Arrima explained: what happens after your PSTQ expression of interest

Arrima is the Quebec government's online portal for the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ, for Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés). 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, the timelines and the logic are Quebec's own. Here is how it works, from the moment you create your expression of interest to the invitation.

The expression of interest in numbers

• Cost: none. Submitting an expression of interest in Arrima is free.
• 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, take the time to read each question carefully rather than guessing: answers you cannot later prove become a problem at the application stage.

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). A job title alone is not enough: 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 PSTQ stream that may fit you. They do not, on their own, make you eligible or predict an invitation.

Eligible, targeted, ranked: three separate questions

Quebec invites candidates through invitation rounds that target certain profiles according to its needs. It helps to 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?

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 to do while you wait

• 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.

After the invitation

Accepting the invitation in Arrima triggers a second message explaining how to submit your application for permanent selection. The clock is 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.

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. Our guide on the steps after the CSQ covers that stage, and our PSTQ page explains the program as a whole.

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.

Official sources

Official pages consulted on October 11, 2026:

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