November 2025 marks a turning point for Québec’s immigration landscape. With major policy changes, including new permanent residency targets and the official end of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ), international students and foreign workers face a rapidly evolving system. These reforms will reshape how newcomers settle and build their lives in the province.
New Permanent Residency Targets
Québec has announced its immigration target: 45 000 permanent residents per year from 2026 to 2029.
This represents a reduction from current intake levels: in 2025, Quebec is projected to have welcomed 57 210 and 61 220 permanent residents. This reduction signals a more selective approach to economic immigration.
End of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ): A Fast-Track Route Closed
In a major policy shift, the Québec government also confirmed on November 6, 2025, the complete abolition of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ), the route that had allowed international students and temporary foreign workers to obtain permanent residency quickly.
The PEQ had been temporarily suspended since October 2024. All pending applications will be processed until November 19, 2025, after which no new PEQ applications will be accepted.
In addition, three permanent immigration pilot programs—targeting food-processing workers, orderlies/personal support workers, and workers in AI/IT/visual effects—will be terminated on January 1, 2026, further narrowing immigration pathways.
Impact:
- International students and temporary workers lose their fast-track route to Permanent Residency.
- Applicants now face longer processing times and increased competition.
The PSTQ: The New Pathway for Skilled Workers
The PSTQ is now the sole pathway for economic immigration to Québec, replacing the Diplômés du Québec, Temporary Foreign Worker streams of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ), and the regular skilled worker program (PRTQ). Other immigration pathways, such as asylum, humanitarian immigration, and family reunification, remain separate.
Key features:
- Point-based system: Candidates are assessed on education, work experience, French proficiency, age, and region of residence.
- Only the highest-scoring candidates (700+ points) have received invitations so far.
- Selective invitations: Out of 68,603 economic applicants since September 12, 2025, only 1,038 (~1.5%) received invitations to apply.
- Eligibility: The program is currently targeting workers already in Québec with high French proficiency.
- Québec is emphasizing French proficiency as a core criterion for permanent residency: by 2029, nearly 80% of new permanent immigrants are expected to have at least intermediate French, up from about 50% in 2019.
Implications:
- Most international students and foreign workers face long waits and uncertainty.
- Québec’s economic immigration pathway is now highly selective; careful planning and early application are more important than ever.
Permanent Residency, Family Reunification and Human Rights Implications
Me Laurence Trempe, partner at Exeo and co-president of the Association québécoise des avocats et avocates en droit de l’immigration (AQAADI), appeared before the Assemblée nationale alongside the executive of AQAADI’s board to raise serious legal and systemic concerns regarding the closure of immigration programs and the significant delays affecting permanent residency applications in Québec.
Speaking on behalf of the association’s leadership, Me Trempe emphasized that family reunification is not simply an administrative category, but a protected human right recognized in law. Imposing rigid quotas on sponsorships has the legal effect of generating unreasonable, systemic delays that undermine this right. She further noted that no government can predetermine how many Québec residents will form a relationship, marry, or seek to reunite with their families, and that capping applications effectively prevents families from being together.
As of September 1, 2025, 145,500 people are awaiting permanent residency in Québec, including 42,200 in the family sponsorship category alone. These figures demonstrate that current policies produce a backlog incompatible with the principles of fairness, proportionality, and fundamental rights that should anchor Québec’s immigration framework.
What’s at Stake
For prospective permanent immigrants, these changes mean:
- Limited fast-track options: PEQ is no longer available; PSTQ is now the primary route.
- Heightened competition: With fewer permanent residency spots and reduced temporary resident intake, applicants will face more stringent selection criteria.
- French-language: Success in Québec now increasingly depends on demonstrating strong French proficiency.
- Employer considerations: Temporary foreign workers and employers must now comply with French-language requirements and navigate the termination of the PEQ and pilot programs.
In short, Québec’s 2026–2029 immigration plan signals a more selective, regionally focused immigration strategy.
With fewer fast-track options and heightened competition, strategic planning has never been more important for those seeking permanent residency in Québec.
Book a call with our team of experts today for strategic guidance.
