- 1Study or work in QuebecEligible diploma or TEER 0–3 job
- 2Apply in ArrimaOnly during an intake period
- 3Values attestationWithin 60 days of the request
- 4Receive the CSQQuebec's selection decision
- 5Apply to IRCCPermanent residence
Overview
The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) is a Quebec selection program for people who already have a Quebec diploma or Quebec work experience. Unlike the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ), it has no expression of interest or invitation: during an intake period, anyone who meets the conditions can apply directly. A selected applicant receives a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, CSQ) and then applies to IRCC for permanent residence.
- No new applications since October 31, 2026
- Closed
- Streams: Quebec graduates and temporary foreign workers
- 2
- On applications in the July 2 to October 31, 2026 period
- No cap
- End of the 2-year reopening
- July 2, 2028
November 6, 2025
Quebec announces the end of the PEQ in its 2026–2029 immigration planning
November 19, 2025
The PEQ ends; the PSTQ becomes the only selection route for skilled workers
June 10, 2026
Quebec announces the PEQ will reopen for two years, with intake in set periods
July 2, 2026
First intake period opens in Arrima, with no cap on applications
October 31, 2026
Intake period closes; no decision on another period
July 2, 2028
Planned end of the reopened program
Closed today
Since October 31, 2026, you cannot submit a new PEQ application, and the application forms have been taken offline. Requests to add or remove family members are still accepted for files not yet decided and for files where a CSQ was issued. If you want to immigrate to Quebec permanently now, file an expression of interest in Arrima for the PSTQ.
The most common misunderstanding: the PEQ did not become permanently available again in 2026. Quebec reopened it in periods to stay within its immigration targets for 2026–2029. When the period closed, Quebec said it would use the volume of applications received to plan future PSTQ invitations and any new PEQ periods before the program ends in July 2028.
Who it fits
A good fit if
- You applied during the July 2 to October 31, 2026 period and are waiting for a decision.
- You are a Quebec graduate or temporary worker in Quebec and want to be ready if Quebec announces another intake period.
- You have oral French at level 7 on the Quebec scale, and written level 5 if you are a graduate.
- You have full-time Quebec work in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job, or a Quebec bachelor's, master's, doctorate, technical DEC or long DEP.
Look elsewhere if
- You need to apply now. Use the PSTQ, which accepts expressions of interest at any time. Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)
- You work in a TEER 4 or 5 job. Those jobs do not count for the PEQ worker stream; the PSTQ Stream 2 covers them. Quebec Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)
- You plan to live outside Quebec. Use Express Entry instead. Express Entry
- Your work was part time. Work under 30 paid hours a week does not count.
Eligibility
These are the selection conditions Quebec published for the PEQ, which it still lists while intake is closed. You had to meet all of them when you applied. In the 2026 period, Quebec also required that your diploma or your 2 years of Quebec work had been obtained by November 19, 2025, the date the PEQ first closed. Any future period may set different intake criteria.
| Quebec graduatesVolet Diplômés du Québec | Temporary foreign workersVolet Travailleurs étrangers temporaires | |
|---|---|---|
| Status when applying | Legally in Quebec | Legally in Quebec as a temporary worker, or with a working holiday, young professionals or Coop International permit |
| Main requirement | An eligible Quebec diploma obtained in the 36 months before you apply, from a full-time program at a Quebec institution | A full-time, paid TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 job when you apply, and for at least 24 of the 36 months before |
| Time in Quebec | Stayed in Quebec mainly to study for at least half of the program | The work must have been done legally in Quebec |
| Your French (Quebec scale) | Oral level 7 and written level 5 | Oral level 7 |
| Accompanying spouse | Oral level 4 | Oral level 4 |
| 2026 intake cut-off | Diploma obtained by November 19, 2025 | At least 2 years of TEER 0 to 3 Quebec experience by November 19, 2025 |
Eligible diplomas are only: a bachelor's degree, a master's degree (including an MBA), a doctorate, a technical college diploma (DEC), a vocational diploma (DEP) of at least 1,800 hours, or a DEP followed by an attestation of vocational specialization (ASP) totalling at least 1,800 hours and leading to a trade. A scholarship with a condition to return to your country makes you ineligible unless you have met that condition. Quebec removed the requirement to have studied in French from the graduate stream.
