Resettlement: Confirming the selection of a refugee by Quebec

(REF-OVS-1c)

The Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) is a document issued by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) that indicates that an applicant has been successfully selected by Quebec for permanent residence.

Unlike other immigration categories, the issuance of the CSQ is requested after the interview but before visa-issuance for both privately sponsored refugee and government-assisted refugee applications.

Migration officers receive only an electronic notification of CSQ issuance. A physical copy of the CSQ is given to refugees upon confirmation of permanent residence, at the Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport, in Montréal.

To select the applicants who are most likely to integrate into Quebec society and remain in Quebec, the MIDI considers factors such as all of the following:

• the principal applicant’s language abilities
• the principal applicant’s ties to Canada
• the principal applicant’s intentions to resettle in Quebec
• the principal applicant’s education and work experience
• the principal applicant’s vulnerability

Integration capacities are reviewed from a medium-term rather than short-term perspective and on the basis of how great the need for protection is in the country where the refugee is located, with less importance placed on settlement capacities.

The selection is generally made through a file review, based on the migration officer's interview notes and all relevant documents, including the Resettlement Registration Form, from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

The post-arrival consequences are serious for a refugee who does not have a valid CSQ. Access to provincial services, such as health care and social assistance, can be significantly delayed.

A CSQ issued after the coming-into-force of the Regulation Respecting Immigration to Québec (RIQ), on August 2, 2018, is now valid for 24 months or until a decision on the permanent residence application is made, under the IRPA.

A CSQ issued before August 2, 2018, maintains its 36-month validity, which is the period during which the holder has to submit an application for permanent residence, under the IRPA. Since the coming-into-force of the RIQ, if the application is made during this time limit of 36 months, the CSQ remains valid until a decision is made on the permanent residence application.