Quebec Invites Over 500 Candidates in Arrima Draw #85

Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisation et Integration (MIFI) has issued its latest round of invitations under the province’s Arrima system, inviting 501 skilled candidates in draw number 85, held on July 3, 2026. The round is Quebec’s sixth invitation round of 2026 and brings the province’s year to date total to 13,240 candidates invited across its various selection streams.

Quebec Arrima Draw #85 At A Glance

Quebec’s Qualified Worker Selection Program invites candidates across four distinct streams, each targeting a different segment of the labour market. In draw 85, 74 candidates were invited under Stream 1 for highly qualified and specialized skills, 289 under Stream 2 for intermediate and manual skills, 131 under Stream 3 for regulated professions, and 7 under Stream 4 for exceptional talent. MIFI also issued one supplementary invitation for permanent selection under special provisions of the Quebec Immigration Act.

A Closer Look At The Streams

The breakdown within each stream shows just how varied the scoring and volume can be within a single draw. Highly qualified and specialized skills candidates were invited across three separate scoring exercises, with points ranging from 628 up to 726. Intermediate and manual skills candidates saw the largest single exercise of the draw, 240 invitations at 628 points, making this stream the biggest contributor to the round overall. Regulated professions candidates were spread across four exercises with points from 475 up to 656, while the seven exceptional talent invitations were issued without a points threshold, reflecting the more discretionary nature of that stream.

How This Draw Compares?

In the month before this round, Quebec invited 2,549 skilled candidates across its various streams, so draw 85 represents a smaller, more targeted round by comparison. Still, with 501 invitations issued and the year to date total now at 13,240, Quebec continues to run one of the more active provincial selection programs in the country, reflecting sustained demand for skilled labour in fields tied to intermediate and manual trades in particular, which again made up the largest share of invitations this round.

What Quebec Immigration Candidates Should Know

Unlike Express Entry, Quebec’s system does not funnel directly into the federal CRS score. Candidates apply through the province’s own points grid under the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, and once selected through Arrima, they still need to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate before applying to IRCC for permanent residence. For candidates weighing Quebec against other provinces, the province’s steady cadence of draws and its explicit stream for intermediate and manual skills make it a genuinely different pathway than most other PNPs, which tend to concentrate invitations toward higher skilled occupations.

Anyone hoping to be invited in a future Arrima round should focus on the specific stream that matches their occupation and experience level, since scoring thresholds vary considerably between streams and even between exercises within the same stream. Keeping language scores, work experience documentation, and settlement plans up to date in the Arrima profile also makes a meaningful difference when a new round is announced.

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