PSTQ points: how Québec ranks Skilled Worker Selection Program candidates in Arrima

“How many points do I need to be invited under the PSTQ?” It is the question everyone asks, and the honest answer is: it depends on the stream and the round. Québec does not publish one threshold. It ranks Arrima declarations of interest with a scoring system, then sets criteria and a minimum score for each round, and both change from one round to the next. Here is how to read your profile, with the real 2026 cut-offs, based on Québec government pages consulted on October 17, 2026.

Key takeaways

• Your stream depends first on your main occupation: its NOC code and TEER category, based on your actual duties.
• The PSTQ has four streams, and invitations are issued separately in each.
• Each round has its own criteria (French, experience, Québec diploma, sector, place of residence) and its own minimum score.
• A round criterion is not a permanent rule, and a past cut-off does not predict the next one.
• A declaration of interest is not an application. If invited, you have 30 days to accept.

Your stream depends on your main occupation

The PSTQ has four streams: highly qualified and specialized skills (TEER 0, 1, 2), intermediate and manual skills (TEER 3, 4, 5), regulated professions, and exceptional talent. Start from your real duties, compare them with the NOC description, then check the TEER category. An impressive job title does not help if the duties do not match.

For a regulated profession, keep two questions apart: selection in Arrima, and the right to practise in Québec, which belongs to the professional order.

Score, stream conditions, round criteria: three different things

Québec no longer uses a fixed selection grid like the old PRTQ: declarations of interest are ranked with a scoring system. According to Québec’s announcement of July 2, 2025, knowledge of French remains essential, as a selection condition for streams 1, 2 and 3, and greater value is placed on a Québec diploma and Québec work experience, particularly for people living in the regions.

Notion	What it is	Example
Score	The total that ranks your declaration	Your profile totals a number of points
Stream condition	What you must meet to be in the stream	TEER 0 to 2 for stream 1
Round criterion	What Québec requires in that round	Living in Québec, a Québec diploma, a listed sector
Round cut-off	The minimum score of those invited	“a score of 782 or higher”

The 2026 round criteria

According to Québec’s 2026 invitations page, invitations are made separately in each stream, and the ministry can add or tighten criteria for each round.

• Stream 1: TEER 0, 1 or 2; no intention to practise a regulated profession; at least 12 months of experience in the main occupation in the last 5 years; French at level 7+ oral and 5+ written; spouse at level 4+ oral; living in Québec. Most rounds also required a Québec diploma or at least one year of full-time study in Québec.
• Stream 2: TEER 3, 4 or 5; at least 24 months of experience in the last 5 years, including at least 12 months in Québec; French at level 5+ oral; spouse at level 4+ oral; living in Québec.

Real cut-offs: a few 2026 rounds

Round	Stream	Invited	Published cut-offs
January 29	1	1,094	782 (general), 674 (priority sectors), 737
January 29	2	683	800 (general), 609 (priority sectors), 657 (outside the Montréal Metropolitan Community)
February 26	1	907	741, 627, 722
February 26	2	495	756, 562, 688
March 19–20	1	893	718, 588 (sector list), 709
April 30	1	983	716, 571 (sector list), 704
June 4	1	1,094	677, 666, 692
July 3	1	74	628 (health and social services), 726 (food, chefs, mechanics), 656 (engineering, trades)
August 27	1	87	639, 710, 694
September 24	1	86	634 (science, health, social services), 706 (food), 696 (engineering, trades)

Two lessons. The cut-off depends on the targeted group: on the same day, a priority-sector profile can be invited with 100 fewer points than a general one. And volume swings widely: over 1,000 invitations in some rounds, under 100 in the fall, limited to occupation lists. A cut-off only means something next to a round in the same stream and group.

Why the same score does not give the same chances

Two profiles with the same total can belong to different streams, occupations or groups. Fictional example: person A works in an occupation on the list targeted by a round and meets its criteria; person B has the same total but an occupation that round did not target. Their chances differ that day, and neither outcome can be predicted. A points calculator gives an estimate from the data you enter: it is neither a cut-off nor a forecast. Redo any estimate after each important change in your situation.

