Direct answer
The Quebec Experience Program, the PEQ, was aimed at graduates of Quebec institutions and at temporary foreign workers who had gained work experience there. It officially ended on 19 November 2025. It was then revived in 2026 on a transitional basis, with a short first intake period of around four months and a fixed reference date limiting eligibility. That transitional scheme is due to close for good on 2 July 2028, after which all Quebec economic selection will run through the Skilled Worker Selection Program, the PSTQ. During PEQ intake periods, PSTQ invitations are reduced and target mainly TEER 4 and TEER 5 profiles. The exact terms evolve: the reference is quebec.ca and Quebec's immigration ministry.
A program on its way out, not an ordinary one
You have to approach the PEQ with the right frame, or everything you read elsewhere will mislead you. The PEQ is no longer a stable route on which to build a five-year plan. It is a transitional scheme, with an announced end date, short intake periods and conditions that shift from one opening to the next.
Historically, the PEQ was Quebec's fast lane: graduates trained locally and workers already integrated into the Quebec labour market obtained their Quebec Selection Certificate far faster than through the regular route. That is what made it the province's most sought-after program, and also the most politically fragile, since it concentrated a large share of admissions.
My usual disclaimer, and it matters particularly here: I am an independent writer based in Quebec, neither a lawyer nor a regulated immigration consultant. The PEQ is currently the program whose terms move fastest in Canada. Everything I describe here must be verified on quebec.ca before any decision, and I deliberately place verification markers at the sensitive points.
The chronology, without which nothing makes sense
For this program, the date matters more than the criterion. Here is the sequence as it stands at the time of writing.
The official end on 19 November 2025
The PEQ, in its Quebec Graduates and Temporary Foreign Workers streams, officially ended on 19 November 2025. It was not a technical suspension but the culmination of a reform shifting economic selection toward the PSTQ.
For thousands of people who came to study in Quebec counting on that route, the announcement was a shock. It is also the hardest lesson in this file: building a migration plan on one program means accepting the risk that the program disappears before you do.
The transitional revival of 2026
The PEQ was then revived in 2026 on a transitional basis. That revival comes with three features to keep in mind. First, a short first intake period, in the region of four months, rather than a continuous opening. Second, a fixed reference date limiting eligibility, meaning a calendar criterion that excludes people whose situation arose after that date. Third, an interplay with the PSTQ: during the PEQ intake period, invitations under the PSTQ are reduced and target mainly profiles at TEER 4 and TEER 5 skill levels.
The precise terms of this transitional period, the exact reference date, the documents required and the conditions per stream must absolutely be verified on the official pages. <!-- TODO verify --> This is the kind of scheme that can be adjusted mid-course, and no article, mine included, can substitute for the official page of the day.
The planned closure on 2 July 2028
The transitional scheme is due to close for good on 2 July 2028. After that date, Quebec's economic selection will run entirely through the PSTQ, which I describe in my article on Quebec immigration, Arrima and the CSQ.
That date is your planning horizon. If you are an international student in Quebec today, ask yourself a simple and slightly brutal question: at the pace of your program and the work experience required, will you be able to file before the closure, or should you build your plan directly on the PSTQ?
The two historic streams, and what they required
Understanding the PEQ's structure remains useful, because the transitional scheme rests on the same architecture.
The Quebec Graduates stream
It was aimed at people holding an eligible diploma from a Quebec institution, with a requirement of advanced French in speaking. Not every diploma opened the door: the list of eligible diplomas is a decisive element, and it evolved across successive reforms. <!-- TODO verify -->
This is the stream that shaped study plans in Quebec the most. Many international students chose their program based on its PEQ eligibility, which explains the shockwave caused by the program's end.
The Temporary Foreign Workers stream
It targeted people who had acquired full-time work experience in Quebec, in occupations and for durations defined by the program, with the same advanced French speaking requirement. Here too, the duration thresholds, the occupations covered and how experience is calculated belong to the official pages and have changed several times. <!-- TODO verify -->
French, the common and non-negotiable requirement
Both streams shared a requirement of advanced French in speaking, in the region of level 7 on the Quebec scale, roughly equivalent to a B2. Depending on the configuration, that requirement extended to an accompanying spouse. The exact thresholds and their scope must be verified at the source. <!-- TODO verify -->
This point will not change with the end of the PEQ: the PSTQ also gives French decisive weight. Investing in the language remains the most profitable decision for a Quebec project, and the available resources, including provincially funded classes, are surveyed in learning English or French in Canada.
