Quebec announces July launch for re-opening of flagship permanent residence pathway

The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) will re-open on July 2, 2026, according to an announcement by Quebec's immigration ministry.

The permanent residence pathway is set to remain open for a two-year period, running through to July 2, 2028.

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It will open in two phases, with the first phase, set to run from July 2 to October 31, 2026, focused on foreign nationals who had been eligible for the PEQ at the time of its closure on November 19, 2025.

This first phase is set to include foreign nationals who had qualified through both PEQ streams: the international graduate stream, and the foreign worker stream.

To apply, foreign nationals must be residing in Quebec at the time they apply. Eligibility criteria will remain the same as they were at the time of the suspension of the PEQ graduate stream and the closure of the PEQ worker stream.

To be eligible under the PEQ international graduate stream, a foreign national must

• Have obtained a qualifying Quebec post-secondary credential, as of November 19, 2025;
• Have lived in Quebec for at least half the duration of their study program;
• Have obtained their qualifying post-secondary credential within the previous three years, at the time of their application; and
• Demonstrate French language proficiency of at least NCLC 5 in reading and writing and NCLC 7 in speaking and listening, at the time of their application.

To be eligible under the PEQ skilled worker stream, a foreign national must

• Have obtained at least two years of skilled work experience in Quebec, as of November 19, 2025;
• Be employed in a qualifying job at the time they apply; and
• Demonstrate a French language proficiency of at least NCLC 7 in speaking and listening, at the time they apply.

There will be no cap on applications for the first phase: applications for the first phase will be accepted beginning July 2, 2026 at 8:30 AM Eastern time through to October 31, 2026.

Applicants must use the new application forms, which will be available on Quebec's website as of June 17, 2026. The old application forms will not be accepted.

Between now and October 31, 2026, the Quebec government will scale back on issuing invitations through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ), and will be primarily targeting candidates working in TEER 4 or 5 occupations, along with candidates who have yet to acquire two years' work experience.

In anticipation of the receipt of a high volume of applications during the four month period, Quebec has rescinded its commitment to a six-month processing time.

Beginning in November 2026, the Quebec government will adjust the numbers of invitations it extends through the PSTQ taking into account to the number of applications received under the first intake phase of the PEQ, so as to align intake of permanent residents with its 2026–2029 admissions targets.

The Quebec government provided no details on its intention for how to handle subsequent phases of PEQ applications, but said only that it intended to examine the volume of PEQ applications received in the first phase prior to deciding on how to proceed with allocating permanent residence selection spots between the PSTQ and the subsequent intake periods of the PEQ.

Quebec's intention is that from June 10, 2026 through to the end of its planning period in 2029, it will issue an equal number of Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQs) across the PSTQ and the PEQ.

This re-opening of the PEQ is a temporary measure, according to Quebec's immigration ministry, which has indicated it intends ultimately to sunset the PEQ in July of 2028, after which it will handle all economic permanent residence selection through the PSTQ.

The re-opening of the PEQ had been announced earlier in May, but with no start date having been provided.

The start date and additional details were announced in a press release published by Quebec's immigration ministry on June 10, 2026.

An earlier version of this article said Quebec would issue an equal number of invitations across both PEQ streams (graduate and worker). The article has since been corrected to reflect that the intent is an equal distribution of invitations between the PEQ and the PSTQ.

The article has also been updated to reflect that PEQ applicants must be residing in Quebec at the time they apply, in addition to having met the eligibility requirements for the PEQ at the time of its closure on November 19, 2025.

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