On July 2, 2025, Québec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) published Ministerial Order 2025-004, establishing new criteria and ranking rules for inviting foreign nationals to submit an application for selection under the Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP).

This new framework, in effect until July 2, 2027, is based on a structured assessment across three main groups of criteria: human capital, labour market needs and government priorities, and adaptation factors.

The "human capital" group includes French language proficiency, age, work experience, and education level. This group can yield up to 520 points.

The "labour market needs and priorities" group assigns up to 700 points based on factors such as labour shortage status in the declared occupation, possession of a Québec diploma, work experience in Québec, time spent outside the Montréal Metropolitan Community, and validated job offers in regional areas.

The "adaptation factors" group (up to 180 points) considers family members residing in Québec, time spent studying in Québec without a diploma, and the accompanying spouse’s profile (age, French, education, work experience in Québec, etc.).

Who is affected by this new program?

This new framework applies to any foreign national who has submitted or plans to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the Arrima portal under the RSWP.

It specifically concerns:

• skilled workers abroad seeking permanent immigration to Québec;
• graduates (from Québec or outside) who have gained work experience in Québec;
• applicants with validated job offers in in-demand occupations;
• individuals who intend to settle outside the Montréal Metropolitan Community;
• accompanying spouses whose profiles may increase the overall score.

Candidates already in the Arrima pool should ensure their profile is updated to reflect the new evaluation criteria (language, education, age, work experience, etc.).

This reform introduces more refined scoring, emphasizes regional immigration, and better aligns selection with the province’s real economic needs. Invitations will be issued based on total scores, and in the case of tied scores, priority will be given to the earliest expressions of interest submitted.