Arrima explained: what happens after your PSTQ expression of interest

Arrima explained: what happens after your PSTQ expression of interest starts with an important distinction. Arrima is the Quebec government’s online portal for the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ, for Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés). Submitting a profile puts you in Quebec’s selection process, but it is not a permanent selection application. If you are used to Express Entry, it can feel familiar: you create a profile, you wait, and some profiles are invited. But the rules, timelines and logic are Quebec’s own. The process then moves through a possible invitation, Quebec’s assessment of an application, and a separate federal permanent residence stage. Based on Quebec government pages checked on October 17, 2026.

Key takeaways

Stage	What it means
Expression of interest	Your Arrima profile enters the PSTQ pool. It is free, and it is not an application for permanent selection or permanent residence.
Invitation	Quebec may invite some candidates to apply. An invitation is an opportunity, not a selection decision; you have 30 days to accept it.
Quebec assessment	The application and its evidence are assessed separately from the invitation.
CSQ	A Quebec Selection Certificate records Quebec’s decision. A federal permanent residence application follows.
While waiting	Keep the profile accurate, prepare evidence, and plan your temporary status separately.

An expression of interest puts you in the selection process; it is not an application

A PSTQ expression of interest, sometimes called a declaration of interest, records your profile in Arrima so Quebec can consider it. It is not an application, and filing one does not mean Quebec has selected you. Invitations to apply for permanent selection are then issued to some candidates through one of the program’s four streams; our PSTQ page explains how stream choice and French fit in.

• Cost: none. Submitting an expression of interest in Arrima is free.
• Age: you must be at least 18 years old to submit one.
• 90 days to complete and submit it once you create it. After that, it is deleted.
• One year of validity once submitted. It cannot be extended or renewed; if it expires without an invitation, you can create a new one, and your information is carried over for you to update.
• Updates are allowed at any time, but they do not extend the one-year validity.
• 30 days to accept an invitation, counted from the date of the invitation.

Arrima and most official Quebec pages are in French. If French is not your strongest language, read each question carefully rather than guessing: answers you cannot later prove become a problem at the application stage. See Quebec’s expression of interest page.

Your main occupation is the backbone of the profile

The occupation you declare should reflect the duties you actually perform, matched against the National Occupational Classification (NOC), not a label chosen for a perceived advantage. Compare your day-to-day tasks with the NOC description, and make sure your employer letters will describe the same duties. The NOC code and its TEER category help position your profile and point to the stream that may fit you; they do not, on their own, make you eligible or predict an invitation.

How Arrima invitations fit into the PSTQ process

After submission, your profile enters the pool from which Quebec may invite candidates. Remaining in the pool is not a decision on your profile, and submission does not ensure an invitation. Quebec invites candidates through rounds that target certain profiles according to its needs. Keep three ideas apart:

• Eligibility: do you meet the conditions of the relevant stream?
• Targeting: does your profile match what Quebec is looking for in a given round, such as certain occupations or a level of French?
• Ranking: where a points system applies, how does your profile score under that round’s criteria?

How many points do you need in Arrima? There is no universal threshold: the criteria depend on each round. Quebec publishes its invitation criteria and their points, a self-assessment tool, and the results of past rounds. Past rounds tell you what was targeted then, not what will be targeted next.

What the 2026 rounds show

Quebec’s page of 2026 invitations makes the point clearly. In stream 1, round sizes changed a lot over the year:

Stream 1 round (2026)	People invited
January 29	1,094
February 26	907
April 30	983
June 4	1,094
July 3	74
August 27	87
September 24	86

Stream 2 had rounds of 683 (January 29) and 495 (February 26). The lesson isn’t that invitations are drying up or picking up: it’s that each round has its own scope, and that planning a move around a predicted invitation date is a mistake. Plan around what you control: your profile, your French, your documents and your temporary status.

If your profile is still waiting, keep it accurate and plan ahead

A profile that has not led to an invitation is neither an approval nor a refusal. Use the time well:

• Work on your French. It plays a central role in Quebec selection, and official test results are what count.
• Keep the profile current. A new job, new duties, a new diploma or a change in your family situation should be updated.
• Watch the expiry date. Updating does not reset the one-year clock.
• Prepare your evidence now: detailed employer letters, diplomas, language results. If you are invited, you will need them quickly.
• Check your Arrima account regularly so a 30-day invitation does not go unnoticed.
• Get translations started early for documents that aren’t in French or English: they often take longer than expected.

