Once you receive an invitation in Arrima, strict deadlines apply. You have 30 days to accept it, and from the date you accept, you have 60 days to upload a complete application for permanent selection, with every supporting document and the fees. For applicants who studied or worked outside Canada, translation is usually the step that takes the longest.

This guide covers the PSTQ requirements for translated documents, which ones need translating, who is allowed to translate them, how the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) wants them formatted, and how to plan the work so your file goes in complete the first time. If you already know what you need, our certified translation service for Quebec covers every document on the PSTQ list. 

 

Your Deadline Starts the Day You Accept the Invitation

The Quebec Skilled Worker Program, known in French as the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ), runs on fixed deadlines:

  • 30 days to accept or decline your invitation. If you do not respond, your declaration of interest is cancelled.
  • 60 days from acceptance to submit your application, documents and fees under Streams 1, 2 and 4, or under Stream 3 if you already hold recognition from your regulatory body.
  • One year from acceptance under Stream 3 if you still need that recognition.

Sixty days sounds comfortable until you count the pages. Documents you will need in any case, such as birth certificates and diplomas, can be translated while your profile is still waiting in the Arrima pool.

Timing matters in 2026. MIFI has held invitation rounds every month this year, most recently on September 24. As of September 14, it was reviewing applications received in January 2026, and since May 13 it has prioritized temporary foreign workers whose work permits are expiring. For those applicants, a returned file costs time they may not have.

 

Which PSTQ Documents Need a Translation

The rule is simple, any document not written entirely in French or English must be submitted with a translation. That includes English documents carrying a seal or stamp in another language. The seal must be translated too.

What surprises most applicants is the volume. MIFI's list of supporting documents asks for:

  • Identity and civil status: a birth certificate for you and each family member in the application, plus your marriage certificate or divorce judgment where applicable
  • Education: every diploma, transcripts for each year of study, and a course list or program length certificate when these details are missing
  • Work experience, for each job in the last five years: an employment certificate on company letterhead, at least six pay slips, a statement of social security contributions and a personal income tax notice of assessment
  • Proof of relationship: leases, joint bank statements or utility bills for married and common-law couples

For example, an applicant with a four-year degree and two jobs abroad could easily face 25 or more pages in a foreign language, two employment certificates, twelve pay slips, two contribution statements, two tax assessments, a diploma, four transcripts, a birth certificate and a marriage certificate.

Keep copies of your translated diplomas and transcripts. If you also apply for a MIFI comparative evaluation of studies completed outside Quebec, the same documents will be needed.

 

Translating a full PSTQ file? Send us your document list and receive one fixed quote for the complete file within 15 minutes, with your OTTIAQ certified translator named on it. Short documents from CAD 80, delivery from 24 hours. Send Your PSTQ Document List

 

Who Can Translate Your PSTQ Documents

MIFI accepts translations from a recognized professional translator only. Who qualifies depends on where the translation is done.

In Quebec, the translator must be a member of the Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec (OTTIAQ). Working with an OTTIAQ certified translator is the most straightforward route for applicants already living in the province.

Outside Canada, MIFI accepts translations by:

  • a translator who is a member of a professional order, or authorized to act as one
  • the translation department of the institution that issued the document, the embassy or consulate of the issuing country, or that country's ministry of foreign affairs or justice

For documents from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan, MIFI also accepts translations without a translator's seal if they are accompanied by a notarial act meeting its requirements.

You cannot translate your own documents, and translations by relatives or friends are not accepted.

 

How to Format Translations for Arrima

PSTQ applications are submitted online, and MIFI's format rules are strict:

  • All documents must be scanned in colour and compiled into a single PDF file.
  • Each translation must bear the translator's name and seal.
  • Every element of the original must be translated, including stamps, seals and signatures.
  • Each translation must stay with the original it translates. Placing every translation directly after its original in your PDF is the practical way to meet this.

Two points catch many applicants out. First, a translator cannot certify a true copy of your original for MIFI, when a certified true copy is required, it must come from a recognized authority. Second, electronic documents and documents without an original seal or signature must be certified as true copies. Keep all your originals, as MIFI can request them at any time.

 

What a Rejected Document Costs You

If a document is incomplete or not in the required format, MIFI sends a letter giving you 60 days to resubmit it. After that, the application is rejected. The review fees are not refunded, even if your application is refused or rejected. For 2026 they are $940 for the principal applicant and $201 each for a spouse or common-law partner and each dependent child. A couple with two children has $1,543 at stake. MIFI also warns that incomplete or non-compliant applications take longer to process.

 

A Translation Checklist Before You Upload

  1. List every document not written entirely in French or English, including English documents with foreign-language stamps.
  2. Check that each scan is complete and legible. Translators must translate every element, and unreadable pages add time.
  3. Confirm your translator's credentials. In Quebec, their OTTIAQ membership can be checked with the association.
  4. Make sure names are spelled exactly as in your passport across all translations.
  5. Arrange certified true copies separately where your form requires them.
  6. Scan everything in colour and compile one PDF, with each translation placed after its original.
  7. Keep every original document and translation.

 

Getting Your PSTQ Translations Done

PoliLingua assigns every Quebec file to an OTTIAQ certified translator, with the translator's name and member number on your quote. Certified translations start at CAD 80 per short document, such as a birth certificate, with delivery in as little as 24 hours. Send your complete PSTQ document list for one quote covering diplomas and transcripts, employment records and civil status documents. Request a Free Quote for Your PSTQ Documents