First invitations through Quebec's Expression of Interest system expected soon

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Quebec will soon begin issuing its first invitations to Quebec Skilled Worker Program candidates who have registered an Expression of Interest through its online Arrima portal, the province’s Immigration Minister says.

Arrima was introduced last year to receive Expressions of Interest (EOIs) to Quebec's main skilled worker immigration program and manage its bank of candidates.

An EOI is not an application but is instead a way for candidates to notify Quebec's Immigration Ministry that they would like to be considered for a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, or CSQ).

Roughly 100,000 EOIs have been filed since Arrima’s launch last September.

The EOI-based online system replaced the previous, first-come-first-served approach to accepting applications to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP), which the Quebec government said was out of touch with actual labour market needs in the province.

Under the EOI system, candidates create a profile in Arrima and are awarded a score based on factors including their age, education, area of training, work experience and proficiency in French.

Find out if you are eligible for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program

Candidates are invited to apply for a CSQ based on either their scores or other factors such as labour shortages in the province’s outlying regions.

Those who apply for and receive a CSQ then apply for permanent residence through Canada’s federal immigration ministry, which verifies medical and criminal admissibility.

In a news conference this week, Quebec's Immigration Minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette, said the Arrima system is designed to match immigration applications to Quebec's labour needs and will eventually reduce the processing time for applications to six months.

Jolin-Barrette invited the thousands of people whose pending applications to the QSWP were dismissed following the adoption of new reforms to the province’s immigration laws earlier this month to complete an EOI, saying priority will be given to the 3,700 candidates who are already in Quebec.

More specifically, the government will issue the first invitations to candidates who:

had applied for a selection certificate under the QSWP and were a temporary resident of Quebec at the time of their application;
had applied for a CSQ in the Quebec Skilled Worker Program and were in Quebec as of June 16, 2019;
hold a validated job offer from a Quebec employer.

Employer access to Arrima

Quebec’s Immigration Ministry also provided information about a new feature in the Arrima portal that is scheduled to launch in February 2020.

This feature will give employers access to lists of potential candidates who meet their specific needs. Employers will be able to contact individuals with a job offer directly through the Arrima portal in order to initiate the immigration process.

Jolin-Barrette said the updates to Arrima are part of the Quebec government’s commitment to addressing labour shortages in all regions of Quebec

“We heard and listened to the different needs in all regions of Quebec as well as those of the economic community. Immigration is one of the solutions to Quebec’s labour shortages and we will ensure that immigrants who choose to settle here will be able to participate fully in Quebec society.”

Find out if you are eligible for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program

First invitations through Quebec’s Expression of Interest system expected soon

Employer access to Arrima