Program and selection
PSTQ score: how the points on your expression of interest are calculated
The three groups of PSTQ ranking criteria, how they add up to 1,400 points and what a score cannot guarantee, based on the MII's official document.
Published on · 6 min read
In Arrima's expression of interest bank, every profile gets a score used to rank candidates for Québec's Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ). The grid is set out in a document from the ministère de l'Immigration et de l'Intégration (MII, formerly MIFI) called "Critères d'invitation et leur pointage" (invitation criteria and scoring, available in French). It explains the ministerial order of June 20, 2025 and its erratum of July 9, 2025; the version we read was updated on June 26, 2026. Here are the main points.
Three groups of criteria, 1,400 points in total
| Criteria group | Maximum |
|---|---|
| Human capital | 520 |
| Meeting Québec's needs and government priorities | 700 |
| Adaptation factors | 180 |
| Total | 1,400 |
That total adds up the ceilings of the three groups. Based on the document's tables, no single profile can reach all of them at once. Without an accompanying spouse, the 140 spouse-related adaptation points are out of reach, so the maximum drops to 1,260. With an accompanying spouse, the human capital ceilings are lower (420 instead of 520), and the maximum becomes 1,300.
One key detail: everything is assessed on the date the data is extracted from the bank for an invitation round, not on the date you filled out your expression of interest.
Human capital (up to 520 points)
French (up to 200 points). The four skills count separately: listening, speaking, reading and writing, measured on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français. Each is worth up to 50 points (40 if a spouse is coming with you). Levels 1 to 4 earn nothing, levels 5 and 6 earn 38 points, levels 7 and 8 earn 44, and the ceiling is reached from level 9.
Results must come from a test or diploma accepted by the department (TCF-Québec, TCF Canada, TCF, DELF, DALF, TEFAQ, TEF Canada or TEF) that is no more than two years old on the extraction date. Some high school diplomas from France, French-speaking Belgium or French-speaking Switzerland count as level 9. The document also makes clear that, for now, knowledge of English earns no points at all.
Age (up to 120 points). The maximum goes to people aged 20 to 30 (100 with a spouse). It is 110 points at ages 18 to 19 and at 31, then drops each year to 10 points at 44. From age 45, this criterion earns nothing.
Work experience (up to 70 points). Experience from the last five years counts, in any occupation and any country, converted to full-time equivalent. You need at least 12 months to earn points (20), and 48 months or more for the ceiling (50 with a spouse).
Education (up to 130 points). The scale runs from 13 points for a completed general high school diploma to 130 points for a doctorate or a medical specialty of at least two years. A three- or four-year bachelor's degree is worth 104 points and a master's degree of two years or more, 117. A foreign diploma is scored according to its Québec equivalent, and only your most advantageous diploma counts.
Québec's needs and government priorities (up to 700 points)
This is the heaviest group, and it mostly rewards ties to Québec.
- Labour market diagnosis and experience in your main occupation (up to 120): the department uses its medium-term diagnoses for the 516 NOC occupations. An occupation in shortage, with 48 to 60 months of experience, earns 120 points; one in slight shortage tops out at 100; one in balance or without a diagnosis, at 25.
- Québec diploma (up to 200): from 20 points for a general high school diploma to 200 for a doctorate or medical specialty. A three- or four-year Québec bachelor's degree is worth 160.
- Work experience in Québec (up to 160): 40 points per 12-month band, in any occupation, up to 48 to 60 months.
- Time spent outside the Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal (up to 120): three criteria that add up, namely living (40), working (60) and studying (20) outside the Montréal metropolitan area (CMM). The stay must be ongoing on the extraction date.
- Validated job offer in your main occupation (up to 50): 50 points if the job is outside the CMM, 30 points if it is inside.
- Licence to practise or recognition by the regulatory body (50): this criterion applies to Stream 3.
Adaptation factors (up to 180 points)
For you, two criteria:
- Study stay in Québec without a diploma: up to 10 points for a completed stay and up to 30 for an ongoing one. Language courses do not count.
- Family member in Québec: 10 points if the person is your own relative (for example your parent, child, brother or sister), 5 points if they are your spouse's child, parent, brother or sister. The relative must be 18 or older and a permanent resident or Canadian citizen, and you must intend to settle outside the CMM, in their region.
For an accompanying spouse: French (up to 40), age (20), work experience in Québec (30), education (20) and Québec diploma (30).
What a score does not guarantee
The score ranks profiles, but it is not enough on its own. A round starts with criteria that must be met (stream, French level, a list of occupations, being in Québec, and so on), then the minimum score applies among the people who meet them. A high score without the right criteria does not lead to an invitation. When scores are tied, the date and time the expression of interest was filed decide the order.
Québec.ca offers a self-evaluation tool in the form of PDF forms (with or without a spouse) to open in Acrobat. The result is only indicative: the score calculated in your expression of interest is the one that counts.
Frequently asked questions
Can my score drop even if I do not touch my expression of interest?
Yes. Age is recalculated at each extraction, a French test stops counting after two years, and experience only counts over the last five years.
Does a validated job offer change the score much?
It adds 50 points outside the CMM and 30 inside it. Other criteria, such as a Québec diploma or Québec work experience, carry more weight in the grid.
Track your file with CSQ Tracker Pro
CSQ Tracker Pro is an independent app, not affiliated with the Government of Québec. Its simulator estimates your PSTQ score, and its list of Arrima invitation rounds taken from Québec.ca lets you compare that estimate with the published minimum scores.
Official sources
- Critères d'invitation et leur pointage (PDF, in French)
- Invitation to apply for permanent selection (criteria, scoring and self-evaluation)
- Find the NOC code of your main occupation and the corresponding stream
- Announcement of the department's new name (in French)
Information checked on November 5, 2026. Rules can change: always check Québec.ca before acting.
General information only, not legal advice. CSQ Tracker Pro is independent and is not affiliated with the Government of Québec, the ministère de l’Immigration et de l’Intégration or IRCC. Québec.ca remains the reference for every rule and form.