Quebec invited 162 skilled worker candidates over two Arrima draws

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Quebec issued a total of 162 invitations to apply for selection under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, after holding two draws in October.

Details of the October 23 and October 29 draws were released November 22.

On October 23, Quebec invited 89 people to apply for permanent selection. These candidates were chosen based on Quebec’s labour market needs.

Candidates invited in this latest selection round were among the roughly 16,000 Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) candidates who had their original applications to the program cancelled by the passage of reforms to Quebec’s Immigration Act. These changes were passed into law on June 16, 2019.

Additionally, they were either exempt from the cap that had been in place when they first applied to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program or were residing in Quebec on a study or work permit on June 16, 2019.

All those invited on October 23 had an Expression of Interest in Quebec’s online registration portal, Arrima.

Then on October 29, 2019, Quebec invited 73 candidates to submit an application for permanent selection.

Those invited in that draw needed to have a valid offer of employment. Invitations were also sent to foreign nationals staying in Quebec carrying out official duties. Among other occupations, these officials included diplomats, consular officers, and representatives of an intergovernmental organization such as the United Nations.

Quebec has invited 1,757 QSWP candidates with an Arrima profile since July 4.

What is Arrima?

Arrima was introduced in 2018 to manage the bank of candidates for the QSWP after the program was switched from a paper-based “first-come,first-served” application approach to an Expression of Interest (EOI) system.

Quebec’s EOI system manages the bank of candidates for a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, or CSQ), which is required in order to apply for permanent residence in the province through the QSWP.

Candidates express their interest by creating a profile in Arrima, which is then placed in the pool of candidates and ranked based on either a score or other criteria.

Quebec’s Immigration Ministry issues invitations to apply for a CSQ based on either a candidate’s score or other factors such as labour needs in the province’s regions.

Candidates who receive a CSQ can apply for permanent residence with Canada’s federal immigration ministry, which verifies medical and criminal admissibility.