Quebec's Smallest PSTQ Round of 2026: 501 Invitations, and Nearly Half Came From One Exercise
MIFI drew from all four PSTQ streams on July 3. Stream 2 took 289 invitations — 240 of them from a single exercise asking just 628 points and a TEER 4 or 5 occupation.
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Key Takeaways
- Québec issued 501 invitations on July 3 across all four streams of the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) — the province's sixth PSTQ round of 2026 and its smallest to date.
- The largest share by a wide margin went to stream 2 (intermediate and manual skills), which took 289 invitations; 240 of those came from a single exercise open to any candidate with a TEER 4 or 5 primary occupation and a score of at least 628.
- Every stream demanded French proficiency and current residence in Québec, with score cut-offs ranging from 475 to 726 depending on the exercise.
Québec's Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) went to the Arrima pool on July 3 and drew from all four streams of the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) at once. The result was 501 invitations — the sixth PSTQ round of the year, and the leanest of the six.
The selections themselves were made from the pool on June 26, 2026, at 10:53 a.m.
Where the 501 Invitations Went
| Stream | Invitations |
|---|---|
| Stream 1 – Highly qualified and specialized skills | 74 |
| Stream 2 – Intermediate and manual skills | 289 |
| Stream 3 – Regulated professions | 131 |
| Stream 4 – Exceptional talent | 7 |
Stream 2 absorbed well over half the round. That is the headline, and the reason is a single exercise — more on that below.
Stream 1: Highly Qualified and Specialized Skills — 74 invitations
All 74 went to workers in TEER 0–2 occupations who currently reside in Québec and hold 12 months of work experience within the last five years, spread across three exercises:
| Exercise | Invitations | Minimum score |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise 1 – Qualifying diploma + priority occupation (TEER 1, 2) | 31 | 628 |
| Exercise 2 – Qualifying diploma + priority occupation (TEER 2) | 5 | 726 |
| Exercise 3 – Qualifying diploma + priority occupation (TEER 0–2) | 38 | 656 |
Each exercise drew from a different occupation list. Exercise 1 targeted five NOCs concentrated in care and community work: early childhood educators and assistants (42202), instructors for persons with disabilities (42203), pharmacy technicians (32124), social and community service workers (42201), and therapists in counselling and related specialized therapies (41301).
Exercise 2, with the round's highest cut-off at 726, targeted five skilled trades and food service NOCs: aircraft mechanics and inspectors (72404), chefs (62200), construction millwrights and industrial mechanics (72400), electromechanical technicians (72422), and food service supervisors (62020).
Exercise 3 cast the widest net of the three, drawing from 19 NOCs weighted heavily toward construction and industrial trades — among them bricklayers (72320), carpenters (72310), crane operators (72500), ironworkers (72105), powerline technicians (72203), steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers (72301), and welders and related machine operators (72106).
Stream 2: Intermediate and Manual Skills — 289 invitations
All 289 went to workers in TEER 3–5 occupations currently residing in Québec:
| Exercise | Invitations | Minimum score |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise 1 – Qualifying diploma + work experience + priority occupations (TEER 3) | 35 | 628 |
| Exercise 2 – Qualifying diploma + work experience + priority occupations (TEER 3–5) | 14 | 726 |
| Exercise 3 – Qualifying diploma + TEER 4 or 5 primary occupation | 240 | 628 |
Exercise 3 is the story of this draw. At 240 invitations, it accounts for nearly half of the entire round on its own — and its criteria were the least restrictive anywhere in the selection: a score of at least 628 and a primary occupation falling under TEER 4 or 5. No priority occupation list, no additional experience threshold beyond the stream's baseline.
The two narrower exercises tell a different story. Exercise 1 required 24 months of work experience in the main occupation over the last five years — at least 12 of them in Québec — and limited eligibility to three health-support NOCs: medical laboratory assistants and related technical workers (33101), nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (33102), and pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103). Exercise 2 carried the same 24-month experience rule but set the bar at 726 points and drew from five NOCs: cooks (63200), counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (65201), food and beverage servers (65200), light duty cleaners (65310), and program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness (54100).
