Quebec PEQ & PSTQ Skilled Worker Guide 2026
Current 2026 rules for the temporary PEQ reopening, the PSTQ skilled-worker selection system, French requirements, Arrima and the CSQ-to-PR process.
Québec temporarily reopened the PEQ on July 2, 2026. The current reception period runs through October 31, 2026. For this reception period, Québec applies special eligibility criteria linked to a qualifying diploma or work experience that existed by November 19, 2025.
PEQ has its own language rules. PSTQ has four streams, and Québec can change the criteria used in each invitation round. A universal “Level 7 oral for everyone” statement is therefore inaccurate.
How Québec skilled-worker selection works
Québec selects most economic immigrants who intend to settle permanently in the province. The federal government is responsible for the subsequent Canadian permanent-residence process and applicable federal admissibility requirements.
| Program | Current 2026 status | How selection works |
|---|---|---|
| PEQ | Temporarily reopened; current reception period ends October 31, 2026 | Two Québec-experience streams: Temporary Foreign Workers and Québec Graduates |
| PSTQ | Current skilled-worker selection system | Four streams using Arrima declarations of interest and invitation exercises with changing criteria |
PEQ — Programme de l’expérience québécoise
PEQ currently has two streams. The 2026 reopening is temporary and the current intake period is controlled by a ministerial management decision.
| Stream | Current 2026 reception criterion | Core qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Québec Graduates | A qualifying Québec diploma must have been obtained by November 19, 2025 for the current reception period. | Qualifying Québec bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, technical college diploma, or qualifying vocational diploma pathway, subject to the full PEQ conditions. |
| Temporary Foreign Workers | At least two years of qualifying Québec work experience had to exist by November 19, 2025 for the current reception period. | Qualifying work experience in FEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, plus the other applicable PEQ selection conditions. |
PEQ French requirements
For PEQ, the principal applicant’s French requirement is generally described using Québec’s French proficiency scale. The core benchmark is Level 7 or higher in the oral competencies and Level 5 or higher in the written competencies, subject to the program’s accepted ways of proving language knowledge.
- Principal applicant: Level 7+ oral and Level 5+ written under the Québec scale or an accepted equivalent.
- Accompanying spouse/common-law partner: the PEQ rules include a minimum oral French requirement of Level 4 or an accepted equivalent.
- Proof: use only the current Québec-approved evidence methods and documents for the application.
PSTQ — the current skilled-worker program
The Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) is Québec’s current skilled-worker selection program. The older PRTQ label should not be presented as though it remains the current standalone program.
| Stream | Focus | Illustrative 2026 invitation considerations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 — Highly qualified and specialized skills | Higher-skilled occupations | Invitation exercises can consider FEER 0–2 occupations, work experience, French, education, Québec residence and scores. |
| 2 — Intermediate and manual skills | FEER 3–5 occupations | Can consider work experience, including Québec experience, occupation and other round-specific criteria. |
| 3 — Regulated professions | Regulated occupations | Requires intention to practise a regulated profession and uses stream-specific invitation conditions. |
| 4 — Exceptional talent | Exceptional achievements / targeted talent | Can rely on a qualifying achievement or targeted-field opinion and substantial work experience. |
Arrima expression of interest
- Declaration of interest: PSTQ candidates generally begin by submitting a declaration of interest in Arrima.
- Validity: Québec regulations provide a 12-month validity period for a declaration of interest, subject to the conditions governing validity.
- Invitation: being in the declaration-of-interest pool does not itself mean that Québec will invite you to apply.
- Invitation rounds: Québec publishes the criteria used for individual exercises, and those criteria can differ by stream and date.
- Validated job offer: a validated Québec job offer can be relevant to invitation selection, but it is not an automatic guarantee of an invitation.
From Québec selection to permanent residence
- Choose the applicable Québec route: determine whether PEQ or a PSTQ stream is actually available to you.
- Meet Québec’s current criteria: confirm occupation, education, work experience, French and any stream-specific conditions.
- Use Arrima when required: PSTQ applicants normally need a valid declaration of interest and must receive an invitation before submitting the permanent-selection application.
- Complete the Québec values requirement: obtain the required attestation for the principal applicant and applicable accompanying family members.
- Receive the CSQ: this is Québec’s selection decision.
- Complete federal PR processing: submit the permanent-residence application to IRCC and satisfy the applicable medical, security, criminality and other federal admissibility requirements.
Québec democratic values and Québec values attestation
The attestation of learning about democratic values and Québec values expressed by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms is part of Québec’s economic permanent-selection framework. The principal applicant and applicable accompanying family members must satisfy the current requirement.
Frequently Asked Questions
2026 Québec immigration snapshot
Which route should you check?
Important distinction
Program availability, eligibility, Arrima invitation, CSQ issuance and federal permanent residence are separate stages. None should be described as automatic or guaranteed.