Before you start

A passport valid well beyond the intended stay
French language test results for most Quebec economic streams, and English results where relevant
An Educational Credential Assessment or Quebec comparative evaluation of studies
A job offer and, for many employer-specific permits, a Labour Market Impact Assessment obtained by the employer

Step-by-step

1
Work out whether your route runs through Quebec or around it
Economic immigration to Quebec normally requires a CSQ through the Arrima portal or one of the graduate and worker streams. Family sponsorship and refugee routes are federal. Temporary work permits are federal but often require a Quebec Acceptance Certificate alongside. Establish which of these applies before doing anything else.
OnlineWho: You
2
Take a recognised French test and treat it as the main lever
The Quebec selection grid weights French oral proficiency very heavily, and several streams have a hard French requirement rather than a points bonus. TEF or TCF results are the currency. This is the single factor most within your control and the one that decides most applications.
In personWho: You
3
Apply for a Social Insurance Number in your first week
Free, from Service Canada, with your passport and permit. In person at a Service Canada centre it is usually issued on the spot. No employer can pay you without it.
In personWho: YouWeek 1
4
Submit the federal application once the CSQ is issued
The CSQ is Quebec's selection decision, not permanent residence. Ottawa still assesses medical admissibility, criminality and security, and issues the actual status. These are two sequential applications with two sets of fees and two processing times.
OnlineWho: You
5
Register for francisation classes, which are free and underused
Quebec funds French courses for newcomers, part-time and full-time, with financial support available for some full-time students. They are open to permanent residents and to many temporary workers. Beyond the language, they are how a lot of people meet other newcomers in their first year.
OnlineWho: You
6
Keep a day-by-day record of physical presence in Canada
The permanent resident residency obligation and the citizenship physical-presence requirement are both counted in days across several years. Start the log on arrival — reconstructing it later from passport stamps and flights is genuinely difficult.
OnlineWho: You

Documents you’ll need

Passport
CSQ, once issued
Work permit or Confirmation of Permanent Residence
French and English test results
Comparative evaluation of studies or Educational Credential Assessment
A record of every entry to and exit from Canada

Things most newcomers don’t know

Quebec runs its own immigration selection, and generic Canadian advice does not apply here.

Under a long-standing agreement with Ottawa, Quebec selects its own economic immigrants and sets its own criteria. Express Entry as it operates for Toronto or Vancouver does not lead to Montreal in the same way. People spend months optimising a federal profile before discovering that the province they want has a separate system with different weights. Establish which system applies to your route before anything else.

Source: Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration

French is not a bonus in the Quebec grid — for many streams it is the requirement.

The provincial selection criteria weight spoken French very heavily, and several streams set a hard minimum rather than awarding points. An applicant with strong education, good English and no French will score poorly regardless of everything else. Conversely, reaching a solid oral level is the most improvable factor in the entire application. Start it a year before you intend to apply, not after arriving.

Source: Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration

The CSQ is not permanent residence, and the second application takes as long as the first.

Receiving the certificate feels like the finish line and it is roughly half way. Ottawa then conducts its own assessment of medical, criminal and security admissibility and issues the actual status, on its own timetable and for its own fees. Newcomers who plan a move date around the CSQ rather than around the federal decision routinely find themselves a year out.

Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Francisation courses are free, open to more people than assume it, and genuinely good.

Quebec funds French instruction for newcomers at several levels, part-time and full-time, with financial assistance available for some full-time learners. Permanent residents and many temporary workers qualify. Beyond the obvious benefit, they function as the province's main newcomer social infrastructure — for a lot of arrivals the classmates are the first network they build here.

Source: Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration

Common mistakes to avoid

Planning a Montreal move around federal Express Entry advice written for other provinces.
Treating French as an optional bonus rather than the deciding factor.
Assuming the CSQ is permanent residence and planning the move date around it.
Starting a job before the Social Insurance Number is issued and delaying your own pay.
Never registering for francisation because you assumed it was only for the unemployed.

Some of this may be out of date. Spotted something inaccurate? Help us keep it right for the next newcomer.