Quebec temporarily revives PEQ immigration pathway, but advocates call it an 'insult'

Quebec temporarily revives PEQ immigration pathway, but advocates call it an 'insult'

Those eligible will be able to reapply starting July 2

Immigration Minister François Bonnardel announced the reopening of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) for two years and shared details of its reinstatement at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.

Speaking to reporters at the National Assembly, he said those who were eligible for the PEQ prior to its abolition in November 2025 will be able to submit a new application during specific periods. The first is scheduled to run from July 2 at 8:30 a.m until Oct. 31.

Bonnardel says between 8,000 and 12,000 people are expected to apply for this first period.

"I would like to reassure those who are eligible: there will be no cap, as all applications received during this period that meet these criteria will be processed by the ministry," Bonnardel said.

Bonnardel added that other application periods would open before July 2028 and that this temporary reopening does not override the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ), which will eventually replace the PEQ.

"The PSTQ is not dead. It will not die. It is the PSTQ that will support newcomers in the years to come," Bonnardel explained.

The government also still intends to meet its immigration targets set last fall.

Quebec faces pressure to act on promise to reopen fast-track immigration program

Quebec lowered its targets for the coming years to 45,000 new permanent residents annually under its 2026–29 plan. That includes approximately 29,000 in the economic immigration category.

It is under this category that candidates for the PEQ and the PSTQ will be admitted. The two programs will both continue to operate in parallel during the transition.

Premier Christine Fréchette had promised to reinstate the PEQ for two years during the Coalition Avenir Québec leadership campaign.

"This two-year transition period will provide a fair and predictable pathway for those who are already integrated here," Fréchette wrote in February.

Bonnardel acknowledged that his predecessor’s decision to eliminate this pathway to permanent residency caused uncertainty in recent months and admitted that people's lives had been disrupted.

Quebec’s PEQ program to return temporarily

Prior to its termination, the PEQ was for years a popular fast-track pathway to permanent residency.

When the Quebec government under François Legault abolished the program, thousands of newcomers were left in limbo. Hundreds of people participated in demonstrations earlier this year calling for the PEQ's reinstatement, a demand also voiced by city mayors, business groups and unions.

Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada called the end of the program a "catastrophe" for the city.

Jean-François Roberge, the former immigration minister, refused to reinstate the PEQ or provide exemptions to those already in the province. Instead, he created the PSTQ.

Roberge said the program would prioritize those who studied in Quebec and who work in certain sectors, like health care and education, when choosing permanent residents.

He insisted the program better meets Quebec's needs as it allows the government to select candidates based on several criteria, including knowledge of French, while also prioritizing those located outside the greater Montreal area.

Announcement an 'insult,' advocacy group says

In a Facebook post, Les Orphelins du PEQ, a group advocating for families and workers left behind by the program's end, argued the announcement is an "insult" to its efforts.

"What the government is trying to sell us as a human gesture is, in fact, a petty political ploy ahead of the October elections," the group said.

Les Orphelins du PEQ said the 29,000 spots over two years are a "drop in the bucket compared to the tens of thousands of people who have built their lives here in good faith."

"We demand predictability, coherence, and the respect of promises: permanent, automatic, and quota-free access for ALL those left behind by the system," the group said.

Immigration lawyer Yves Martineau said the announcement left him with mixed emotions.

"There will be people who will be left out, who would qualify, who speak French, have good jobs, pay taxes, and they will be left out," he said.

'Redemption' on the horizon for PEQ applicant

For U.S. citizen and cellist Crystal Kim, she says the announcement is a form of "redemption."

She applied for the PEQ program in order to build her life in Montreal after earning a master's degree from McGill University and meeting her now husband in the city.

Those plans were thrown into doubt when the program was suspended.

"I was devastated because I had prepared so much for this," she said. "I was already integrated into the culture here, I was already speaking the language quite well at that point."

The program's end left her facing months of uncertainty.

Now, with the PEQ set to return, Kim says she's feeling "much more hopeful."

"I certainly feel much more secure than I was yesterday."

Hénia Ould-Hammou is a journalist with CBC Montreal. She previously completed an internship with La Presse after graduating from McGill University with a double major in political science and psychology. Hénia is interested in international and societal issues, community stories, soccer, politics and rap. Send her an email at henia.ould-hammou@cbc.ca

With files from Radio-Canada's Sébastien Desrosiers