Québec Ministry of Education.
Specialised temporary workers
Eligible foreign workers must be legally in Québec at the time they lodge their application. Additionally, they must have full time employment in the province in a skilled occupation for a period of at least 12 months in the 24 months preceding the application date.
There is also a French language requirement that must be fulfilled: foreign workers must have pursued full-time studies for at least one year at the secondary or post-secondary level, or have taken a level B1 French course at a Québec educational institution. Applicants may, alternatively, submit evidence that they meet the French language requirements or that they have received satisfactory results on a standardised French test.
Workers with training/experience in occupations that are considered in high-demand by the province will see their immigration applications fast-tracked, as they will receive priority processing in their CSQ applications.
The province has released a List of Preferred Areas of Training that will be effective as of 14 October 2009. After that date, workers who have received a diploma listed in the document in the last five years before submitting their application will also see the process fast-tracked.
