What is PEQ?

The Programme de l'expérience québécoise (PEQ) — Quebec Experience Program — is Quebec's accelerated PR pathway for two categories:

• Foreign students who have graduated from a Quebec post-secondary institution
• Foreign workers with skilled work experience in Quebec

PEQ leads to the issuance of a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) — Quebec's selection certificate — which is then used to apply for federal PR through IRCC.

PEQ Graduates stream

To qualify under the Graduates stream:

• Hold or be eligible for an eligible Quebec diploma (CEGEP, university degree, vocational program)
• Demonstrate advanced intermediate French (B2) in oral comprehension and oral production
• Intend to settle in Quebec
• Have a valid status during the PEQ application

PEQ Workers stream

To qualify under the Workers stream:

• Have 24 months of full-time skilled work experience in Quebec within the past 36 months
• Demonstrate advanced intermediate French (B2) in oral comprehension and oral production
• Intend to settle in Quebec
• Hold valid status during the PEQ application

French language — the gatekeeper

PEQ requires French B2 (advanced intermediate) in oral skills. Reading and writing requirements are softer but still expected. Accepted tests: TEF, TEFAQ, TCF, TCFQ, or recognized French-medium diplomas.

PEQ vs federal Express Entry

• PEQ: Quebec-managed, French-centric, requires Quebec studies or Quebec work experience
• Federal Express Entry: federal-managed, can target French or English, applies to settlement anywhere except Quebec

PEQ to PR — the two-step process

1. CSQ application — submitted to Quebec's Ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l'Intégration (MIFI)
2. Federal PR application — submitted to IRCC after CSQ issuance for federal admissibility/medical/security checks

Halani's note

PEQ is highly specialized to Quebec and French-language fluency. Non-Quebec-based applicants typically don't pursue PEQ — federal Express Entry and PNP routes are more accessible. We refer to Quebec-specialist counsel for active PEQ files when they're the right path.