As of November 19, 2025, the Québec Experience Program (PEQ) is definitively closed.
All applications for permanent selection already submitted under the two sub-streams of the PEQ will continue to be reviewed.
Applications to add or remove family members, including those for dependent children and spouses, are not affected by this closure.
The Québec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ) is an immigration pathway of the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI), designed for temporary foreign workers and Québec graduates who wish to settle permanently in Québec. The guide will go through an overview of the program, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
Québec Experience Program – Overview
The Québec Experience Program (PEQ) offers an expedited process to obtain a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), a crucial step toward becoming a permanent resident of Canada.
The PEQ is tailored to individuals who have already integrated into Québec society through work or education. It is divided into two main sub-streams:
Temporary Foreign Workers sub-stream: This stream is for individuals who are currently employed in Québec and meet specific work experience and language proficiency requirements.
Québec Graduates sub-stream: Designed for international students who have obtained an eligible diploma from a recognized Québec educational institution.
This program is not aligned with Express Entry, which means that candidates cannot take advantage of the 6-month average processing times of Express Entry.
Québec Experience Program – Eligibility
You can apply to the Québec Experience Program (PEQ) if you satisfy to the requirements of one of the two PEQ sub-streams.
Temporary Foreign Workers Sub-Stream – Specific Requirements
Work experience
To be eligible, you must:
- have a valid job that meets the criteria below at the time you apply, and
- have valid work experience in one or more jobs that meets the criteria below for at least 24 of the 36 months before you submit your application.
To be considered valid, the job and the work experience must be:
- full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours a week,
- of TEER Category 0, 1, 2 or 3 of the National Occupational Classification (NOC),
- legally performed in Québec, and
- remunerated.
Work experience cannot have been gained in one of the ineligible sectors (see General Requirements below) and/or on behalf of a company over which you exercise legal or de facto control, directly or indirectly.
Non-continuous work experience and internships not linked to a study program in Quebec can count towards the 24 months of work experience eligibility requirement.
Language
You must demonstrate you have a knowledge of spoken French that corresponds to level 7 of the Québec scale of French proficiency levels.
There are three ways to demonstrate your knowledge of spoken French:
Transcripts proving successful completion of three years of full-time study, in Québec or abroad, at the secondary or post-secondary level, entirely in French. If the national language of instruction is not exclusively French, an attestation from the education institution confirming that the courses were taken in French is required.
- Document provided by a Québec professional order attesting to knowledge of spoken French, either (i) a valid or expired within the last two years regular permit to practice or (ii) an attestation proving that you have passed the Office québécois de la langue française exam for professional orders within the last two years.
- Language test results or diplomas accepted by the MIFI attesting to your knowledge of French.
Legal Status
You must be legally in Québec as a temporary foreign worker.
You can for example hold an International Experience Canada (IEC) work permit, a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP), employer-specific work permit, etc.
Québec Graduates Sub-Stream – Specific Requirements
Education
To be eligible, you must have:
- obtained one of the following eligible degrees or diplomas:
- Bachelor’s degree (university undergraduate)
- Master’s degree (including an MBA)
- Ph.D.
- Diploma of college studies, technical training (DCS)
- Diploma of vocational studies (DVS) attesting to 1,800 hours or more of study
- Diploma of vocational studies (DVS) followed by an Attestation of vocational specialization (AVS), of 1,800 hours or more of cumulative education leading to a given trade
- obtained your eligible degree or diploma in a full-time program of study, from an educational institution located in Québec, and in the 36 months prior to submitting your application,
- lived in Québec for at least half of your program of study, and
- satisfy on the two following conditions, either (i) or (ii):
- completed your eligible degree or diploma of study in French,
- To be considered as studies in French, 75% of courses or credits must be completed in French.
- Courses taken abroad, as part of an exchange program for example, count towards the 75% threshold.
- Theses, Master’s dissertations, internships and research laboratories may be completed in a language other than French, as long as the 75% threshold is respected with regards to the other credits of the program of study.
- have completed three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary study in French, in Québec or abroad.
- If the national language of instruction is not exclusively French, an attestation from the education institution confirming that the courses were taken in French is required.
- completed your eligible degree or diploma of study in French,
You are not eligible for the PEQ if you have a bursary with a return to your country clause, unless you have already fulfilled this condition.
Language
You must demonstrate you have a knowledge of:
- spoken French that corresponds to level 7 of the Québec scale of French proficiency levels, and
- written French that corresponds to level 5 of the Québec scale of French proficiency levels.
Legal Status
At the time your application is submitted, you must be legally residing in Québec.
Both Sub-Streams – General Requirements
Age
At the time your application is submitted, you must be at least 18 years old.
Intention to Settle in Québec
You must intend to reside in Québec and work in a job where you do not have direct or indirect control. Employment and work experience in certain ineligible sectors is not permitted:
- Payday loans, cheque cashing or pawnbroking;
- Production, distribution or sale of pornographic or sexually explicit products, or services related to the sex industry, such as nude or erotic dancing, escort services or erotic massages.
Financial Self-Sufficiency
You must demonstrate the ability to support yourself and your immediate family members financially for the first three months upon obtaining permanent residence.
The minimum required funds are set below and depend on your family size.
| Number of Dependent Children | Situation 1: Principal applicant only |
Situation 2: Principal applicant & Spouse/Partner |
|---|---|---|
| Under 18 years old: 0 | $3,877 | $5,686 |
| Under 18 years old: 1 | $5,221 | $6,370 |
| Under 18 years old: 2 | $5,882 | $6,875 |
| Under 18 years old: 3 | $6,552 | $7,380 |
| Under 18 years old: 4 or more | For each, ADD $671 |
For each, ADD $505 |
| 18 years old and older: 1 or more | For each, ADD $1,808 |
For each, ADD $1,808 |
4. Spouse/Partner Language
Your spouse or common-law partner must have a knowledge of spoken French that corresponds to a level 4 on the Québec scale of French proficiency levels. This can be demonstrated with the same three options provided above for the principal applicant under the Temporary Foreign Workers sub-stream (see above).
Québec Experience Program – Application Process
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Québec Experience Program (PEQ). Candidates must:
- Qualify for the minimum PEQ eligibility requirements.
- Apply to the PEQ by submitting their application to the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) through the Arrima portal (filling in forms, uploading required documents and paying fees).
- While the application is processed, a request to obtain an attestation of learning about democratic values and the Québec values will be received via Arrima. The principal applicant and members of their family included in the application (spouse aged 16 and over and dependent children aged 18 and over) will then have 60 days to obtain the attestation, either via an online test or by attending an information session if eligible.
- While the application is processed, candidates may be required to complete an interview with an immigration agent of the MIFI to verify, for example, the accuracy of the information provided.
- Apply for permanent residence to federal government (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada or IRCC) after receiving the Québec Selection Certificate (after Québec processes their application). Candidates need to apply online, and include the nomination documentation received from Québec.
- Candidates might be able to get a work permit after obtaining the Québec Selection Certificate if living and working in Québec:
- If having applied for permanent residence and obtained an acknowledgment of receipt, candidates can apply for a Bridging Open Work Permit, or
- If having applied for permanent residence and not having obtained an acknowledgment of receipt, candidates can apply for an LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permit, or
- If not having yet applied for permanent residence, candidates can apply for an LMIA-exempt employer-specific work permit.
- Candidates might be able to get a work permit after obtaining the Québec Selection Certificate if living and working in Québec:
Québec Experience Program – Application Fees
Quebec application fees (to MIFI)
- For 2026, the fees for the Québec Experience Program are set by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) at:
- $940 CAD for the principal applicant,
- $201 CAD for the spouse/partner, if applicable, and
- $201 CAD for each dependent child, if applicable.
Federal application fees (to IRCC)
- The fees to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) are only paid after receipt of the Quebec Selection Certificate and submission of the permanent residence application to IRCC:
- Processing fee:
- $990 CAD for the principal applicant,
- $990 CAD for the spouse/partner, if applicable, and
- $270 CAD for each dependent child, if applicable.
- Right of Permanent Residence Fee (RPRF):
- $600 CAD for the principal applicant, and
- $600 CAD for the spouse/partner, if applicable.
- Biometrics fee:
- $85 CAD for one person, or maximum $170 CAD for a family of more than two – You can find more information on Biometrics in this page.
- Processing fee:
Québec Experience Program – Processing Times
Quebec processing times (by MIFI)
- The Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) has a target service standard of processing 90% of Certificat de Sélection du Québec (CSQ) within 6 months.
- The timeframe is calculated from the receipt of a complete application file (including supporting documents) and continues until the date the MIFI makes its decision.
Federal processing times (by IRCC)
- Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has a target service standard of processing 80% of Quebec-selected skilled worker applications within 11 months.
According to the annual data published in December 2025 – From April 2024 to March 2025, IRCC processed 87% of applications within the 11-month standard. - You can check the current processing times here. You need to select “Economic immigration”, then “Skilled Workers (Quebec)”.
Québec Experience Program – Latest News & Data
Québec Experience Program – In-Demand Occupations?
You can find out about the other provinces’ in-demand jobs in our in-demand NOC codes article.