Stream 3: Regulated Professions — 131 invitations
This stream serves candidates who intend to practise a regulated profession and currently reside in Québec. Invitations were spread across four exercises, though MIFI published invitation counts for only the first two:
| Exercise | Invitations | Minimum score |
|---|---|---|
| Exercise 1 – Priority occupations (TEER 1, 2) | 84 | 628 |
| Exercise 2 – Priority occupations (TEER 1, 2) | 41 | 656 |
| Exercise 3 – Priority occupations (TEER 3, 5) | Not published | — |
| Exercise 4 – TEER 4 or 5 occupation | Not published | 475 |
Exercise 1 drew from 26 regulated NOCs across health and education, including general practitioners and family physicians (31102), registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301), pharmacists (31120), physiotherapists (31202), psychologists (31200), social workers (41300), elementary school and kindergarten teachers (41221), secondary school teachers (41220), and veterinarians (31103).
Exercise 2 drew from a separate list of 26 regulated NOCs weighted toward engineering and construction — aerospace engineers (21390), civil engineers (21300), electrical and electronics engineers (21310), electricians except industrial and power system (72200), carpenters (72310), bricklayers (72320), and crane operators (72500) among them.
Exercise 4 carried the lowest score threshold of the entire round at 475 points, requiring only the intent to practise a regulated TEER 4 or 5 occupation.
Stream 4: Exceptional Talent — 7 invitations
The smallest stream ran a single exercise and went to candidates with at least 36 months of work experience in the last five years, each holding a positive opinion issued by a MIFI partner in one of four targeted fields: strategic economic sectors, research, arts, or sports.
The French and Education Requirements Behind Every Invitation
Score thresholds only tell part of the story. To qualify for the July 3 round, candidates also had to clear stream-specific requirements — and French proficiency ran through all of them.
Stream 1 candidates needed a primary occupation under TEER 0–2, no intention to practise a regulated profession on MIFI's List of Regulated Professions, French at level 7 or higher in both oral skills and level 5 or higher in both written skills, and one year of full-time study in the province backed by a Québec diploma — a vocational diploma or attestation of vocational specialization, a college or technical college diploma, a certificate, a specialized graduate diploma, a minor or major, a bachelor's degree, or a master's or doctorate. Accompanying spouses, where applicable, needed level 4 or higher in both oral skills.
Stream 2 set a lower French bar — level 5 or higher in both oral skills — with the same level 4 requirement for accompanying spouses. Education had to be equivalent to a Québec high school diploma, a two-year full-time general post-secondary program, or a full-time program of at least one year equivalent to a qualifying Québec credential. Candidates also could not intend to practise a regulated profession on MIFI's list.
Stream 3 matched stream 1 on language: level 7 or higher in both oral skills, level 5 or higher in both written skills, and level 4 for accompanying spouses.
About the PSTQ
The Skilled Worker Selection Program is Québec's principal economic immigration pathway for skilled workers seeking to settle permanently in the province. Candidates begin by submitting a declaration of interest through Arrima, which places their profile in Québec's declaration-of-interest database, where it is assessed against factors that support economic and social integration.
The program's four streams are differentiated primarily by a candidate's declared occupation and its National Occupational Classification category. Québec periodically invites candidates meeting specified criteria to apply for permanent selection; successful applicants receive a Québec Selection Certificate (CSQ) and may then apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
What This Means for Applicants
The July 3 round was Québec's smallest PSTQ selection of 2026, but the distribution matters more than the total. Nearly half of all 501 invitations flowed through one exercise — stream 2's exercise 3 — which asked only for 628 points and a TEER 4 or 5 primary occupation. Candidates in lower-TEER work who have been discounting their chances against the province's high-scoring specialized exercises should note that the widest opening in this draw was also the least demanding on occupation. At the other end, exercise 2 cut-offs of 726 in both streams 1 and 2 show how narrow the specialized lanes have become. What has not moved is the constant beneath every stream: French, and a current life in Québec. No score compensates for either.
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