Quebec Experience Program FAQ

The Programme de l’expérience québécoise (Quebec Experience Program, or PEQ) is a Canadian immigration program prioritizing applicants who have studied or are working in Quebec.

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.

Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration states that PEQ applications will be processed within 20 working days, excluding postal delays. This estimation is applicable to complete applications when the applicant does not require any further documents to support the application or an audit interview. Applications deemed incomplete will be returned to the applicant.

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.

The checklist of required documents is included in the required application form. The form is only available in French, but documents can be submitted in English or in French. An official translation must be provided for any document that is not in English or French. All required documents and forms must be submitted to the MIFI in the correct format, along with payment, in one single application. Incomplete applications are returned to the applicant.

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. 

The checklist of required documents is included in the required application form. The form is only available in French, but documents can be submitted in English or in French. An official translation must be provided for any document that is not in English or French. All required documents and forms must be submitted to the MIFI in the correct format, along with payment, in one single application. Incomplete applications are returned to the applicant.

No. There are no language requirements for a spouse or common-law partner accompanying the applicant.

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.

The foreign worker applicant must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience prior to submitting an application. Full-time work is defined as at least 30 hours a week. Unlike the Quebec Skilled Worker Program, part-time work experience cannot be cumulatively counted towards full-time work experience. Part-time work experience is not recognized in the PEQ application.

Work experience acquired full-time under the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program, International Experience Canada (IEC) (Working Holiday, Young Professionals or International Co-op Internship) or Work Placement which is not related to a program of studies in Quebec may be taken into account if applicants meet all the requirements of the PEQ.

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.

Yes. For both the graduate and foreign worker categories, a secondary or post-secondary diploma of at least three years’ duration completed entirely in French will satisfy the French language requirements.

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.

Yes. Potential applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria for the PEQ, but who have experience working or studying in Quebec, may also be eligible to apply for a CSQ through the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.