Quebec Immigration Overview

On This Page, You Will Find:

• Quebec’s autonomous immigration authority under the Canada–Quebec Accord
• Quebec’s 2026 immigration plan and admission targets
• The Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)
• The Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) process
• The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ): a program in flux
• Business immigration: investors, entrepreneurs and the self-employed
• Temporary foreign workers and the Montreal–Laval LMIA moratorium
• French-language and francisation requirements
• Family sponsorship and refugees
• Frequently asked questions

Quebec is the only Canadian province with full authority over the selection of most of its economic immigrants and many of its family-class applicants, a power set out in the Canada–Quebec Accord. Ottawa still handles admission formalities – medical, criminal and security screening, and the final issuance of permanent residence – but Quebec alone decides who it selects to settle there.

Quebec’s immigration rules have shifted substantially over the past year. The province closed the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) in November 2025, then announced a temporary two-year reopening starting July 2026; it extended a freeze on low-wage work permits in Montreal and Laval through the end of 2026; and it tightened French-language requirements across several programs. This overview reflects the rules in effect as of mid-2026. Because Quebec updates its immigration criteria frequently, always confirm current details directly on quebec.ca and with the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) before applying.

Quebec’s Autonomous Immigration Authority

Under the Canada–Quebec Accord (signed in 1991), Quebec selects nearly all economic immigrants destined for the province, along with most family-class applicants, using its own criteria – including French-language ability, education, work experience and regional labour needs. The federal government still screens applicants for security, criminality and medical admissibility, issues work and study permits, and ultimately grants permanent residence and citizenship.

Two documents unique to Quebec anchor this shared process: the Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ – Quebec Selection Certificate) for people seeking permanent residence, and the Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ – Quebec Acceptance Certificate) for temporary workers and international students. Neither replaces a federal permit or visa; each is Quebec’s consent, layered on top of the federal process.

Quebec’s 2026 Immigration Plan and Admission Targets

On November 6, 2025, Quebec tabled its pluriannual immigration orientations for 2026–2029 together with the Immigration Plan for 2026. The stated goal is to reduce the overall volume of immigration in order to ease pressure on housing, French-language integration capacity and public services.

• Permanent admissions: a target of 45,000 immigrants in 2026, a level Quebec plans to hold through 2029. Of that total, roughly 27,500 to 30,100 admissions are economic class and 9,600 to 10,400 are family class.
• Temporary admissions: for the first time, Quebec’s plan also sets targets for the two temporary programs requiring its consent – 84,900 to 124,200 people for 2026, combining the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (about 40,400 to 55,700) and the International Student Program (about 44,500 to 68,500).
• Quebec’s three permanent-immigration pilot programs – for food processing workers, orderlies, and workers in artificial intelligence, information technology and visual effects – ended on January 1, 2026, as planned. Only the Francophone profile of the AI/IT/visual-effects pilot kept accepting applications, and only until December 31, 2025.

The Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ)

The Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) replaced Quebec’s former Regular Skilled Worker Program on November 29, 2024, and under the 2026 plan it is now Quebec’s only permanent selection pathway for skilled workers. Candidates first submit a declaration of interest through the Arrima portal; the Ministère then invites qualifying candidates to apply for permanent selection. There are four streams, each with its own eligibility rules based on the “Formation, études, expérience et responsabilités” (FEER) category of the applicant’s main occupation:

• Stream 1 – Highly qualified and specialized skills: FEER 0, 1 or 2 occupations; at least 1 year of qualifying work experience in the 5 years before applying; oral French level 7 and written French level 5.
• Stream 2 – Intermediate and manual skills: FEER 3, 4 or 5 occupations; at least 2 years’ experience, including at least 1 year in Quebec; spoken French level 5.
• Stream 3 – Regulated professions: occupations on Quebec’s list of regulated professions; requires an authorization or a recognition-of-equivalence document from the relevant professional or regulatory body.
• Stream 4 – Exceptional talent: at least 3 years practising the occupation, plus a recognized exceptional achievement or a supporting opinion from a Ministère partner organization.

Since July 2025, the Ministère has prioritized inviting candidates already established in Quebec – those with a Quebec diploma, working in the regions, employed in a high-demand occupation, or with stronger French skills. Successful applicants receive a CSQ, then apply to IRCC for permanent residence.

The Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) Process

The CSQ confirms that Quebec has selected an applicant; it is required before the federal government will process most Quebec-destined permanent residence applications. After receiving a PSTQ invitation (or qualifying under the PEQ or a business program), applicants submit supporting documents and fees, and Quebec assesses French knowledge, education, work experience and, for most streams, a signed Financial Self-Sufficiency Contract. Applicants and accompanying family members aged 18 or older must also obtain an attestation confirming they have learned about Quebec’s democratic values and the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. Once issued, the CSQ is submitted with a federal permanent residence application, where IRCC completes medical, criminal and security screening before issuing permanent resident status.

