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Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)
The Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ) is a popular immigration pathway for foreign students with an eligible degree earned in Quebec and eligible individuals with work experience in Quebec.
Applicants who apply successfully through the PEQ receive a Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec, CSQ), which is required in order to immigrate permanently to the province.
Potential applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the PEQ, but who have experience working or studying in Quebec, may be eligible to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.
| PEQ | International Student | Temporary Foreign Worker |
| Eligibility |
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| Language Requirements | 1.show a final transcript attesting to the successful completion of at least three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary study completed entirely in French (including the master’s and doctoral theses, if applicable); or 2. a final transcript attesting to the successful completion of a study program in Québec completed entirely in French (including the master’s and doctoral theses, if applicable); or 3. prove French ability by way of a standardized language test recognized by the Government of Quebec; or 4. show that they have successfully completed an advanced intermediate level French course at a Quebec educational institution; or 5. show that they have satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing their occupation in Quebec. | 1.prove French ability by way of a standardized language test recognized by the Government of Quebec; or 2.show that they have successfully completed an advanced intermediate level French course at a Quebec educational institution; or 3.show a final transcript attesting to the successful completion of at least three years of full-time secondary or post-secondary study completed entirely in French (including the master’s and doctoral theses, if applicable); or 4.show that they have satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing their occupation in Quebec. |
Detail about Full Time work experience for PEQ
The MIFI considers a minimum of 30 hours of paid work per week as full-time employment. Full-time work experience acquired:
- international student while on a Post-Graduation Work Permit
- Or under a Youth Exchange/International Experience Canada (IEC) Program may be taken into account if the applicant meets all PEQ requirements.
- MIFI will not consider any period of part-time work, self-employment, or entrepreneurial work under the PEQ.
Quebec immigration authorities expect the assessment of applications under the PEQ to be completed on a fast-track basis.
New Change
On May 28, the Government of Quebec announced the reform of its Quebec Experience Program (PEQ). The changes are expected to come into force in the coming weeks. This page will be updated to reflect the changes once they take effect. Expected changes include the following:
International students:
- Masters/Bachelors/DEC — required 1-year work experience in a 0, A, B level job in the 24 months preceding the application
- DEP — required 2 years of work experience in a 0, A, B or C* level job in the 36 months preceding the application
- C level work must be related to the degree
Temporary foreign workers:
- 36 months of required work experience in Quebec in the 4 years preceding the application
- C and D level work no longer eligible
Language requirements:
- Spouses of principal applicants under the PEQ will need to demonstrate spoken knowledge of French. This requirement is expected to come into effect one year after the reform comes into force.
- Language courses will no longer be accepted as proof of language proficiency
No area of training/occupations lists for PEQ student/worker streams.
The processing standard of 20 days will change to a maximum of 6 months.
Transitional measures will be included, and are as follows:
- International student PEQ applications submitted before the new regulation takes effect will be processed under the rules in place at that time.
- Foreign worker PEQ files will be processed under the previous rules provided candidates have a valid work permit and were already in Quebec before the new regulation takes effect. This means that C and D levels jobs would be accepted and only 12 months of full-time experience required.
- International students and foreign workers who have already registered, completed, or are attending a French course before the new regulation takes place will be able to have their French proficiency assessed under the previous rules (i.e. the language course will be accepted as proof of French proficiency).
Language Requirements For PEQ
Test to submit:
To satisfy the PEQ language requirements, the minimum passing grades for the DELF and DALF tests are:
- DELF B2: 16/25 or more for the two oral exams;
- DALF C1: 8/25 or more for the two oral exams;
- DALF C2: 16/50 or more for the oral exam.
results must have been issued less than two years prior to the date your application was submitted
Where to take the exam:
French tests must be taken at a recognized test centre.
- For a list of recognized test centres for the TEFAQ
- For a list of recognized test centres for the TCF/TCFQ
- For a list of recognized test centres for the DELF and DALF
What the French Requirement:
The principal applicant of the application must provide proof of advanced intermediate ability in oral French. This equates to a B2 level in a valid, recognized French test (taken within the two years preceding the application). An applicant in the graduate category who completed his or her Quebec diploma in French can submit the final transcripts for that diploma as proof of French. An applicant in the foreign worker category can submit proof that he or she has satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing his or her occupation in Quebec. The following documents are also accepted for applicants in both categories:
- Results of a recognized French test demonstrating at least a B2 level of oral French;
- Final transcripts attesting to at least three years of secondary or post-secondary education completed entirely in French. If the course of study was completed in a country in which French is not the official language, a letter from the institution attesting that the applicant completed his or her studies entirely in French is also required to supplement the transcripts;
- Final transcripts from an eligible French course taken in Quebec, in a recognized institution.