For the worker stream, each job must have been full time (at least 30 paid hours a week), paid and legal. Part-time periods are not counted, but full-time periods that are not continuous can be combined. A temporary leave, such as sick or parental leave or a temporary lay-off, still counts as holding a job if you return to the same employer.
- Both streams: age and intention18 or older, and intending to settle in Quebec to work in a job you can likely do, not for a company you control, and not in an ineligible sector
- Both streams: financial self-sufficiencyUndertake to meet your basic needs and those of your accompanying family for at least 3 months after you become permanent residents
- Both streams: values attestationYou, a spouse aged 16 or over and dependent children aged 18 or over must obtain the attestation of learning about democratic and Quebec values within 60 days of the ministry's request
How intake works
The reopened PEQ accepts applications only during intake periods that Quebec announces. In the first period, from July 2 to October 31, 2026, there was no cap, so anyone meeting the intake criteria could apply until the last day. There is no ranking and no invitation: each application is examined against the selection conditions.
While the PEQ period was open, Quebec kept issuing PSTQ invitations but in smaller numbers, aimed mainly at people the PEQ could not help, such as TEER 4 and 5 workers and people with less than 2 years of experience.
What to watch
Quebec says no decision has been made on another PEQ intake period. Follow the ministry's news releases and the PEQ page on Quebec.ca. In the meantime, keeping an up-to-date PSTQ expression of interest in Arrima costs nothing.
Step by step (when intake is open)
- 1
1. Complete the application form
Fill in parts 1 and 2 of the permanent selection form for your stream. Quebec warned that old forms are not accepted.
- 2
2. Prepare your documents
Scan all documents in colour as PDFs. If you cannot provide a document, attach a letter explaining why.
- 3
3. Apply and pay in Arrima
Create or sign in to your Arrima account, add your family members, upload the form and documents and pay by credit card. You receive a confirmation of receipt.
- 4
4. Values attestation
When the ministry asks, you and your family members have 60 days to obtain the attestation, or the application is rejected.
- 5
5. Possible interview
The ministry may call you to an interview to check your information.
- 6
6. Decision
You receive CSQs for you and your family, or an intention to refuse or reject that you must answer within the deadline.
- 7
7. Apply to IRCC
With your CSQ, apply online to IRCC for permanent residence as a Quebec-selected skilled worker, with the Declaration of Intent to Reside in Quebec (IMM 0008 Schedule 5).
Keep a valid work permit and renew it if needed while Quebec processes your file. Quebec said that because many applications arrived in 4 months, processing could take longer than usual, and that its former 6-month processing commitment does not apply.
Costs and processing times
| Person | Quebec fee |
|---|---|
| Principal applicant | $940 |
| Spouse or common-law partner | $201 |
| Each dependent child | $201 |
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Principal applicant, with right of permanent residence fee | $1,590 |
| Spouse or partner, with right of permanent residence fee | $1,590 |
| Each dependent child | $270 |
| Biometrics | $85 per person, $170 maximum per family |
Quebec has not published a processing time for applications from the 2026 period. For the federal stage, check IRCC's processing times tool.
Common refusal reasons
| Reason | What it means |
|---|---|
| A condition not met when you applied | For example, a diploma that is not on the eligible list, a job in TEER 4 or 5, or fewer than 24 months of full-time work in the last 36. |
| French below the level | Oral level 7 for both streams and written level 5 for graduates, on an accepted test. |
| Not enough time in Quebec while studying | Graduates must have stayed in Quebec mainly to study for at least half of the program. |
| Part-time or unpaid work | Work under 30 paid hours a week, or unpaid, does not count. |
| Missing documents or doubts about authenticity | Quebec sends an intention to reject; if you do not answer by the deadline or miss an interview, the application is rejected. |
| Values attestation not obtained | It must be obtained within 60 days of the ministry's request. |
| Federal inadmissibility | IRCC can still refuse permanent residence for medical, criminal or security reasons, or for misrepresentation under section 40 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. |
After a refusal or rejection, you may, under certain conditions, ask Quebec for an administrative review.