The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ): A Program in Flux

The PEQ, Quebec’s fast-track permanent residence pathway for Quebec graduates and temporary foreign workers, has been unusually unstable. Quebec ended both PEQ streams on November 19, 2025, as part of its broader push to slow immigration. In June 2026, the Ministère reversed course and announced the PEQ would reopen for a temporary two-year window – July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028 – but only during defined intake periods, not as a permanently open program.

The first intake period ran from July 2 to October 31, 2026, with no cap on the number of applications, but eligibility was restricted to people who already met PEQ criteria as of November 19, 2025: Quebec graduates who had already earned an eligible diploma by that date, or temporary foreign workers who had already accumulated at least two years of qualifying Quebec work experience (FEER 0 to 3) by that date. The Ministère has not renewed the 6-month processing-time commitment that applied before the program’s abolition, and has said only that further intake periods “may” be announced before the program’s scheduled end in July 2028.

In practical terms, applicants should not assume the PEQ will stay open, that a further intake will be announced, or that people who did not already qualify under the pre-November-2025 criteria will become eligible. Anyone considering the PEQ should verify its current status directly on quebec.ca before making plans around it.

Business Immigration: Investors, Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed

Quebec runs its own business-immigration streams, distinct from federal programs such as the Start-Up Visa, which stopped accepting new applications on January 1, 2026.

• Investor Program: reopened January 1, 2024, with revised terms after a suspension that began in 2019. Requirements include a minimum net worth of CAD $2,000,000; at least 2 years of management experience in the preceding 5 years; oral French at level 7; and, through an approved financial intermediary, a 5-year, government-guaranteed investment of CAD $1,000,000 plus a non-refundable CAD $200,000 contribution.
• Entrepreneur Program: for people establishing, purchasing or taking over a business in Quebec, through an innovative-business stream, a business start-up/acquisition stream, or a takeover stream; most require working with a Ministère-approved support organization.
• Self-Employed Worker Program: for people who intend to practise their own profession or trade in Quebec, generally requiring relevant experience and a start-up deposit that varies by region.

All three streams lead to a CSQ and, subsequently, a federal permanent residence application. Investment amounts, net-worth thresholds and eligibility criteria are subject to change, so confirm current figures with MIFI or our Quebec Immigrant Investor Program page before relying on them, and see our Canada Business and Investment Immigration Overview for how Quebec’s programs compare with federal options.

Temporary Foreign Workers and the Montreal–Laval LMIA Moratorium

Quebec’s consent is also required for most Labour Market Impact Assessments (LMIAs) tied to Quebec job offers. As part of the 2026–2029 plan, Quebec extended its suspension of processing certain low-wage LMIA applications for jobs located in the Montreal and Laval administrative regions through December 31, 2026. The suspension covers new low-wage LMIA applications, the facilitated process, and renewals for temporary foreign workers already working in those two regions, and it applies regardless of the Montreal labour market’s unemployment rate. It operates alongside – but separately from – the federal government’s own regional refusal-to-process rules for low-wage LMIAs, which can independently restrict processing in other parts of Canada. Limited exemptions may apply to certain sectors and positions; confirm current exemptions with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and see our Quebec LMIA application process page before applying.

French-Language and Francisation Requirements

French proficiency, assessed on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français, is central to nearly every Quebec program, though the required level varies by stream – for example, PSTQ Stream 1 requires oral level 7 and written level 5, while Stream 2 requires only spoken level 5.

Effective December 17, 2025, temporary foreign workers applying for a CAQ after three years working in Quebec must demonstrate oral French at level 4, with limited exemptions (for example, agricultural workers). A three-year transition period means this requirement will not actually be verified until December 17, 2028. Since the same date, Quebec employers with 25 or more employees must demonstrate compliance with the province’s francization obligations under the Charter of the French Language when applying for an LMIA, and must commit to informing temporary foreign workers about available francisation services. Free francisation courses remain available to eligible newcomers after they arrive in Quebec.

Family Sponsorship and Refugees

Quebec participates in Canada’s Family Class Sponsorship program by assessing the financial capacity of sponsors residing in the province, while the federal government determines the admissibility of sponsored relatives.

Quebec also resettles refugees through government-assisted and privately sponsored streams, but it has extended its suspension of new applications under the Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective Sponsorship) to December 31, 2029. Applications already submitted, and applications to add a spouse or dependent children to an existing file, continue to be received and examined.

Frequently Asked Questions