Quebec to close permanent residence pathway for temporary foreign workers and international student graduates

Quebec is ending one of its most popular pathways to permanent residence.

On November 6, the government announced that it would be closing the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), and ending the two streams that fall within it:

The Quebec Graduates stream; and
The Temporary foreign workers’ stream.

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Both these streams will end on November 19, 2025.

Both streams under the PEQ have been paused since October 31, 2024. Quebec had previously announced that the suspension of these streams would be until June 30, 2025, but this suspension was then extended until November 30, 2025.

The province has also announced that its three permanent immigration pilot programs will end on January 1, 2026, as planned.

These are:

Permanent immigration pilot program for workers in food processing
Permanent immigration pilot program for orderlies; and
Permanent immigration pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors.

With the closure of these streams, the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) will be the only pathway for permanent residence for skilled workers in Quebec.

What happens to applications already submitted?

All applications for permanent selection already submitted under the PEQ (Québec Graduate and Temporary Foreign Worker streams) and the permanent immigration pilot programs will continue to be examined by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI).

Applications to add family members (dependent children and spouses) for applicants already selected under any of these programs will continue to be received and processed by MIFI.

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Pilot programs: limited intake remains

Within the pilot programs, only the Francophone profile of the artificial intelligence stream is still accepting new applications until December 31.

Intake caps have already been reached for the other streams of this program and for the other two pilot programs.

Options for skilled workers

Skilled foreign workers who want to settle in Quebec permanently may still declare their interest in permanent immigration through the PSTQ.

Under this program, foreign nationals must first declare their interest by completing a declaration of interest in Arrima (an online portal used by the Quebec government to invite foreign nationals for immigration).

Declarations of interest are entered into a bank of declarations of interest.

Those with profile scores that score a required number of points, and match the criteria sought after by the Quebec government, will receive an invitation to submit an application for permanent selection.

There are four streams under the PSTQ:

Stream 1: Highly qualified and specialized skills
Stream 2: Intermediate and manual skills
Stream 3: Regulated professions; and
Stream 4: Exceptional talent.

General requirements for the PSTQ

In order to be eligible for the PSTQ, foreign nationals must meet some general requirements such as:

Be 18 or older.
Intend to settle and work* in Quebec;
Be able to do the job;
Demonstrate financial self-sufficiency for the first three months after becoming a PR (and for any accompanying family);
Obtain the Attestation of Learning about Quebec Democratic Values (for themselves and any accompanying family members);
Comply with the return conditions of a Quebec scholarship; and
Meet the criteria that led to the invitation to submit an application for permanent selection.

*Note: intended work cannot be for a business that the foreign national owns/ controls and cannot be in excluded sectors such as payday loans, cheque cashing or pawnbroking, or adult entertainment services.

In addition, specific streams within the PSTQ have additional conditions.

Quebec’s Immigration Levels Plan

Quebec also tabled its latest Immigration Levels Plan on November 6.

The Plan set a target of 45,000 new permanent residents in 2025, with 64% of economic admissions coming from temporary residents already in the province.

The government also introduced admission targets for temporary foreign workers and international students in its Immigration Levels Plan for the first time.

The government of Quebec aims to admit up to 55,700 foreign workers and 68,500 international students in 2026.

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