FAQ
No. These are two separate immigration programs for applying for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (Certificate of Selection for Quebec – CSQ). Once an applicant obtains a CSQ, he or she can submit an application to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence
No, there is no requirement to meet a minimum point score in order for an individual to be eligible for the PEQ.
Applicants can apply to the PEQ on the basis of their experience in Quebec, either as a graduate with an eligible diploma, or as a foreign worker. All applicants must prove advanced intermediate ability in oral French (speaking and listening)
The Diplomé du Québec (Quebec Graduate) category is for applicants who have obtained an eligible diploma from a recognized educational institution in Quebec. If you weren’t already studying in Quebec on November 1, 2019, your diploma will have to be in an eligible Area of Training.
The Travailleur étranger temporaire (Temporary Foreign Worker) category is for applicants working in Quebec who have at least 12 months skilled work experience in Quebec in the last 24 months.
Applicants in the graduate category can only submit an application once they obtain their diploma. Applications must be submitted within 36 months of graduating. Applicants in the foreign worker category can submit an application as soon as all the eligibility criteria are met and as long as the applicant is currently employed in a full-time skilled job in Quebec.
As the PEQ is still a paper-based program, applications must be mailed to the offices of the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI) in Montreal, Quebec. It is not possible to submit an application online, as is required for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.
The MIFI says PEQ applicants may be subject to an audit interview.
Yes, an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can be included on the application.
Proof of language proficiency is only required for the principal applicant.
Yes, all children must be declared on the application form, whether they are accompanying the principal applicant on the application or not. Children aged 19 and under can be included in the application. However, only children born outside of Canada are included in the application for a CSQ, as children born in Canada are already citizens.
All children must be declared on the application form. However, if an applicant has a child born in Canada, the child is already a Canadian citizen. In this case the child is not declared as accompanying the applicant on the application for a CSQ, as the child does not need a CSQ. Government processing fees are not required for Canadian-born children.
Yes. Government processing fees for 2019 can be reviewed in the table below. Full payment must be supplied with the application or the application will be deemed incomplete.
| Applicant | Fees |
| Principal Applicant | CAD $798 |
| Spouse, de facto spouse | CAD $171 |
| Each dependant child | CAD $171 |
Quebec diplomas eligible under the PEQ are:
- a bachelor’s degree (university undergraduate);
- a master’s degree (and an MBA);
- a doctorate;
- a Diplôme d’études collégiales techniques (DEC – diploma of college studies);
- a Diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP – diploma of vocational studies) of at least 1800 hours of study or more;
- a Diplôme d’études professionnelles (DEP – diploma of vocational studies) followed by an attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP – attestation of vocational specialization) totaling a minimum of 1800 hours of continuing education and leading to a particular trade;
Two separate DEPs amounting to 1,800 hours together are not eligible.
No, Unlike the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, part-time work experience cannot be cumulatively counted towards full-time work experience.
Graduate applicants can submit their application from abroad. Foreign worker applicants must be in Quebec and currently employed in order to submit an application.
Yes. An applicant can leave Canada during the processing of his or her federal application, however, if he or she wishes to return to Canada he or she must meet any conditions for re-entry.
If an applicant cannot renew his or her work permit before it expires, and he or she is not yet a permanent resident, he or she must apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to change to visitor status if he or she wishes to remain in Quebec as a visitor. Otherwise, the applicant can leave Canada until he or she obtains permanent residence status.
If an application is returned to the applicant because it is incomplete, the applicant can resubmit the application again with the required additional documents. If the application is refused because the applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria, the applicant can submit an application to the Quebec Skilled Worker program if he or she meets the criteria for that program. Alternatively, if an applicant is refused because he or she does not meet the eligibility criteria, and the applicant later becomes eligible, the applicant can resubmit to the PEQ.