Quebec Reopens Experience Program (PEQ) With No Application Cap After Eight-Month Suspension

Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Francisation et Intégration (MIFI) has confirmed that the province’s signature Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) will reopen for new applications on 2 July 2026—without the numerical cap that characterised earlier intakes. The decision reverses last November’s abrupt freeze and offers a fresh lifeline to temporary foreign workers and international graduates aiming for a Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ). Immigration lawyer Viviane Albuquerque told CityNews Montreal that the absence of a quota removes the "system-crash" rush that plagued prior cycles and brings much-needed predictability. Nevertheless, the province will still target 8 000–12 000 CSQs per year, meaning processing timelines could cascade into 2027 if volumes exceed that soft ceiling. Applicants should note that filing a PEQ dossier does not confer legal status; many will need to secure a bridging work permit from IRCC once federal guidance is released later this month. Prospective candidates therefore have a tight two-week window—17 June to 2 July—to gather French-language test results, employment proofs and educational transcripts. For employers, the reopening eases retention challenges in sectors like aerospace and video-game design, where international graduates play an outsized role. Corporate mobility teams should audit current permit expiry dates and prepare for simultaneous federal and provincial submissions to avoid inadvertent out-of-status periods. Policy analysts see the move as part of Quebec’s broader effort to stabilise immigration after Premier Pierre Fitzgibbon’s government lowered overall intake targets earlier this year. The PEQ revamp will be closely watched to gauge whether streamlined criteria can coexist with linguistic-integration objectives.