Q & A: Landing in Quebec without CSQ

The province of Quebec is presently entitled to full control over selection of applicants for immigration to Canada with an intended destination within that province. Once issued by Federal authorities, however, landing documents have generally allowed applicants to land as permanent residents of Canada at any port of entry. A basic tenet of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms entails the free movement of Canadians within Canada's boundaries.

In mid 1996, reports emerged of cases where applicants landing in Quebec, who were not issued a CSQ (the demonstration of selection by the province), were encoutering difficulties in the landing process. More recently it appears that policy directives have been issued by which ports of entry have been advised that applicants without CSQs who seek to land in Quebec must be assessed under Quebec's Selection Criteria, prior to being eligible to conclude the process of becoming a permanent resident.

Those who do appear at a Port of Entry within Quebec without a CSQ are requested to attend a selection interview inside Quebec, which can generally be scheduled within 3 weeks. At such time, in the event that the applicant is deemed to be qualified, the additional fees required for a Quebec application are payable. In the event that the applicant is not qualified under these selection criteria, no fee is paid, and the applicant is advised to seek landing in the province which would have previously been indicated in the application for permanent residence.