Quebec runs its own immigration system and its own closed construction-trades regime, both separate from the rest of Canada. If you want to settle in Quebec, you are selected by Quebec, not through federal Express Entry, and you express interest through the Arrima platform under the Programme de selection des travailleurs qualifies. To work on a Quebec construction site you need a competency certificate from the Commission de la construction du Quebec (CCQ), and French-language requirements now apply both to the immigration step and to the workplace. Plan for French early: it is the single biggest difference from every other province.
Quebec selects its own immigrants
Quebec does not participate in Express Entry for permanent selection. Since January 2026 its main permanent economic stream is the Programme de selection des travailleurs qualifies (PSTQ), which replaced the older Quebec Experience Program. You declare your interest on the Arrima platform and wait to be invited. Invitations have prioritised people already in Quebec, Quebec diploma holders, workers in the regions, high-demand occupations, and strong French. The federal step still applies afterwards: once Quebec selects you, you apply to IRCC for permanent residence, but the selection decision is Quebec's.
The French-language requirement
This is the part newcomers most often underestimate. Since 17 December 2025, a temporary foreign worker applying for a Certificat d'acceptation du Quebec (CAQ) who has three or more years of Quebec work experience must demonstrate spoken French at level 4 on the Quebec scale. Workers already employed in Quebec when the rule took effect have a transition window, until 17 December 2028, to comply. A few categories are exempt, including agricultural temporary workers. Beyond immigration, the Office quebecois de la langue francaise oversees French in the workplace under the Charter of the French Language, and French-language work is increasingly expected on sites.
The practical takeaway: start learning and certifying your French as early as you can. It affects both whether you can stay and how you work.
The CCQ: you cannot work on a site without it
Quebec construction is governed by the CCQ, and it is illegal to work on a Quebec construction site without a CCQ competency certificate. There are three types:
- Apprentice Competency Certificate: for those still apprenticing; each period is 2,000 hours.
- Journeyman Competency Certificate: for those who have finished their apprenticeship and passed the qualification exam. It is valid twelve months and renews automatically if you worked at least one hour in the fourteen months before it expires.
- Occupation certificate: for labourers and specialised labourers.
If you hold a Red Seal endorsement, you can apply directly to the CCQ for a Journeyman Competency Certificate. You submit the registration and qualification-recognition forms, a copy of your Red Seal document, proof of passing the ASP Construction safety course, and the CCQ fee. That is the fastest route in. If you do not hold a Red Seal, you contact the CCQ to find out what evidence of your overseas hours it will accept and which apprentice level you will start at. How to get that Red Seal in the first place is covered in How Canada Recognises a Foreign Trade Qualification.
The ASP Construction safety course
The ASP Construction course (general health and safety on construction sites) is mandatory for everyone working on a Quebec construction site. You must pass it before the CCQ will issue any competency certificate. Book it as soon as you arrive.
Union membership
Quebec's construction regime requires workers to belong to one of the recognised construction unions. If you do not choose one, the CCQ assigns you to a union. This is a structural feature of working in Quebec construction, not an optional extra.
Common mistakes
- Applying through federal Express Entry to live in Quebec. Quebec selects its own; use Arrima and the PSTQ.
- Underestimating the French requirement. It now gates both the CAQ for experienced temporary workers and, increasingly, the work itself. Start French early.
- Turning up to a site without a CCQ card. It is illegal to work on a Quebec construction site without one, and the ASP Construction course is a prerequisite for the card.
- Assuming your Red Seal lets you walk straight onto a site. It speeds up the CCQ application, but you still need the CCQ certificate, the safety course and a union.
Know someone who needs this?
Keep reading
Was this guide useful?
Didn't find what you were looking for?
Spotted something wrong or out of date? Email us at hello@kilnguides.co.uk.
In crisis? 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline (call or text 988) ·