The PEQ: Quebec Experience Program, Streams and How to Apply

The PEQ is for people who already have a tie to Quebec: foreign students who graduated in Quebec and temporary foreign workers. It does not give you permanent residence. It lets you obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ), after which you continue your immigration process with the Government of Canada.

The program was abolished on November 19, 2025, then reactivated for two years, from July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028. The selection conditions are the same as before each stream was suspended. The government presents this reopening as a temporary measure: in the end, the PSTQ will again be the only selection route for skilled workers.

In the PEQ there is no expression of interest and no invitation, unlike the PSTQ. You file your permanent selection application directly in Arrima, the ministry's online platform. (The PEQ pages on Québec.ca exist in French only.)

The Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI) does not receive applications all year round. The first reception period opened in Arrima at 8:30 a.m. on July 2, 2026, Montreal time, and ends on October 31, 2026. There is no cap on the number of applications received during this period.

For your application to be received, you must meet a reception criterion, assessed as of November 19, 2025:

• Quebec Graduates stream: you had obtained in Quebec a bachelor's, master's or doctorate, a technical DEC, or a DEP of at least 1,800 hours, alone or followed by an attestation of vocational specialization;
• Temporary Foreign Workers stream: you had at least two years of work experience in Quebec in an occupation of TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3.

And after October 31, 2026? The government has announced its intention to open new reception periods before the program ends in July 2028, so that new people can apply. No dates have been published: check the PEQ page on Québec.ca before you plan around it.

On top of the reception criterion, you must meet all the selection conditions of the stream when you apply:

• be legally in Quebec when you file your application;
• have obtained your diploma within the 36 months before the application, in a full-time program at an educational institution located in Quebec;
• have stayed in Quebec to study for at least half of your program;
• have the required French: level 7 in speaking and level 5 in writing (see section 5).

Good news if you studied in English: the requirement to have completed a program in French has been withdrawn. All eligible diplomas count, whatever the language of instruction. The French level, however, is still required.

Throughout the processing, you must stay in Quebec, with no obligation to work, and keep a valid status document, renewing it if needed. If your scholarship has a clause requiring you to return to your country, you are not eligible unless you have already met that condition.

You must be legally in Quebec as a temporary foreign worker, or under a youth exchange program: working holiday permit, young professionals permit or Coop International internship. Your work experience must:

• match an occupation in TEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3;
• have been held legally in Quebec, and paid;
• be full-time, meaning at least 30 paid hours per week: part-time work does not count.

You must also hold an eligible job when you apply, and have held one for at least 24 of the 36 months before applying. A temporary work stoppage, for example for illness, maternity, paternity or a temporary layoff, does not break the job if you keep your tie with your employer.

You met the criterion on November 19, 2025, but had to go home when your permit expired? You can still apply if you are back in Quebec, with a valid work permit and an eligible full-time job for the whole processing period. Experience in a TEER 4 or 5 occupation does not count for the PEQ; it can count in some streams of the PSTQ.

You declare your French level in the form and attach proof. The ministry may also check your French during an interview. The required levels are those of the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français (Quebec's French proficiency scale).

As proof, the ministry accepts in particular the TEF, TEFAQ and TCF tests and the DELF and DALF diplomas, taken at an approved centre. Your results must be two years old or less on the day you apply. Certain transcripts of studies done in French and documents from a professional order are also accepted. The details of the tests and thresholds are in our guide to French tests for immigration.

Whatever your stream, you must:

• be 18 or older;
• intend to settle in Quebec to hold a job there, in a business you do not control;
• not work, or aim to work, in an ineligible sector: payday loans, cheque cashing, pawnbroking or the sex industry;
• commit to meeting your own basic needs and your family's for at least three months after obtaining permanent residence.

Your accompanying spouse must have level 4 in spoken French. If they meet the conditions themselves, they can also file the application as principal applicant.

All PEQ applications are filed on the Arrima platform. Here are the steps:

• Fill in parts 1 and 2 of the form for your stream, worker or graduate. Versions dated 2026-06, 2026-07 and 2026-09 are accepted.
• Scan all your documents in colour, as PDF. If a document is missing, attach a letter explaining why.
• Create your Arrima account, or log in.
• In Arrima, enter your information and your family's, upload your documents and the form, pay the fees, then submit the file.

The examination fees are paid in Arrima, by credit card only. They are not refundable, even if the application is refused or rejected, and they are adjusted every January 1.

Plan for patience. The ministry warns that the large number of applications received over four months could lengthen processing times, and that its former commitment to process applications in six months is not being renewed. No processing time is guaranteed.

During the review, the ministry will ask you to obtain the attestation of learning about democratic values and Quebec values. You and the adult family members included in the application will have 60 days to obtain it; without it, the application is rejected. An interview may also be required.

If everything is in order, you receive your CSQ. If not, the ministry first writes to tell you it intends to refuse or reject the application: reply within the deadline given, or the decision will follow.

With the CSQ, you continue your process with the Government of Canada: that is the permanent-residence application to IRCC, explained in our guide to the federal step. Keep a valid work permit until the final decision.

Follow these steps to prepare your application. Check each box as you go — your progress is saved if you're signed in.

The most common questions about the PEQ: can you apply to the PEQ and the PSTQ at the same time, what to do if you graduated too late, and what to do when a permit expires.

These related guides may be useful:

• The CSQ — Quebec Selection Certificate — compare the PEQ and the PSTQ and understand the CSQ's role.
• French tests for immigration — choose the right test and aim for the level your stream requires.
• The permanent-residence application after the CSQ — the federal step, once you have your CSQ.
• Immigration lawyer or consultant — if you want to be represented, how to choose an authorized person.

For official, up-to-date information, see:

• Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration
• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

You can also reach the ministry at 514-864-9191 (Montreal area) or 1-877-864-9191 (elsewhere in Quebec, toll-free).