Eligibility Requirements for Quebec’s new immigration programs

Quebec will soon launch immigration programs for people working in artificial intelligence, information technology, health, and food processing sectors. There are certain eligibility criteria for each pilot that a principal applicant must meet.

Immigration program for food processing workers

This program is for workers who want to immigrate to Quebec and are currently working in the food processing sector. The province will launch this immigration program on 24th March. If you want to apply to this pilot, you should be able to speak French, and have work experience in Quebec and you should be already in a job when you apply for a CSQ through this pilot.

Other requirements:

A high school or a professional studies diploma from an institution in Quebec;
The ability to speak french at level 7 as per the Quebec scale of French knowledge proficiency;
Should have work experience(full-time) of at least 24 months in an eligible occupation in Quebec.

List of eligible occupations:

Specialized cleaner;
Laborer: food and beverage processing;
Meat cutter, poultry related work, industrial butcher and other related workers;
Laborer: seafood and fish processing;
Laborer: seafood and fish processing plants;
Agricultural worker: chicken picker;
Machine and industrial process operator for food and beverage processing industry;

Immigration program for orderlies

Foreign workers who have worked in Quebec as orderlies for a minimum of one year can apply for CSQ through this immigration pilot. They should be well-spoken in French and have a job as an orderly when they submit their application. The labor gaps have been aggravated by the ongoing pandemic in the health sector. So, MIFI has decided to initiate this program to fill the gaps. This pilot will be launched on 31st March. You can apply to this program through the two immigration streams: Work and Studies-work.

Eligibility for Workstream:

A one-year full-time diploma in Quebec related to orderly work;
A minimum of 24 months of work experience as an orderly and out of these 24 months, at least 12 months of experience should have been gained in the province of Quebec.

This pilot is particularly for people working under the NOC 3413: Nurse aide, patient service associate, and orderly.

Eligibility for Work-study stream:

Must have graduated from Quebec with a diploma in vocational studies that can help one to get a job as an orderly;
Must have a minimum of 12 months of work experience in Quebec.

Also, you are eligible for the work-study stream if you have a vocational studies diploma and if you have finished the study program – Institutional and Home Care Assistance.

Immigration program for skilled workers in the tech field

Highly skilled workers who are working in the fields of artificial intelligence, visual effects and information technology can apply through this pilot. This program will be launched on April 22. It is designed by the province mainly to retain international students in Quebec who completed graduation in a specialized field.

There are two immigration streams:

Artificial Intelligence;

Visual effects and information technology.

And there are two kinds of profiles under each of these streams – Francophone and Francization. Individuals having Francophone profiles must exhibit an oral proficiency of 7 in French. And if you get selected under the Francization profile, you would automatically get registered with Quebec’s integration service which will help you learn French.

Check your eligibility: Artificial intelligence stream

You need:

24 months of work experience within the past five years.
Master’s/doctoral degree.
A full-time job offer or you should be already working in the field of artificial intelligence.

Also, if you have graduated from Quebec, you should be a DESS graduate (you should have graduated with a higher specialized study).

Eligibility: Information technology and visual effects stream

You need a bachelor’s degree or a diploma that involves some technical training. You must be working in Quebec or have a job offer. In addition, you should have work experience for a minimum of 24 months in an eligible occupation.