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TL;DR

Quebec City — Quebec will reopen the Programme de l'expérience québécoise for two years, Premier Christine Fréchette announced during her inaugural address at the National Assembly on May 5, restoring a fast-track permanent residence route for international students and temporary foreign workers that the province had shut down less than six months ago. The government has not published eligibility rules, quotas, or a start date.

PEQ had been one of Quebec's most direct paths to a Quebec Selection Certificate, the provincial step required before applying for federal permanent residence. Its replacement, the points-based Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) through the Arrima platform, is invitation-driven and less predictable for applicants already living and working in the province.

Fréchette said she had instructed the immigration minister to reopen the PEQ for two years, according to the transcript of her inaugural address published by Noovo Info. She said the province would relax the program's criteria while staying within Quebec's annual cap of 45,000 permanent admissions, set in the 2026–2029 immigration plan..

Fréchette first pledged to reopen PEQ during the CAQ leadership race earlier this year. Immigration Minister François Bonnardel, who took over the file when Fréchette unveiled her cabinet on April 21, told Radio-Canada on May 3 that he was working on scenarios for the reopening but had not finalized details.

As of this week, Quebec's official PEQ page still states the program "has ended on November 19, 2025" and that "it is no longer possible to apply."

The government has not confirmed whether both original PEQ streams, one for graduates and one for temporary workers, will return. It has not said whether eligibility criteria will change, whether caps will apply, or whether applicants who were affected by the November closure will receive any transitional protections.

Immigration lawyer Yves Martineau told Global News applicants should expect to need documentation from the start of their time in Quebec. "It means that candidates will have to be prepared and have their proof of employment since the very first day when they arrived in Quebec," he said.

Lawyers told the same outlet the announcement has created as much anxiety as relief, with applicants still waiting for clarity on rules and timing.

When Quebec ended PEQ in November 2025, it planned to funnel all skilled-worker applicants through the PSTQ. The government also closed pilot programs covering food processing, health care orderlies, and workers in AI, IT, and visual effects.

The decision drew opposition from employers, universities, and municipalities including Montreal and Quebec City. A petition on the National Assembly website calling for a reopening or a grandfather clause gathered 17,155 signatures. The Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés called an extended grandfather clause the most humane and straightforward way to resolve the situation.

Some workers faced expiring permits. The Walrus reported that more than 1,000 school employees and over 6,300 health care workers in Quebec had work permits set to expire in 2026, with no clear path to permanent residence after PEQ's closure.

Diego Ferreira, a Brazilian who has lived in Quebec with his family for nearly four years, said the announcement changed his plans. "That's excellent news because I was really planning to leave Quebec," Ferreira told Global News.

If you're a temporary foreign worker or international graduate in Quebec, PEQ may again become your route to permanent residence, but no one can apply yet. The announcement is a commitment, not an open intake.