Quebec reopens the PEQ for two years from July 2, 2026
The PEQ returns July 2, 2026 through July 2, 2028; a first uncapped intake serves candidates eligible at the program's November 2025 closure.
Quebec's Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) announced on June 10, 2026 that the Programme de l'expérience québécoise (PEQ) will reopen on July 2, 2026, for two years. The first application window, running July 2 to October 31, 2026, is uncapped and reserved for candidates who met the program's criteria when it closed on November 19, 2025.
What's changed
The PEQ — Quebec's experience-based permanent-selection pathway for graduates of Quebec institutions and temporary foreign workers in the province — was abolished on November 19, 2025. The June 10 announcement by Immigration Minister François Bonnardel reactivates both streams of the program from July 2, 2026 through July 2, 2028. The ministry estimates 8,000 to 12,000 candidates qualify for the first intake.
Bonnardel said the government had heard the concerns of workers and graduates who chose Quebec, in remarks accompanying the ministerial release.
Who's eligible
The first reception window is limited to applicants who, as of November 19, 2025, had obtained an eligible Quebec diploma or accumulated the work experience the program required — at least two years within the preceding three, per the announcement. No ceiling applies to the number of applications received during the window. Successful applicants receive a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) and then proceed to Canada's federal permanent-residence stage.
When applications open
Updated program information and application forms publish on Quebec.ca on June 17, 2026, and the application portal opens on July 2, 2026 at 8:30 a.m. The first reception window closes on October 31, 2026; the ministry has said it will receive applications in phases across the two-year reactivation. Applications submitted on pre-reopening forms will be rejected.
Across the remainder of the 2026–2029 immigration planning period, the government intends to issue equivalent numbers of selection certificates under the PEQ and the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ).