As promised by Premier Christine Fréchette, the CAQ government is reviving the PEQ—the Quebec Experience Program—for two years. This highly popular fast-track immigration program was controversially shut down in November 2025. Between 8,000 and 12,000 people, perhaps even 14,000, would qualify, and there will be no cap, but this figure remains far below the 125,000 cited in previous estimates from the Ministry of Immigration that had circulated. “Those were very high-level projections,” Immigration Minister François Bonnardel attempted to explain at a news conference on Wednesday at the legislature, noting that the government is now “more precise” regarding the eligibility period for the new PEQ. Designed as a fast track to obtaining the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) and permanent residency for two categories—temporary foreign workers and international students who have graduated from Quebec—the PEQ was closed in November 2025 to be replaced by the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ). This caused confusion among many immigrants, as well as an outcry in the business community and in the municipalities and regions that rely on these workers and students. The first application period will be open to individuals who met the eligibility requirements as of Nov. 19, 2025, when the program was closed. The application period will open on July 2 and run through Oct. 31. A second application period will follow, but with different criteria that have yet to be determined. An extension of the PEQ for a third year is also not ruled out, in the event that demand exceeds the government’s projected range, Bonnardel noted. This is because Quebec wants to ensure it meets its immigration target and could thus “spread out” the demand over an additional year. The Fréchette government’s target is 29,000 economic immigrants—including PEQ and PSTQ applicants—10,000 family reunification cases, and 6,000 refugees, for a total of 45,000 per year. Bonnardel suggested that of the 29,000, 14,500 could be admitted under the PEQ and 14,500 under the PSTQ. “I’m not dogmatic; we’ll adjust according to the flow,” he said. The minister refused to say that abolishing the PEQ was a mistake, even though the government was subsequently plunged into a lengthy controversy and is now in the process of reactivating it. Blame Ottawa As for assessing his government’s record on immigration—an issue that has often put the CAQ in an awkward position since 2018—he said that the federal government complicated Quebec’s task in this area of shared jurisdiction. But, he added, “the federal government has heard our complaints.” “There has been a decline (in the number of people admitted) under the (federal) International Mobility Program, a decline in the (federal) Temporary Foreign Worker Program, and a decline in asylum seekers,” said Bonnardel. Yet as recently as Tuesday during question period, Fréchette reiterated that the situation was unsustainable and that she had discussed it again with her federal counterpart, Prime Minister Mark Carney, just a few days ago. “Come up with a mechanism for distributing asylum seekers so that Quebec is no longer the one shouldering this responsibility on behalf of Canada,” she said. “It makes no sense. It puts incredible pressure on our services, our schools. (...) We’re actively working on this; I’m not going to let it drop. This has to change. (...) There must be a distribution of asylum seekers; there must be compensation for Quebec, and we must not negotiate on a whim once a year, whenever it suits them.” The CAQ government has consistently argued that the influx of immigrants into Quebec is unsustainable for public services and that it is contributing to the housing crisis. Positive reactions Late Wednesday afternoon, both labour unions, such as the CSN, and business groups, such as Manufacturiers et exportateurs du Québec, welcomed the relaunch of the PEQ. For her part, FIQ President Julie Bouchard said that the announcement is a positive sign for the approximately 1,200 health-care professionals affected by the abolition of the PEQ. Quebec solidaire (QS) MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard previously noted in a motion that the PEQ enabled the selection of 5,915 people in 2022, 9,313 in 2023, 20,201 in 2024, and 18,532 as of Oct. 31, 2025. According to Statistics Canada, there were officially 514,039 non-permanent residents in Quebec in the first quarter of 2026, a decrease of approximately 32,000 from the 546,000 recorded in the last quarter of 2025. Of the 514,039 non-permanent residents, 322,547 were holders of work and/or study permits and their family members. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 10, 2026.
