The Programme de l'experience quebecoise (Quebec Experience Class, or PEQ) is a Canadian immigration program prioritizing applicants who have studied or are working in Quebec.

The PEQ is a program that selects applicants based on their study or work experience in Quebec. The name 'Quebec Experience Class' is an English translation of Programme de l'experience quebecoise.

No. These are two separate immigration programs for applying for a Certificat de selection du Quebec (Certificate of Selection for Quebec - CSQ). Once an applicant obtains a CSQ, he or she can submit an application to the federal government for Canadian permanent residence.

No, there is no requirement to meet a minimum point score in order for an individual to be eligible for the PEQ.

Applicants can apply to the PEQ on the basis of their experience in Quebec, either as a graduate with an eligible diploma, or as a foreign worker. All applicants must prove advanced intermediate ability in oral French (speaking and listening).

The Diplome du Quebec (Quebec Graduate) category is for applicants who have obtained an eligible diploma from a recognized educational institution in Quebec, or expect to obtain such a diploma in the six months following their application.

The Travailleur etranger temporaire specialise (Skilled Temporary Foreign Worker) category is for applicants working in Quebec, who have at least 12 months skilled work experience in Quebec in the last 24 months.

Applicants in the graduate category can submit an application at any time from six months before obtaining a diploma, up to 36 months after graduation, as long as all the other eligibility criteria are met. Applicants in the foreign worker category can submit an application as soon as all the eligibility criteria are met and as long as the applicant is currently employed in a full-time skilled job in Quebec.

As the PEQ is still a paper-based program, applications must be mailed to the offices of the Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion (MIDI) in Montreal, Quebec. It is not possible to submit an application online, as is required for the Quebec Skilled Worker Program.

Currently the MIDI states that applications will receive a prioritized processing time of 20 days, excluding postal delays. This estimation is applicable to complete applications when the Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion (MIDI) does not require any further documents to support the application. Applications deemed incomplete will be returned to the applicant.

No. There is no interview required for applicants to the PEQ.

Yes, an accompanying spouse or common-law partner can be included on the application.

There are no eligibility requirements for accompanying spouses. This includes proof of language ability, which is only required for the principal applicant.

Yes, all children must be declared on the application form, whether they are accompanying the principal applicant on the application or not. Children aged 19 and under can be included in the application. However, only children born outside of Canada are included in the application for a CSQ, as children born in Canada are already citizens.

All children must be declared on the application form. However, if an applicant has a child born in Canada, the child is already a Canadian citizen. In this case the child is not declared as accompanying the applicant on the application for a CSQ, as the child does not need a CSQ. Government processing fees are not required for Canadian-born children.

Yes. Government processing fees for 2016 can be reviewed in the table below. Full payment must be supplied with the application or the application will be deemed incomplete.

The checklist of required documents is included in the required application form. The form is only available in French, but documents can be submitted in English or in French. An official translation must be provided for any document that is not in English or French. All required documents and forms must be submitted to the MIDI in the correct format, along with payment, in one single application. Incomplete applications are returned to the applicant.

The principal applicant of the application must provide proof of advanced intermediate ability in oral French. This equates to a B2 level in a valid, recognized French test (taken within the two years preceding the application). An applicant in the graduate category who completed his or her Quebec diploma in French can submit the final transcripts for that diploma as proof of French. An applicant in the foreign worker category can submit proof that he or she has satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing his or her occupation in Quebec. The following documents are also accepted for applicants in both categories:

• Results of a recognized French test demonstrating at least a B2 level of oral French;
• Final transcripts attesting to at least three years of secondary or post-secondary education completed entirely in French. If the course of study was completed in a country in which French is not the official language, a letter from the institution attesting that the applicant completed his or her studies entirely in French is also required to supplement the transcripts;
• Final transcripts from an eligible French course taken in Quebec, in a recognized institution. This course can be at the secondary, college, or university level. The lists of recognized courses in 2016 can be found here:
  1. Secondary level
  2. College level
  3. University level

If the applicant can provide sufficient proof of French language ability through eligible transcripts or other recognized documents, he or she does not have to take a French test.

French tests must be taken at a recognized test centre.

Yes. When providing results from a recognized language test, applicants can submit test results from different days and different institutions as long as both test results are still valid. For example, an applicant can submit a TEFAQ Listening certificate and a TCFQ Speaking certificate.

No. There are no language requirements for the accompanying spouse.

Quebec diplomas eligible under the PEQ are:

• a bachelor's degree (university undergraduate);
• a master's degree (and an MBA);
• a doctorate;
• a Diplome d'etudes collegiales techniques (DEC - diploma of college studies);
• a Diplome d'etudes professionnelles (DEP - diploma of vocational studies) of at least 1800 hours of study or more;
• a Diplome d'etudes professionnelles (DEP - diploma of vocational studies) followed by an attestation de specialisation professionnelle (ASP - attestation of vocational specialization) totalling a minimum of 1800 hours of continuing education and leading to a particular trade;
• Two separate DEPs amounting to 1,800 hours together are not eligible.

The foreign worker applicant must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in a skilled, managerial, or professional occupation. Full-time work is defined as at least 30 hours a week. Unlike the Quebec Skilled Worker program, part-time work experience cannot be cumulatively counted towards full-time work experience. Part-time work experience is not recognized in the PEQ application.

Graduate applicants can submit their application from abroad. Foreign worker applicants must be in Quebec and currently employed in order to submit an application.

Yes. An applicant can leave Canada during the processing of his or her federal application, however, if he or she wishes to return to Canada he or she must meet any conditions for re-entry.

Yes. For both the graduate and foreign worker categories, a secondary or post-secondary diploma of at least three years' duration completed entirely in French will satisfy the French language requirements.

To extend a work permit, the applicant would need to obtain a job offer from an employer. Such a job offer would be exempt from a Labour-Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) as the applicant has a CSQ. The applicant may then take the job offer and his or her CSQ to a Quebec Port of Entry to obtain a closed work permit for that employer. Applicants can only obtain a new or renewed work permit if they are currently residing in Quebec with a valid work permit. For a graduate applicant living in Quebec on a post-graduate work permit that will expire during the federal processing stage, the same applies. A post-graduate work permit cannot be extended beyond the length of the student's period of study.

If an applicant cannot renew his or her work permit before it expires, and he or she is not yet a permanent resident, he or she must apply to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to change to visitor status if he or she wishes to remain in Quebec as a visitor. Otherwise, the applicant can leave Canada until he or she obtains permanent residence status.

If an application is returned to the applicant because it is incomplete, the applicant can resubmit the application again with the required additional documents. If the application is refused because the applicant does not meet the eligibility criteria, the applicant can submit an application to the Quebec Skilled Worker program if he or she meets the criteria for that program. Alternatively, if an applicant is refused because he or she does not meet the eligibility criteria, and the applicant later becomes eligible, the applicant can resubmit to the PEQ.