What the 2026 rounds show

Read together, the year’s rounds tell a clear story. Winter and spring rounds were large, close to or above 1,000 invitations in stream 1, with three groups each time: a general group, a group limited to a list of priority sectors, and a third group. From July on, rounds shrank to fewer than 110 invitations and targeted specific occupation lists: science, health and social services; food and chefs; engineering and trades. Cut-offs in those narrow rounds were not necessarily lower: the food and chef group needed over 700 points in several of them.

Stream 2 followed the same logic, with its own groups, including one for people living outside the Montréal Metropolitan Community, which shows how much place of residence can weigh in a given round. The practical lesson: your score is only half the picture; the other half is whether your occupation, residence and diploma match what a round is targeting.

Documenting your occupation and experience

Build a clear record that links your declared profile to your real history. For work, keep employer letters describing your duties, dates, hours and role; for education, the documents that identify the credential and the institution. If your employer uses one title but your daily duties fit another NOC description, describe the duties instead of relying on the title. If your role changed over time, for example from technical support to team supervision, split the periods so that each one can be classified on its own.

For a regulated profession, a foreign credential or a senior-sounding title does not by itself show that you meet Québec’s requirements to practise. Keep immigration selection and the authorization to practise apart, and check the stream 3 conditions if your profession is on the ministry’s list.

Your accompanying spouse’s details matter too: in 2026, several rounds required the spouse to have oral French at level 4 or higher. Enter accurate family information wherever Arrima asks for it.

From declaration of interest to invitation

You create a declaration of interest in Arrima and keep it up to date; while it is in the bank, it can be considered in every round. It is not an application for permanent selection. If you are invited and still wish to settle in Québec, you have 30 days from the invitation date to accept it in Arrima, according to Québec’s invitation page. You then submit your selection application; with the CSQ comes the federal permanent residence application. See from declaration of interest to invitation.

Improving and proving your profile

• French: compare each skill with the Québec scale; a better result counts if it affects a criterion of your stream.
• Experience: duties, dates and NOC code consistent everywhere; separate periods if your role changed.
• Education: add a completed diploma, especially a Québec one, with its records.
• Residence: several rounds targeted people living in Québec, or outside the Montréal area.
• Updates: refresh the declaration whenever something changes, and keep a log.

Keep the proof for every detail you declare: it will be requested after the invitation. Our PSTQ page explains our support; to review your profile, you can describe your situation or book a consultation. If your background allows, compare with the PEQ too: see PSTQ or PEQ.

Keeping your declaration current

Review your declaration whenever something real changes: new language results, a new job, a completed diploma, more experience, a move out of the Montréal area, a change in your family. Update it through the method Québec provides and keep the evidence behind every revised detail. A simple change log, with the date and reason for each update, helps you stay consistent and makes it easier to answer questions later.

Retaking a French test is worth it when a better result could move a skill that matters for your stream, for example reaching level 7 orally or level 5 in writing for stream 1. A higher result in a skill that is already above the threshold may change little. Read each new round’s criteria before deciding where to put your effort.

Mistakes that distort the picture

• Applying one stream’s cut-off to another.
• Comparing cut-offs from different groups or rounds.
• Choosing a NOC code from your job title.
• Letting a declaration of interest go stale.
• Confusing conditions, round criteria and points.
• Using the old PRTQ grid as if it described the PSTQ.
• Assuming a high score makes up for missing a round criterion such as residence in Québec.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a declaration of interest and a selection application?

The declaration of interest is a profile in Arrima that Québec can consider in its rounds. The permanent selection application is a formal file submitted after an invitation.

My duties fit two NOC codes. Which one do I pick?

The one whose description best matches your main duties. The job title does not decide it.

Will the last round’s cut-off apply to the next one?

No. Each round publishes its own criteria and cut-off; a past round is only a reference point.

Does my spouse’s French matter?

In the 2026 rounds for streams 1 and 2, the spouse needed oral French at level 4 or higher. Check each round’s criteria.

Can studying in Québec help my PSTQ profile?

Yes: most 2026 stream 1 rounds required a Québec diploma or at least one year of full-time study in Québec, and Québec has said it gives more weight to a Québec diploma.

Can I edit my declaration after an invitation?

Follow the instructions in Arrima that come with the invitation. If something important changed, do not assume a simple profile edit settles it.

Official sources

Official pages consulted on October 17, 2026:

• Québec — PSTQ invitations in 2026
• Québec — Invitation in Arrima
• Québec — Publication of invitation criteria (July 2, 2025)