On July 30, 2026, Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) invited 523 candidates across four streams in the 86th Arrima round: 105 under highly qualified and specialized skills, 296 under intermediate and manual skills, 110 under regulated professions, and 12 under exceptional talent. Quebec has now invited 13,763 candidates through Arrima in 2026 alone. 

What Happened in Quebec’s 86th Arrima Round? 

Quebec runs its skilled worker selection through an online declaration of interest system called Arrima, and the province draws from that pool on a rolling basis rather than on a fixed calendar. The 86th round pulled candidate profiles extracted from the Arrima bank on July 27, 2026, at 4:39 p.m., and MIFI issued invitations three days later, on July 30. That short gap between extraction and invitation is worth noting for anyone tracking their own profile status. It tells us Quebec moves quickly once it decides to draw, so a profile that isn’t fully optimized before the extraction date can miss an otherwise winnable round. 

The round was split across four streams, each targeting a different segment of the labour market. Stream 1 covered highly qualified and specialized skills. Stream 2 covered intermediate and manual skills, and it was by far the largest, accounting for well over half of all invitations issued. Stream 3 covered regulated professions such as medicine, nursing, and engineering. Stream 4, reserved for exceptional talent, remained the smallest, with just 12 invitations.

Source: Arrima Draw #86 Update

What Score Did Candidates Need in Each Stream? 

Score thresholds moved around considerably depending on the occupation group and language profile within each stream. In Stream 1, candidates with priority occupations such as physician assistants, therapists, and early childhood educators needed at least 651 points, while a smaller group in food service and culinary occupations needed 702 points to be invited. In Stream 2, thresholds ranged from 656 points for health and education support occupations up to 702 points for cooks and light duty cleaners, with a broader group of TEER 4 and 5 occupations invited from 649 points. Stream 3, covering regulated professions in health, education, and social work, saw thresholds around 649 to 700 points depending on French proficiency and occupation. 

French language ability was a consistent thread across almost every category. Candidates in the higher-skill and regulated-profession streams generally needed oral proficiency at level 7 or above and written proficiency at level 5 or above on the Échelle québécoise, while intermediate and manual skill categories asked for oral level 5. Accompanying spouses, where applicable, needed oral level 4. This is a reminder that Quebec’s selection model is not simply an extension of the federal Express Entry system: French remains the deciding factor for most applicants, regardless of how strong their CRS-equivalent score looks on paper. 

Which Occupations Were Prioritized This Round? 

Quebec continues to lean heavily on its priority occupation lists rather than opening the door broadly. Healthcare remained the dominant theme, with physicians, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, psychologists, and a long list of allied health technologists all appearing across the streams. Skilled trades and industrial occupations were also well represented, including welders, machinists, electricians, and heavy-duty equipment mechanics, alongside a strong technology contingent covering data scientists, cybersecurity specialists, and engineering managers. Education and social services occupations, including early childhood educators and secondary school teachers, rounded out much of the remaining invitation volume. 

A handful of occupations are permanently excluded from every Arrima round, including commissioned police officers, Canadian Armed Forces officers, and primary combat roles, since those positions require citizenship or permanent residence to begin with. Separately, MIFI also issued 17 invitations in 2026 under Section 26 and Section 47 of Quebec’s immigration regulation and act, a smaller discretionary pathway that runs alongside the main Arrima exercises. 

What Does This Mean for Your Quebec Immigration Plan? 

The 86th round confirms a pattern that’s held for most of 2026: Quebec is prioritizing candidates already established in the province, with French proficiency and Quebec-obtained diplomas or work experience carrying real weight in scoring. Candidates applying from outside Quebec, particularly in Stream 2’s manual and intermediate skill categories, face a steeper climb without those local ties. If your occupation sits on one of the priority lists but your score fell short this round, small, targeted improvements, an extra oral French exam attempt, updated work experience documentation, or a completed Quebec diploma, can be the difference in the next draw. 

Not sure where your profile stands against Quebec’s shifting thresholds, or whether your French test results are strong enough for the next round? Book a consultation with ImmigCanada to build your Quebec immigration strategy. 

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