The Canadian province of Quebec has today made significant changes concerning the selection process for its Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).
The QSWP allows eligible applicants to immigrate to Canada after receiving a Quebec Selection Certificate/certificat de selection du Québec (CSQ) from the government of Quebec.
Area of Training
The first criterion changed is that of “Area of training.” This change ends the requirement for recent work experience related to the area of training for diplomas obtained more than five years ago. From now on, applicants will receive points for their diplomas regardless of when they were earned, provided that they were obtained before the application was submitted.
Previously, applicants who obtained their diplomas more than five years ago were required to show relevant work experience in the field in order to obtain points for their Area of Training.
Level of Education
The modification noted above also affects the “Level of education” criterion. From now on, applicants may obtain points for this criterion provided that they obtained their diploma before their application was submitted.
Principal applicant and spouse/common-law partner
The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) will no longer do switches between the principal applicant and the spouse. Accordingly, the principal applicant identified when the application is submitted will remain the same throughout the review process by MIDI.
Previously, in certain cases MIDI would switch who was designated as the principal applicant if it was deemed that it would be of benefit to the applicants.
These changes, which went into effect on December 31, 2015, apply only to new selection certificate applications received after this date.
Mon projet Québec
On January 5, 2016 Quebec launched Mon projet Québec, its new online application management system for the QSWP. Click here to learn more about Mon projet Québec.
