Quebec Skilled Worker Program releases 2018 Areas of Training List

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Updates to Quebec's Areas of Training List are giving a new edge to foreign degrees in actuarial science, information management and early childhood education, among others.

The Areas of Training List provides the number of points awarded for specified foreign and Quebec university, college and secondary-level vocational degrees under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP), the province's most popular immigration pathway.

Area of Training is one of the 10 factors that are considered under the QSWP's points grid and can be worth up to 12 points.

Actuarial science, information management and early childhood education are among the seven most valuable foreign degrees, receiving the maximum 12 points under the updated list.

List linked to new Expression of Interest system

The revised Areas of Training List is one of a number of key changes to Quebec's immigration system that came into effect August 2.

Chief among these is Quebec's move to a new Expression of Interest (EOI) system for the QSWP, which will rank eligible candidates based on factors that now include work experience in the United States. This innovation makes Quebec the only Canadian province at the moment to specifically award points for U.S. work experience.

The EOI system replaces the first-come, first-served approach that Quebec had used to manage applications to the QSWP. This means that, rather than opening periodically for a set number of applications, Quebec will now require anyone who wants to be considered through the QSWP to submit an Expression of Interest profile to its Immigration Ministry (MIDI).

Profiles will be entered into a bank of candidates from which MIDI will select those who meet labour market needs and are most likely to integrate successfully into the the province's economy and society, among other possible considerations.

Candidates in the EOI bank will be classed in two groups — one for eligible candidates who are either living in Quebec and meet specific criteria or have a job offer in the province, and the other for candidates living outside Quebec.

Candidates in both groups will be ranked based on their scores under a number of factors, such as age, proficiency in French or English, education and Canadian or U.S. work experience. Quebec lists Area of Training as one of the ranking factors for candidates applying from outside the province.

Area of training points are also considered once candidates have been invited to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, or CSQ).

Candidates who reach this stage will have to meet the cut-off score for employability and obtain a minimum passing score of 50 (59 if accompanied by a spouse or common-law partner) under the QSWP points grid in order to be considered for selection.

Area of training factors into both calculations and can therefore be instrumental to receiving a CSQ.

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Changes to Section A

The seven foreign-issued degrees that are now worth 12 points under the QSWP points grid are:

University level

Actuarial Science (Bachelor)
Information Management (Bachelor)

Collegial level technical

Early Childhood Education Techniques (Attestation of Collegial Studies / ACS)
Early Childhood Education Techniques (Diploma of Collegial Studies / DCS)
Restaurant Management (DCS)
Visual Orthosis Techniques (DCS)

Secondary level vocational

Agricultural mechanics (Diploma of Vocational Studies / DVS)

The only foreign degree found in Section A of both the previous list and the updated one is the DCS in Visual Orthosis Techniques.

Of the other foreign degrees previously listed in Section A, Bachelor of Computer Engineering, Bachelor of Computer Science and the DCS in Pharmaceutical Production Technology are now in Section B.

Master's in Genetics, Nuclear Medicine Technology (DCS) and Radiation Oncology Technology (DCS) are now listed under Section C.

Number of foreign degrees recognized under Section B grows

The updated Areas of Training List also increases the number of foreign degrees recognized under Section B, which can result in a maximum of 9 points under the QSWP points grid.

The number of university-level foreign degrees recognized under Section B of the updated list increased from 30 to 46 with the addition of degrees such as Bachelor in Applied Mathematics, a Master's in Architecture and Bachelor's in Preschool Teacher Training, among others.

College-level technical training degrees under Section B also increased, from 16 to 27. New degrees in this area include a DCS in Aerospace Engineering Technology, a DCS in Dental Hygiene Techniques and either an ACS or DCS in Special Care Counselling Techniques, among others.

Another significant development under Section B is the number of foreign Secondary Level Vocational degrees that are now being recognized, with the number jumping from four to 28.

The new additions include a DVS in Automated Systems Electromechanics, Boilermaking, Carpentry and Maple Syrup Production, among others.

A number of foreign degrees that appeared under these different Section B categories on the previous Areas of Training list have either been moved to a different section or removed.

To consult the updated Areas of Training List, please visit this dedicated page.