What the PEQ never was
Three misunderstandings persist, and they are expensive.
The PEQ never granted permanent residence. Like any Quebec selection, it led to the Quebec Selection Certificate, after which you had to file a permanent residence application with IRCC, with a medical exam, security checks and an admissibility assessment. The CSQ, valid for 24 months, is only one level of the pathway.
The PEQ was never automatic. A Quebec diploma or local work experience did not create a right: every condition had to be met, including the language one, and a complete file filed.
The PEQ never exempted anyone from the calendar. That is precisely its Achilles heel today: in its transitional version, everything turns on dates, the intake period and the reference date.
What to do depending on your situation
Here is how I suggest reasoning, depending on where you stand in your journey.
You already graduated in Quebec or work in Quebec
Check first whether you fall within the transitional scheme's conditions, paying particular attention to the reference date and the current intake period. If you are eligible, the question is no longer whether the PEQ is the best route, it is filing a complete application within the window. Gather your diploma or employment letters, proof of French, civil status documents and certified translations immediately.
If you are not eligible for the transitional scheme, move to the PSTQ without regret, working on your profile: French level, skilled experience in Quebec, an updated Arrima profile.
You are an international student mid-program
Do the calendar maths seriously, with real dates: end of program, post-graduation work permit, required experience duration, the 2 July 2028 closure. If the numbers do not add up, build your strategy on the PSTQ now rather than hoping the transitional scheme is extended. My article on the study permit in Canada sets out the federal framework governing your stay in the meantime.
You are not yet in Quebec
Do not build a Quebec study plan on the promise of the PEQ. The program is ending, and the normal route will be the PSTQ, with its streams, its 25 percent per-country cap and its French requirement. Choose your study program for its value in the labour market and for your life plan, not for an administrative door that is closing.
What the end of the PEQ changes for international students
This is the group most directly affected, and the one that writes to me most. Let's walk through the full chain, because the PEQ was only one link among several.
A four-link chain
A study plan in Quebec followed by permanent settlement involves four steps, each with its own authority and its own delay. The Quebec Acceptance Certificate for studies, issued by the province. The federal study permit, issued by IRCC. The post-graduation work permit, also federal, which lets you accumulate work experience. And finally Quebec's permanent selection, yesterday through the PEQ, tomorrow through the PSTQ.
The end of the PEQ does not break that chain, it changes its last link. What changes above all is speed: where the PEQ rewarded a diploma and relatively short experience, the PSTQ compares you against a pool of candidates on criteria where French, skilled experience and field of activity weigh heavily.
The questions to ask in your first year of studies
Do not push these questions to the end of your program. Is your diploma among those that open doors, both for the post-graduation work permit and for Quebec selection? Will your French reach the advanced threshold required, and if not, what plan do you have to get there during your studies rather than after? Does your field match recognized needs in Quebec? And above all, where does the calendar place you relative to the 2 July 2028 deadline?
The students who manage the transition are almost always those who started French in their first session and worked during their studies in a French-speaking environment, not those who waited until graduation to discover the criteria.
The single-strategy trap
Many students built their entire plan on the PEQ, because it was fast and predictable. The lesson of 2025 is clear: a program can disappear before you do. So keep at least one fallback route in mind, whether the PSTQ, a program in another province, or the federal system if you have no decisive Quebec connection. My article on moving from work to permanent residence shows how to line up those options over time.
The costliest calendar mistakes
With a transitional scheme, the errors are almost never about substance: they are about dates.
The first is discovering an intake period after it has closed. A four-month window is easy to miss when you are not checking the official pages weekly.
The second is misreading the reference date. That criterion excludes people whose situation arose after a given date, and it is not negotiable. Check precisely where you stand in relation to it before preparing anything. <!-- TODO verify -->
The third is filing an incomplete application because the window is closing. An incomplete file is a refused file, and there is no make-up session. Better to aim for the next intake period, if there is one, with a solid file.