After you get your CSQ
- Apply to IRCC for permanent residence online. IRCC says a CSQ stays valid until it decides your application, even if the CSQ has expired.
- You can still ask to add or remove a spouse, partner or dependent child after the CSQ is issued, by contacting the ministry's client contact centre.
- If your work permit is ending, check the options on the PSTQ page: an LMIA-exempt employer-specific permit before you apply to IRCC, or a bridging open work permit after IRCC acknowledges receipt.
Who can represent you before Quebec
You do not need a representative, and Quebec says using one gives no priority. If you pay someone, Quebec allows only a lawyer of the Barreau du Québec, a notary of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, a person with special authorization from one of those bodies, or an immigration consultant recognized by the ministry and listed in the Registre québécois des consultants en immigration. For the PEQ, you declare a representative in Arrima. A federal consultant licence alone is not enough.
Frequently asked questions
Not now. The PEQ reopened on July 2, 2026 for two years, with applications accepted only in set intake periods. The first period ran from July 2 to October 31, 2026. Since October 31, 2026, no new applications are accepted, and Quebec says no decision has been made on another period. The PSTQ remains open to expressions of interest.
Quebec announced that the PEQ would run for two years, from July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028, with intake in set periods. It said it would plan any new periods after seeing the volume of applications from the first period, but no decision had been announced by November 4, 2026.
In its 2026–2029 immigration planning, Quebec ended the PEQ on November 19, 2025 to make the PSTQ the single selection route for skilled workers, as part of lower immigration levels. It later reopened the PEQ for two years, taking applications in set periods so that it can keep to its 2026–2029 immigration targets.
Oral level 7 on the Quebec French proficiency scale for both streams, and written level 5 for the Quebec graduate stream. An accompanying spouse needs oral level 4.
A Quebec bachelor's, master's (including an MBA) or doctorate, a technical DEC, a DEP of at least 1,800 hours, or a DEP plus ASP totalling at least 1,800 hours. It must be from a full-time program at a Quebec institution and obtained in the 36 months before you apply. No other diploma is eligible.
No. The worker stream counts only full-time, paid work in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 jobs. Workers in TEER 4 or 5 jobs can look at PSTQ Stream 2, which needs at least 2 years of experience including 1 year in Quebec and oral French level 5.
Your application continues to be processed. Keep your work permit valid and renew it if needed, because Quebec said processing could take longer than usual. You can still ask to add or remove family members.
Quebec's 2026 fee is $940 for the principal applicant and $201 for a spouse and for each dependent child. IRCC then charges $1,590 per adult including the right of permanent residence fee, $270 per dependent child, and biometrics fees.
Related programs
Official sources
We checked this page against these official sources on the review date above. Rules change often, so confirm with the official source before you apply.
- Quebec.ca: À propos du Programme de l'expérience québécoise
- Quebec.ca: PEQ selection conditions
- Quebec.ca: PEQ conditions, Quebec graduates
- Quebec.ca: PEQ conditions, temporary foreign workers
- Quebec.ca: Présenter une demande au PEQ
- Quebec.ca: Réouverture temporaire du PEQ (news release, June 10, 2026)
- Quebec.ca: Plan d'immigration 2026 and end of the PEQ (news release, November 6, 2025)
- Quebec.ca: Get represented in your immigration procedures
- IRCC: Quebec-selected skilled workers, how to apply
- IRCC: Fee list
This page is general information, not legal advice. No immigration outcome can be guaranteed. For advice on your situation, book a consultation with a licensed consultant.
