To immigrate to Quebec permanently as a skilled worker, the main gateway is the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) — the Skilled Worker Selection Program — managed by the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI). The process begins with an expression of interest in the online portal Arrima.
What Arrima is. Arrima is the portal where you submit your expression of interest. The PSTQ is the program that sets the eligibility criteria, the selection grid, and the points. In other words: Arrima is the tool, the PSTQ is the program, as Québec.ca describes it.
The expression of interest. You create an online profile and fill it in according to your characteristics: education, work experience, French proficiency, age, a job offer if you have one, and so on. From the moment you create your expression of interest, you have 90 days to complete and submit it, or it is deleted, the government notes. Once submitted, the expression of interest stays valid for 12 months.
The bank and invitations. Your profile is ranked in a bank of candidates based on a score. The Ministry holds invitation rounds at variable intervals (there is no fixed schedule). If your score reaches the level being sought, you receive an invitation to submit an application for permanent selection, and you then have a set window to file your official application with supporting documents.
Four streams. The PSTQ is divided into four streams covering different professional profiles in the Quebec job market, each with its own criteria, according to Québec.ca. French plays an important role in selection.
Good to know for newcomers. Creating an expression of interest is free and commits you to nothing — it's an interest-expression step, not yet a formal application. Because point thresholds and priorities shift from one round to the next, always check the official Québec.ca pages for up-to-date criteria before relying on a blog or a consultant. Strengthening your French remains one of the most useful levers to improve your score.