Today, July 19, Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Diversity, and Inclusion (MIDI) announced that the next intake period for the popular Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) will open on August 16, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. Montreal time, and will receive up to 5,000 applications. The intake period may remain open until August 22, or until the intake cap of 5,000 applicants is reached, whichever occurs soonest.
During the upcoming intake period, candidates with an existing account on Mon projet Québec will have the opportunity to submit their completed application profiles. It is currently possible to create a new account on Mon projet Québec in order to be able to submit an application profile in the upcoming intake period. Moreover, the MIDI has confirmed that potential applicants will still be able to create an account up until August 16, in order to have the opportunity to submit an application in the upcoming intake period.
Quota expected to fill quickly
The last intake period opened at 8:30 a.m. Montreal time on June 13, 2016, with a cap limit of 5,000 applications that filled within hours after opening. It is expected that the intake period beginning August 16 will again be brief. The intake period of June 13 was restricted to the approximately 41,000 candidates who had already created an account in January.
As of January 2016, all candidates wishing to submit an application to the QSWP for a for a Quebec Selection Certificate/certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) must do so online through the online intake management system Mon projet Québec. With a CSQ, applicants may then apply to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence.
Changes to the QSWP expected in 2017
The upcoming intake period from August 16 to 22 may be the last in 2016 for the QSWP. Quebec’s Minister for Immigration, Kathleen Weil, is leading efforts to shift the province’s popular economic immigration program towards the model used throughout Canada. Proposed legislation would create an immigration program similar to that of the Express Entry system, in which candidates submit an Expression of Interest and await an Invitation to Apply based on their credentials.
Note: Candidates in either of the following situations are not subject to the cap and may submit an application for a CSQ outside the aforementioned intake periods:
- The applicant has enclosed a validated employment offer with the application for a selection certificate submitted under the QSWP; or
- The applicant is a temporary resident in Quebec and eligible to submit an application for a CSQ.