The fourth, more insidious, is letting a temporary status lapse during the wait. A study or work permit that expires while you prepare a selection application puts you out of status, which compromises everything downstream. Extensions are requested separately and before expiry, as I explain in extending your work permit.
The fifth, finally, is believing an unofficial announcement about a program extension. Until a change is published by the Government of Quebec, it does not exist.
Following the scheme's evolution properly
With a program this mobile, monitoring is not a luxury, it is part of the file.
The authoritative source is the Government of Quebec's site and that of the ministry responsible for immigration, which publish intake periods, conditions and notices. Federal pages will tell you nothing about the PEQ, since it is a provincial selection.
Apply the same hierarchy of sources I recommend federally in following IRCC news: a dated official text outranks a news release, a news release outranks a press article, and a press article vastly outranks an alarmist video. Be especially wary of content announcing a permanent return of the PEQ or an extension beyond 2028 without citing an official source: misinformation is abundant on this subject, and I describe the mechanics in avoiding immigration misinformation.
Finally, remember that a short intake period rewards preparation, not fast reading. The people who file within a four-month window are those who had their documents ready before it opened.
Frequently asked questions
Does the PEQ still exist in 2026?
The PEQ officially ended on 19 November 2025, then was revived in 2026 on a transitional basis, with a short first intake period of around four months and a fixed reference date limiting eligibility. That scheme is due to close for good on 2 July 2028. So it is not a program reopened normally, but a managed transition toward the PSTQ. The exact conditions of each intake period can vary: the only reliable source is the Government of Quebec's site at the time you prepare your application.
What is the difference between the PEQ and the PSTQ?
The PEQ was an accelerated route reserved for people already in Quebec, graduates of a Quebec institution or holders of local work experience, with an advanced French requirement. The PSTQ, the Skilled Worker Selection Program, is the main and lasting route for permanent selection, open more broadly, organized into streams and operating through an expression of interest in Arrima followed by an invitation. The PSTQ also has a cap limiting to 25 percent the share of people admitted from any one country. After 2 July 2028, only the PSTQ will remain.
Does the PEQ grant permanent residence?
No. Like all Quebec selection programs, the PEQ led to the Quebec Selection Certificate, valid for 24 months, not to permanent residence. Once the CSQ is obtained, you must file a permanent residence application with IRCC, which conducts the medical exam, security and criminality checks and the verification of your documents. A federal inadmissibility can sink a file that Quebec had selected. So plan both stages into your calendar, and file the federal application well before the CSQ expires.
What level of French is needed for the PEQ?
Both historic streams required an advanced level in speaking, in the region of level 7 on the Quebec scale, roughly equivalent to a B2 on the European framework, with particular rules for an accompanying spouse depending on the configuration. The exact thresholds, the abilities assessed and the recognized tests must be verified on the official pages, because they have changed several times. What matters most is that this requirement will not disappear with the PEQ: the PSTQ also gives French decisive weight, which makes learning the language the safest investment.
Does my Quebec diploma make me automatically eligible?
No. Not every diploma gave access to the Quebec Graduates stream, and the list of eligible diplomas evolved across reforms. In the transitional version of the program, a reference date and an intake period further restrict access. Check three things before anything else: whether your diploma is among those that open the program, whether your situation respects the reference date, and whether the intake period is open. If any one of the three is missing, turn to the PSTQ without waiting.
What happens after 2 July 2028?
The transitional scheme is due to close on that date, and Quebec's permanent economic selection will run entirely through the PSTQ, via an expression of interest in Arrima followed by an invitation. In practice, graduates and workers already in Quebec will not lose the value of their journey, since Quebec experience and local studies are valued within the PSTQ streams, but they will no longer have a separate accelerated route. So build your plan on the PSTQ now if your calendar places you beyond that deadline.
Official sources
The Government of Quebec publishes the conditions, intake periods and status of permanent immigration programs, including the PEQ and the PSTQ: https://www.quebec.ca/en/immigration. The permanent residence application that follows the CSQ falls to the Government of Canada: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/quebec.html. The PEQ is a transitional scheme whose terms evolve and whose closure is planned for 2 July 2028: always check the program's status and the conditions in force on the official pages before starting anything.