Application periods
Applications are received by period, so that intake matches Quebec's immigration targets. The first period runs from July 2 to October 31, 2026, for both streams, with no cap on the number of applications. The Ministère has said that further periods may open before the program ends in July 2028, depending on the number of applications received by October 31.
If you are eligible, file before October 31, 2026. There is no guarantee of a second period, and the next one, if it comes, may carry different conditions.
Who is eligible in this period
For the 2026 reception period, the diploma or the work experience must have been acquired as of November 19, 2025, the date of the program's abolition.
Stream 1: Quebec graduates
- A diploma on the Ministère's list (bachelor's, master's or doctorate, technical DEC, a DEP of at least 1,800 hours, or a DEP followed by an ASP totalling at least 1,800 hours), obtained in Quebec as of November 19, 2025 and within the three years before the application.
- At least half of the program completed in Quebec, principally as a student.
- Not having held a scholarship that required a return to the home country after the studies.
- The former requirement that the program be taught in French has been removed.
Stream 2: Temporary foreign workers
- Being in Quebec at the time of the application.
- At least two years of eligible work experience in Quebec, as of November 19, 2025, in an occupation of FEER category 0, 1, 2 or 3.
- Holding such a job at the time of the application.
Conditions common to both streams
- French: oral level 7 on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français for the principal applicant in both streams, plus written level 5 for Quebec graduates; oral level 4 for the accompanying spouse or partner.
- Values: an Attestation of learning of democratic and Québec values, for the applicant and for every accompanying family member aged 18 or over.
- Financial self-sufficiency: a commitment to provide for your own essential needs and those of your spouse and dependent children for at least three months after permanent residence.
- Intention: to settle in Quebec and to work there.
PEQ or PSTQ?
The two programs now run side by side. The PEQ requires Quebec studies or Quebec work experience and a reception period; the PSTQ is open to candidates abroad as well, through Arrima and invitations. PSTQ invitations did not stop during the PEQ reception period: the Ministère held rounds on July 3, July 30, August 27 and September 24, 2026, aimed mainly at profiles the PEQ does not cover, such as FEER 4 and 5 occupations or people with less than two years of experience. It has said that from November 2026 the volume of invitations will be adjusted to the number of PEQ applications received. We tell you which program fits your profile, and when.
After the CSQ
A positive decision is the Certificat de sélection du Québec. With it, you apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for permanent residence as a Quebec-selected skilled worker, with the medical, security and admissibility checks that apply to every permanent resident.
How we work on a PEQ file
- Eligibility check: stream, diploma, experience, French level, and whether the November 19, 2025 cut-off is met.
- Complete application: diploma, transcripts, employment proofs, French results, values attestation, financial commitment, filed within the reception period.
- Follow-up with the Ministère: requests for documents and the decision.
- Federal application: permanent residence with IRCC after the CSQ, through to the decision.
Program rules checked against the Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration's reinstatement document and the ministerial announcement of June 10, 2026, in October 2026. Conditions and reception periods can change; we confirm the current ones at your consultation.