The Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) is the document issued by the Quebec government confirming that a candidate has been selected for immigration to Quebec. Obtaining a CSQ is the first major step in the Quebec immigration process — before you can apply to the federal government for permanent residence.
What Is a CSQ?
The Certificat de sélection du Québec is Quebec's way of saying: "We have reviewed this person's application and selected them as a future Quebec immigrant." It is issued by the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) and is required before you can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence as a Quebec-destined immigrant. The CSQ itself does not grant you the right to live in Canada — it only authorizes you to apply for PR at the federal level.
How to Obtain a CSQ
The pathway to a CSQ depends on which Quebec program you apply through: PSTQ applicants receive an invitation through Arrima and submit a CSQ application after their invitation; PEQ applicants apply directly through MIFI's online portal once they meet the eligibility criteria. In both cases, after submitting a complete application, MIFI reviews your documents and issues a CSQ if you meet all requirements. CSQs are typically issued to the principal applicant and include all family members (spouse, dependent children) named in the application.
Is a CSQ Valid Indefinitely?
A CSQ does not have an expiry date — it remains valid indefinitely. Unlike some immigration documents that expire after a fixed period, your CSQ does not become invalid if federal processing takes longer than expected. This is important because the two-step Quebec process can be lengthy, and you don't need to worry about your CSQ "expiring" while you wait for IRCC to process your PR application.
After Receiving Your CSQ: Applying to IRCC
Once you have your CSQ, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence. The federal application for Quebec-destined immigrants follows a separate pathway from Express Entry — it is a paper-based (and increasingly online) application assessed against federal admissibility criteria. IRCC does not reassess Quebec's selection decision — they only evaluate whether you are admissible under federal law (criminality, medical, security checks). Federal processing for Quebec applicants typically takes 12 months from the date of application submission.
What IRCC Checks After CSQ
Even though IRCC accepts Quebec's selection decision, they conduct their own federal admissibility checks: medical examination by a panel physician, criminal background check (police certificates from all countries of residence for 6+ months), security screening, and biometrics. These are the same admissibility checks applied to all PR applicants regardless of province. Only if IRCC finds a federal inadmissibility issue (serious criminal history, medical inadmissibility, security concern) will the federal application be refused despite having a valid CSQ.