Quebec Fast-Track Immigration 2026: PEQ Officially Ended
The popular Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) ended on November 19, 2025. It has been replaced by the new PSTQ (Skilled Worker Selection Program) via Arrima. Here is everything you need to know — who is affected, latest invitations, how to apply now, and your options.
❌ PEQ Closed Nov 19, 2025
✅ PSTQ via Arrima (monthly invitations)
📉 45,000 total immigrants 2026
🚨 Province-wide protests
📅 Updated: February 12, 2026 | Official Québec sources
Nov 19, 2025
PEQ Officially Ended
45,000
Total Permanent Immigrants 2026
~29,000
Economic Immigrants via PSTQ
683
Jan 29, 2026 Invitations (Intermediate Skills)
📜 What Happened to the PEQ?
The Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) was Québec’s fast-track permanent residency pathway for international graduates and temporary foreign workers with Québec work or study experience and French proficiency.
Key dates:
- Launched: 2010
- Temporary suspension of new applications: 2024–2025
- Official end: November 19, 2025
- All applications submitted before this date continue to be processed.
The government replaced it with the more targeted Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) to better match labour market needs and control overall immigration volumes.
📊 PEQ vs PSTQ – 2026 Comparison
| Old PEQ (Fast-Track) | New PSTQ (2026) | |
|---|---|---|
| Application method | First-come, first-served | Expression of Interest via Arrima → Invitation only |
| Processing speed | Fast (often months) | Variable – depends on monthly invitations |
| Eligibility focus | Québec graduates + TFWs with French | Points-based: occupation, experience, French, region, etc. |
| Predictability | High (if you met criteria) | Lower – monthly draws |
| Still open? | NO (ended Nov 19, 2025) | YES – ongoing monthly invitations |
⚠️ Who Is Affected?
- International students who graduated in Québec after Nov 19, 2025
- Temporary foreign workers whose PEQ-eligible jobs expired or whose permits are ending
- Anyone who was planning to use the old fast-track route
- Thousands of current temporary residents facing uncertainty (protests erupted in Montreal, Québec City, Sherbrooke in February 2026)
Pending PEQ applications (submitted before Nov 19, 2025) are still being processed.
🚀 How to Apply Under the New PSTQ (2026)
- Create a profile and submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) in the Arrima portal
- Wait for a monthly invitation to apply (based on government priorities: occupation, French level, region, etc.)
- Receive invitation → submit full application for Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ)
- After CSQ → apply for federal permanent residence
Latest invitations (January 2026 examples): 1,094 in highly qualified stream, 683 in intermediate/manual skills, 750 in regulated professions.
