Quebec's July 3, 2026 PSTQ draw invited 501 skilled workers across all four streams — its smallest of the year. Nearly half went to TEER 4–5 workers already in Quebec.
Quebec held a skilled-worker selection round on July 3, 2026, inviting 501 candidates across all four streams of its Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ). It's the province's sixth PSTQ round of the year and the smallest so far. But the headline number hides the real one: 240 of those 501 invitations — nearly half — went to a single group of lower-skilled workers already living in Quebec.
Quebec runs its own immigration system. This is not Express Entry, and it is not a provincial nominee program like the ones in BC or Ontario. Under the Canada–Quebec Accord, the province selects its own economic immigrants through the Arrima portal, scores them on its own points grid, and issues a Québec Selection Certificate (CSQ) — after which you apply to the federal government for permanent residence. Your CRS score is irrelevant here. Quebec's own criteria — French, your occupation, and whether you already live in the province — decide everything.
Selections were drawn from the Arrima pool on June 26, 2026, for a round dated July 3. Here's how the 501 invitations split across the four streams:
| Stream | Who it targets | Invitations |
|---|
| Stream 1 — Highly qualified and specialized skills | TEER 0–2 occupations, residing in Quebec | 74 |
| Stream 2 — Intermediate and manual skills | TEER 3–5 occupations, residing in Quebec | 289 |
| Stream 3 — Regulated professions | Candidates entering a regulated profession | 131 |
| Stream 4 — Exceptional talent | Strategic sectors, research, arts, sport | 7 |
| Total | | 501 |
Stream 2 — intermediate and manual workers — took 58% of the entire round. And within Stream 2, one sub-exercise dominated: 240 invitations went to candidates whose primary occupation is TEER 4 or 5 (the lowest skill tiers) who already live in Quebec, at a selection score of 628 or higher. That single exercise was larger than Streams 1, 3, and 4 combined.
The read is clear. This round wasn't chasing high-flying specialists from abroad. It was selecting people already in the province, working in intermediate and manual roles, who can function in French.
Quebec doesn't run one cutoff. Each stream — and each exercise within it — set its own minimum score, ranging from 475 to 726:
| Stream | Score range across exercises |
|---|
| Stream 1 — Highly qualified | 628 to 726 |
| Stream 2 — Intermediate and manual | 628 to 726 |
| Stream 3 — Regulated professions | 475 to 656 |
| Stream 4 — Exceptional talent | Partner endorsement, not a score cutoff |
The lowest bar in the whole round — 475 — sat in Stream 3, reserved for candidates heading into a regulated TEER 4 or 5 occupation. The highest — 726 — appeared in the specialist and priority-diploma exercises. If you've been treating "the PSTQ cutoff" as one number, stop. Your stream and your exercise decide your bar, and they're far apart.
For Streams 1, 2, and 3, every invited candidate had to be residing in Quebec and had to prove French ability:
- Streams 1 and 3: oral French at level 7 or higher, and written French at level 5 or higher.
- Stream 2: oral French at level 5 or higher.
- Accompanying spouses: oral French at level 4 or higher.
That's the filter doing the quiet work. A strong résumé and a qualifying occupation get you nowhere in these streams without the French levels to match. Quebec's system is built to select people who can live and work in French from day one — and the July 3 round, weighted so heavily toward workers already in the province, reflects exactly that priority.
If you were invited: you'll receive (or have received) a CSQ. That's Quebec's selection — the federal permanent residence application is a separate, second step. Start gathering documents now; the federal stage has its own timeline.
If you're already in Quebec, working, and speak French: you are squarely in the group this program is built around — especially if your occupation sits in TEER 3–5. Get your French test results current and your Arrima profile complete. The July 3 round shows the province reaching deep into the in-province, French-speaking pool.
If you're abroad: be realistic. Streams 1 through 3 required candidates to be living in Quebec. For most people outside Canada, the PSTQ is not a from-abroad pathway right now — it rewards people who are already here, studying or working, and building French. A Quebec study or work permit that gets you into the province and into French is usually the realistic first move.
Tip
Before you assume you're in the wrong stream, check your occupation's TEER level against your actual duties — not your job title. Quebec's streams are drawn strictly along the TEER line: 0–2 for Stream 1, 3–5 for Stream 2, with regulated professions carved out into Stream 3. People routinely self-classify one tier too high or too low and end up watching rounds they were eligible for — or chasing ones they weren't. Confirm your code with our NOC finder and NOC codes explained before you build your Arrima profile around the wrong tier.
Quebec publishes its PSTQ rounds after the fact and doesn't announce a schedule. Six rounds into 2026, the direction is consistent even if the timing isn't: smaller draws, a heavy tilt toward workers already in the province, and French as the non-negotiable gate. That's a pattern, not a promise — Quebec adjusts its selections against its own annual targets, which remain lower than the rest of Canada's per capita. We report what the last round did; we don't forecast the next.
For the province's other main economic door, see our guide on the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), which reopened in 2026 with its own rules.
Quebec PEQ Guide | French Tests: TEF & TCF | French for Canadian Immigration | NOC Codes Explained | NOC Finder
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.