Quebec international students can submit documents online

Candidates who are in the process of applying for Quebec's international student program will be able to submit supporting documents online.

The Government of Quebec moved to an online application system for its international student program in 2008. The majority of applications for temporary selection for studies are now already being submitted through an online portal specifically created for that purpose. However, any documents required to accompany these applications needed to be mailed to the ministry.

Quebec’s Immigration Ministry, the MIFI, says it has now implemented a secure electronic document submission solution to facilitate this process for international students. That new service is now available via Quebec’s immigration application management system, called Arrima.

However, anyone who still wishes to submit their application or supporting documents in paper format and by mail can still do so.

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Submitting supporting documents

To submit supporting documents, applicants must first have completed and submitted an online application for selection to studies in Quebec. After completing this step and paying all required fees online, supporting documents can be submitted via the Arrima portal by following the four steps below:

1. Once your application has been submitted, you will be provided with a list of required supporting documents to be submitted via the Arrima portal. Prepare your documents. All documents must be scanned in PDF format, be legible, complete, and accurate.
2. The file number required to submit your documents in Arrima will be communicated to you 48 hours after your request is sent. The file number will be available in the “Access my file” section of the “Online application for temporary selection for studies” portal.
3. Create an Arrima profile with your first and last names as they appear in your passport.
4. Submit your documents by following the instructions provided in the Arrima portal. You will receive a confirmation by email as well as in the Arrima portal saying you have submitted all the documents.

What is Arrima?

Arrima was introduced in 2018 to manage the bank of candidates for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program 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.

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 outlying regions.

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

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