Express Entry or Quebec selection: an honest comparison if you already live in Quebec

If you study or work in Montreal on a temporary permit, you have probably heard someone say: "Quebec is slow, just move to Ontario and do Express Entry." Sometimes moving is the right call. Often it is a decision made for the wrong reasons. This guide compares the two systems honestly, from the point of view of someone already in Quebec.

Two systems for two different plans

Express Entry is the federal system for people who plan to live outside Quebec. Quebec selects its own economic immigrants, mainly through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ), where you declare your interest in the Arrima portal, and the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), for people with a Quebec diploma or Quebec work experience.

These are not two doors into the same program. They are two systems built for two different settlement plans, and the plan you declare has to be the real one.

Why "just move to Ontario" is not a strategy

Applying through Express Entry means stating that you intend to live outside Quebec. If your life, your job and your lease stay in Montreal, that statement does not hold up, and an inaccurate declaration of intent is not a technicality. Express Entry is a real option for people who genuinely want to settle elsewhere in Canada, not a shortcut around Quebec.

So the first question is personal, not technical: where do you actually want to live in five years?

How the two systems compare

	Express Entry	Quebec selection
Where you plan to live	Outside Quebec	Quebec
Programs	Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades	PSTQ (through Arrima), PEQ
How candidates are ranked	Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), general and category-based rounds	Quebec's own criteria and invitations, by stream
Steps after selection	Permanent residence application to IRCC within 60 days of the invitation	Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ), then permanent residence application to IRCC
Role of French	CRS points, plus a French-language category at NCLC 7 in all four skills	Central, under Quebec's own rules
Final decision	IRCC	IRCC

Can Quebec experience count in Express Entry?

Yes. Skilled work experience gained in Quebec can count toward federal programs such as the Canadian Experience Class, if it meets the program's requirements. What matters is not where you earned the experience but where you plan to live once you are a permanent resident.

When Express Entry makes sense for someone in Quebec

• You genuinely plan to move to another province, for a job, family or a long-term choice.
• You meet the requirements of one of the three federal programs.
• You are ready to actually settle there once you become a permanent resident.

When the Quebec route makes more sense

• Your life is in Quebec and you intend to stay.
• You have a Quebec diploma or Quebec work experience that may fit the PEQ.
• Your French is an asset, or you are willing to build it.

Quebec's programs change and intakes open and close, so check quebec.ca for the current rules before you plan around them. Our page on immigrating to Quebec explains how the provincial and federal stages fit together.

Whatever you choose, protect your status

Neither a profile in Express Entry nor a declaration of interest in Arrima gives you status in Canada. Your study or work permit has its own expiry date, and planning your permanent residence should never make you forget it. Map out both timelines side by side: the permit you hold now, and the permanent residence route you are aiming for.

Frequently asked questions

Can I be in the Express Entry pool and in Arrima at the same time?

The two systems are separate. What matters is that the intention you declare in each one is truthful. If you are unsure where you will settle, get advice before you make declarations that contradict each other.

Is Express Entry always faster than Quebec selection?

There is no general answer. Waiting for an invitation, the selection stage and processing all vary over time. Check the current processing estimates of IRCC and of Quebec rather than relying on what others experienced.

Does a job offer in Quebec decide which route to take?

No. A job offer is one element of your file. The route depends first on where you plan to live and on the requirements of each program.

Official sources

Official pages consulted on October 11, 2026:

• IRCC — Express Entry
• IRCC — Quebec-selected skilled workers
• Québec — Skilled workers (French)