Keep a copy of what you submitted, with the dates and details behind your declarations. If your role has genuinely changed, document why a revised occupation describes your work better. Don’t read a quiet Arrima account as a sign of any particular outcome.

After an invitation, accept it and prepare the permanent selection application

If you still wish to settle in Quebec, Quebec says you have 30 days from the invitation date to accept it through your Arrima account. Accepting triggers a second message explaining how to submit your application for permanent selection. The clock is then short: 60 days from acceptance for streams 1, 2 and 4, or stream 3 with proof that your professional order recognizes your skills; one year for stream 3 without that proof. The fees are $940 for the principal applicant and $201 for a spouse or partner and for each dependent child.

Before you accept, check that your profile still reflects your situation; if your main occupation has changed, assess the impact first. Then compare the profile with your records for identity, work, education, language and family. If a fact has changed or a document appears inconsistent, prepare a clear explanation rather than leaving the difference unaddressed.

A worked timeline: Karim, in stream 1, is invited on June 4. He has until July 4 to accept in Arrima; he accepts on June 10, after checking that his profile is still accurate. From that day, he has 60 days to submit his application for permanent selection, so until early August. Because his employer letters, diploma and French results were ready before the invitation, he spends those weeks on translations and on checking every date, not on chasing documents. Had he waited for the invitation to start, 60 days would have been tight.

Quebec examines the application separately from the invitation

Submitting the application starts a new assessment. Quebec assesses the application and its evidence, so an invitation by itself does not establish that you meet the requirements. Review every answer against the documents that support it, explain genuine changes directly, and give truthful, complete answers rather than forcing the application to match an outdated profile.

Be cautious of anyone who claims they can secure an invitation or approval; see our guide on checking that a consultant is authorized.

A CSQ is the Quebec stage, not the end of permanent residence processing

If Quebec selects you, you receive a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). That is not permanent residence yet: you then apply to IRCC, which makes the final decision after its own assessment. Our guide on the steps after the CSQ covers that stage, and our Quebec selection page explains the certificate.

Keep work authorization and status planning separate from PSTQ selection

An expression of interest, an invitation or a CSQ is not a work permit. If you are already in Quebec, plan around the expiry date and conditions of your current status, which a pending PSTQ process does not change. Our work permit page covers the options; some PSTQ candidates in Quebec may also qualify, until December 31, 2026, for a specific employer-specific permit, explained in our guide on the bridging open work permit and its Quebec alternative.

If the PSTQ doesn’t match your plans, compare other routes on their own terms: the PEQ, Express Entry for plans outside Quebec, or spousal sponsorship. You can also describe your situation or book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

How long until I get invited?

There is no set timeline. A profile can stay in the pool for its full year without being selected. If that happens, you can create a new expression of interest.

Do I need a job offer?

Not for every profile. Whether a job offer matters depends on the stream and on the criteria of each round.

Can I apply to the PSTQ from outside Quebec?

Living outside Quebec does not necessarily prevent you from submitting an expression of interest. You still have to meet the stream’s requirements and genuinely plan to settle in Quebec.

Does an invitation let me work in Canada?

No. Neither the expression of interest nor the invitation is a work permit.

Can I change my main occupation after submitting?

Yes, when your actual duties support a different description. Keep dated job descriptions and records showing why the new occupation fits.

My expression of interest is about to expire. What happens?

It can’t be extended or renewed. If it expires without an invitation, you can create a new one; your information is carried over for you to update. Check every entry again before submitting it.

Where do I check my status?

In your Arrima account: the expression of interest section and the account messages. Note the date you filed and save every notice, so you can tell a profile update from an invitation.

Conclusion

What happens after a PSTQ expression of interest is a sequence of separate steps, not one decision. Keep your profile accurate while waiting, act within 30 days if invited, support your application with consistent evidence, and plan Quebec selection, federal permanent residence and work authorization as distinct matters.

Official sources

Official pages consulted on October 17, 2026:

• Québec — PSTQ: expression of interest (French)
• Québec — PSTQ: invitation (French)
• Québec — PSTQ: submit an application (French)