The conditions for immigration in the province of Quebec have changed

Quebec has launched a new scoring system to classify candidate profiles under the Arrima system.

Last week, the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration of the Canadian province of Quebec (MIFI) announced innovations to the Arrima expression pool — it will now become easier to settle outside of Montreal. These changes have been introduced to further support the economic and social vitality of all regions of Quebec.

Immigration candidates who submit their profile to Arrima can receive up to 1,320 points, including 580 points for factors related to human capital and 740 points for factors related to Quebec labour market needs.

1. Human capital criteria include: fluency in French, bilingualism, age, professional experience and level of education.

2. Labour market factors include: work experience in an area where there is a shortage, study or work in Quebec, work experience in the rest of Canada and employment opportunities, employment within and outside the Greater Montreal area.

This last criterion carries important weight, as job offers outside the Montreal metropolitan area can score up to 380 and offers in Montreal itself can score 180.

In addition, points may also be awarded for the spouse or civil partner of the principal applicant based on several of the criteria assessed.

MIFI indicated in a press release that the launch of this point system "will facilitate a better alignment between immigration and Quebec labour market needs."

The Ministry reports that the number of invitations to apply for permanent migration selection under the Arrima system will be issued on the basis of this new ranking system, starting with the highest-ranked candidates. In the event that two candidates receive the same number of points, their applications will be ranked according to the date and time of submission.

The new points system will allow the province to issue Quebec Certificates of Selection (CSQs) within six months of receiving complete applications. People who receive CSQs can apply for permanent residency with the federal government of Canada.