Working in Quebec with a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ)

Persons who have secured a Quebec Selection Certificate/certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) can choose to work in Quebec without needing to obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

Under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program and the Quebec Experience Class, the government of Quebec has an agreement with the Federal government of Canada, wherein a foreign national who is working in the province of Quebec on a work permit, if the person has been selected by the province (issued a CSQ under any one of the aforementioned economic immigration programs), will be allowed to continue paid employment in Canada with the current employer or any other employer in Quebec.

The employer when providing the job to the applicant under this category, doesn’t has to go through the hassles of obtaining a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Also, interestingly, there is no restriction on the occupation skill levels regarding the job the person was offered if the person already had a CSQ at the time the job was offered.

To be eligible to start working (or else, continue working) in the province of Quebec with a CSQ, at least one of the following conditions is to be met:

• The applicant is a resident of Quebec at the time the application is made, AND, the applicant has a valid job offer from an employer in Quebec;
• The applicant is a resident of Quebec at the time the application is made, AND, the applicant’s current employer is willing to extend the employment contract with the applicant in Quebec;
• The applicant is a foreign (international) student who has a post-graduation work permit, AND, has secured a valid job offer from an employer in Quebec;
• The applicant has a working holiday based work permit through participation in the International Experience Canada (IEC) program;
• The applicant has an International Co-op based work permit through participation in the International Experience Canada (IEC) program;
• The applicant has a Young Professional Co-op based work permit through participation in the International Experience Canada (IEC) program. In this category the length of the program should be at least 18 months.