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 Experience Program (PEQ): a temporary reopening
• The Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) process
• 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 grant of permanent residence – but Quebec alone decides whom it selects to settle there.

Quebec’s immigration rules have shifted substantially over the past year. The province abolished the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) on November 19, 2025, then reopened it temporarily from July 2, 2026, with a first application window that closed on October 31, 2026. It has extended a freeze on low-wage work permits in Montreal and Laval through the end of 2026, and it has tightened French-language requirements across several programs. Quebec also held a general election on October 5, 2026, and a change of government is under way; election commitments do not change any program until they are formally adopted. This overview reflects the rules published by the Quebec government as of early November 2026. Because Quebec updates its immigration criteria frequently, always confirm current details 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 many 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 multi-year 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 the plan proposes 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).
• Pilot programs: 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.

Quebec normally tables its next annual immigration plan in the fall. Following the October 2026 election, the 2027 plan has not yet been published, so the targets above may be revised.

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 it is Quebec’s main permanent selection program for skilled workers. It now operates alongside the temporarily reopened PEQ (described below), which offers a separate route for some Quebec graduates and temporary foreign workers who already met that program’s criteria on November 19, 2025.

PSTQ candidates first submit a declaration of interest through the Arrima portal; the Ministère then invites selected 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; oral French level 5.
• Stream 3 – Regulated professions: occupations on Quebec’s list of regulated professions; requires an authorization to practise 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 – for example 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 Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for permanent residence.

The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ): A Temporary Reopening

The PEQ, Quebec’s permanent selection pathway for Quebec graduates and temporary foreign workers, has been unusually unstable. Quebec abolished both PEQ streams on November 19, 2025, as part of its broader push to slow immigration. In June 2026, the Ministère announced that the PEQ would reopen for a temporary two-year period – July 2, 2026 to July 2, 2028 – but with applications received only during periods set by ministerial decision, not on a continuous basis.

The first reception period ran from July 2 to October 31, 2026 (11:59 p.m., Montreal time), in both streams, with no cap on the number of applications. To have an application received in this window, a person had to have already met the PEQ’s core criterion on November 19, 2025:

• Quebec Graduates stream: an eligible Quebec diploma (bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate; a technical Diploma of College Studies; or a Diploma of Vocational Studies, alone or followed by an Attestation of Vocational Specialization, totalling at least 1,800 hours) obtained by November 19, 2025.
• Temporary Foreign Workers stream: at least two years of Quebec work experience in a FEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation accumulated by November 19, 2025.

Applicants must also meet every selection condition of their stream, including oral French at level 7 (plus written level 5 for the Graduates stream). Applications received during the first window that meet the reception criteria are being examined by the Ministère. Quebec has said further reception periods may be opened before the program ends in July 2028 depending on the volume of applications received, but none had been announced as of early November 2026. The six-month processing-time commitment that the PEQ once offered has not been reinstated. Anyone considering the PEQ should verify its status directly on quebec.ca before making plans around it.

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 economic permanent residence applications. After receiving a PSTQ invitation, or applying under the PEQ or a business program, applicants submit supporting documents and fees, and Quebec assesses French knowledge, education, work experience and the program’s other conditions, including an undertaking to provide for their own essential needs and those of their family after arrival. Applicants and accompanying family members covered by the requirement must also obtain an attestation confirming they have learned about democratic values and Quebec values expressed in 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 granting permanent resident status.

Business Immigration: Investors, Entrepreneurs and the Self-Employed

Quebec runs its own business-immigration programs, distinct from federal programs such as the Start-Up Visa, which stopped accepting new applications on January 1, 2026. All three Quebec business programs currently accept applications at any time, with no cap on the number received, and all three require oral French at level 7 on the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français.

• Investor Program: requires a legally acquired net worth of at least CAD $2,000,000; at least 2 years of management experience in the preceding 5 years; at least a secondary-school-level diploma; and, through an approved financial intermediary, a 5-year, government-guaranteed, non-interest-bearing investment of CAD $1,000,000 plus a non-refundable CAD $200,000 contribution. Selection is in two stages: candidates first receive a notice of intention to select, which supports a work permit application, and must then stay in Quebec for at least 12 months before the CSQ is issued.
• Entrepreneur Program: three streams – Innovative Business (with the support of an innovation organization), Business Start-up (a CAD $600,000 net worth and start-up or operating expenses of at least CAD $300,000 in the Montreal metropolitan community or CAD $150,000 elsewhere), and Business Takeover (acquiring an existing Quebec business with the support of a business-transfer organization).
• Self-Employed Worker Program: for people who will practise their own profession or trade in Quebec; requires at least 2 years of self-employed experience in the past 5 years, a net worth of at least CAD $100,000, and a start-up deposit of CAD $50,000 in the Montreal metropolitan community or CAD $25,000 elsewhere.

All three lead to a CSQ and, subsequently, a federal permanent residence application. For a fuller comparison, see our Quebec Business Immigration page and our Canada Business and Investment Immigration Overview.

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. It operates alongside – but separately from – the federal government’s own regional refusal-to-process rules for low-wage LMIAs. 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 now required in nearly every Quebec economic immigration program, though the required level varies by stream – for example, PSTQ Stream 1 requires oral level 7 and written level 5, PSTQ Stream 2 requires oral level 5, and the PEQ and all three business programs require at least oral level 7.

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.

Family Sponsorship and Refugees

Quebec participates in Canada’s Family Class Sponsorship program by assessing the undertaking and 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