Maple News reports that Quebec invited 23 candidates to apply for permanent selection on October 21 through the Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP). This marked the first Arrima invitation round for the month and the smallest draw of the year, as previous draws in the second half of 2021 typically invited over 500 applicants.
To receive an invitation, candidates were required to have submitted an expression of interest through Quebec’s Arrima portal, which acts as a centralized system for managing profiles under the QSWP. Selected applicants included those with valid job offers outside of the Montréal Metropolitan Community, as well as individuals already residing in Quebec as diplomats, consular officials, representatives of the United Nations, or representatives from other international organizations operating in the province.
This draw brings Quebec’s total number of invitations in 2021 to 3,223. Despite this draw’s limited scope, it reflects the province’s continued focus on attracting skilled talent to meet regional labor needs—particularly outside major urban centers like Montreal, where workforce shortages are most acute.
The Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program is designed for skilled professionals who can contribute economically to the province. It is particularly popular among international graduates and foreign workers already in Quebec. Selected individuals have a 60-day window to submit their full application for permanent selection, which includes required documents and processing fees. Once submitted, the province aims to process these applications within six months.
Successful applicants receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), which is mandatory to apply for Canadian permanent residency through federal authorities. Unlike other provinces, Quebec manages its own immigration programs independently from Canada’s federal immigration system.
According to Maple News, Quebec admitted 28,770 new permanent residents in the first nine months of 2021. Of these, 16,655 arrived through economic immigration pathways, with skilled workers making up the vast majority. The province continues to prioritize economic immigrants as part of its broader strategy to address labor shortages and enhance regional development.
As Quebec fine-tunes its immigration policies, targeted draws like these demonstrate a refined approach, using job offers and strategic residency categories to select candidates who align closely with its economic and demographic goals.