- Quebec has ended the PEQ program, replacing it with the invitation-based Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ).
- The new system prioritizes French language proficiency and strategic labor sectors over first-come, first-served processing.
- Annual permanent resident targets dropped to 45,000 for 2026, increasing competition for approximately 275,000 temporary residents.
(QUÉBEC, CANADA) — Quebec ended the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) and completed its switch to the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ), closing off what had been a fast-track route to permanent residence for many international students and temporary foreign workers.
Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s Minister of Immigration, Francization, and Integration, confirmed the finality of the change at a news conference on January 30, 2026.
Calling the old approach finished, Roberge said the PEQ is “dead and buried,” and said the province will no longer process applications on a “first-come, first-served” basis.
The shift has immediate consequences for people who planned their lives around PEQ timelines and eligibility rules, especially students, graduates and workers who expected a more predictable transition from temporary status to permanent residence in Quebec.
The new selection system: PSTQ
Under the new system, Quebec channels economic immigration selection through the PSTQ, an invitation-based program that uses the Arrima platform and a scoring model that emphasizes factors including age, work experience and French skills.
Applicants no longer qualify simply by reaching a stage of studies or work and meeting a set of PEQ requirements, because the PSTQ relies on ranking and invitations rather than a queue.
That targeting matters because an invitation system can shift quickly in response to what Quebec wants to recruit, and candidates can sit in the pool without any guarantee of selection.
Timeline and program closures
Quebec officially ended the PEQ’s graduate and worker streams on November 19, 2025, and three permanent immigration pilot programs ended on January 1, 2026: Food Processing, Orderlies, and AI/IT/Visual Effects.
Roberge said Quebec will keep processing applications submitted before November 19, 2025, under the previous rules, drawing a clear operational line between older filings and those that did not arrive before the cut-off.
At the same time, he rejected calls for a grandfather clause that would have shielded large numbers of temporary residents who arrived expecting to qualify through the PEQ.
“Technically, 100 per cent of people working in Quebec (.) with temporary status and a certain level of French could protect themselves [with this clause] and apply. and it would be first come, first served. There would be no selection among these people,” Roberge said on January 30, 2026.
Government rationale and priorities
Quebec has framed the PSTQ as a way to select candidates more directly aligned with labor market needs and French language goals, rather than offering a broadly available fast-track for those already studying or working in the province.
Roberge said the new program aims to prioritize “strategic sectors” such as health care, education, early childhood, construction, and engineering.
Quebec also lowered its permanent resident admission target to 45,000 for 2026, down from 61,000 in previous years, tightening competition for available spots under the province’s economic selection framework.
French sits at the center of the province’s stated direction. By 2029, Quebec aims for 80% of all new immigrants to possess intermediate French proficiency.
In practical terms, that focus can shape who receives invitations and who does not, even among people already living and working in Quebec, because the PSTQ’s scoring and invitations can reward stronger French profiles.
Who is affected
The policy change has sparked fears among people who feel stuck between programs after building plans around PEQ’s former structure and timelines.
The term “PEQ Orphans” refers to approximately 275,000 temporary residents currently in Quebec who had planned their residency around the PEQ but no longer qualify for a fast-track, and who now must compete for limited spots under the PSTQ.
University professors and highly skilled IT workers have expressed concern over their ability to stay, as the new system prioritizes specific manual and service trades alongside high-level specialized roles.
For would-be applicants, Quebec’s shift also changes what “preparing an application” looks like. The PSTQ pushes many candidates toward improving the elements that influence ranking—especially French—while waiting for invitations through Arrima rather than planning around a predictable submission window.
Cross-border context
The changes come as many migrants weigh options across borders, including in the United States, even though Quebec selection decisions remain provincial and distinct from U.S. entry and status rules.
In early 2026, U.S. actions that affect travel, entry and work authorization have unfolded on their own track, adding another layer for people trying to keep plans viable on both sides of the border.
On January 1, 2026, the White House and DHS implemented a new proclamation, “Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals to Protect the Security of the United States,” which may impact Canadian permanent residents from designated countries seeking U.S. visas, with information posted via https://www.uscis.gov.
On January 13, 2026, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announced the termination of Somalia’s Temporary Protected Status, effective March 17, 2026, with details available on https://www.dhs.gov.
For workers watching U.S. employment-based pathways while considering Quebec, DHS also changed the H-1B system on December 23, 2025, amending regulations to prioritize higher-skilled and higher-paid individuals in the H-1B lottery to “better protect the wages and job opportunities for American workers,” with updates reflected through https://www.uscis.gov/newsroom/news-releases.
Guidance and official sources
Applicants trying to make sense of Quebec’s program shift have been directed to official sources that spell out how intake works, how selection systems operate, and where to verify updates and publication dates.
Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francization, and Integration provides program rules and procedures through its page on https://www.quebec.ca/en/immigration/rules-procedures.
At the federal level, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada outlines broader planning information that can intersect with Quebec planning in documents including Minister Lena Metlege Diab’s 2025-2026 Departmental Plan.
Closing remarks
Roberge’s message on January 30, 2026, left little doubt about the province’s approach to economic selection after PEQ: “There would be no selection among these people.”
