Changes mean greater uncertainty for workforce planning, complicating recruitment and retention
The Quebec government is moving ahead with a new skilled worker selection regime that will replace the popular Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, PEQ) and change how many international students and temporary foreign workers can settle permanently in the province.
Immigration Minister Jean‑François Roberge has confirmed Quebec intends to welcome nearly 29,000 economic immigrants in 2026 through the Skilled Worker Selection Program (Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés, PSTQ), The Canadian Press (CP) reported.
These changes should be on HR’s radar because they will directly affect how easily employers can convert students and workers into permanent hires, especially in “strategic sectors” like health, education, construction and engineering, and in regions outside Montreal and Laval where labour shortages are acute.
They also introduce more uncertainty and risk to workforce planning, as the end of the PEQ and lack of grandfathering for “PEQ orphans” may make Quebec a less attractive destination for global talent, complicating retention strategies and forcing HR leaders to rethink how they recruit, support and communicate long‑term pathways to status for foreign workers.
Announcing the main elements of the PSTQ on Friday, Roberge described it as a substitute for the PEQ, which was abolished in November. At a news conference, he said the PEQ was “indeed dead and buried,” calling the PSTQ a “better” program because it allows authorities to select permanent residents instead of handling applications on a “first come, first served” basis, according to the report.
The provincial government had previously announced that the PEQ would be discontinued.
New PSTQ prioritises graduates, regions and key sectors
Under the PSTQ, Quebec plans to prioritise applicants who:
- hold a degree obtained in Quebec
- work in designated “strategic sectors” such as health, education, construction and engineering
- present what the government calls a “diverse profile”
- reside outside the Montreal metropolitan area
Roberge said that candidates living outside Montreal and Laval will receive priority consideration under the selection system, according to CP.
On the basis of these criteria, the Immigration Ministry has confirmed that 2,549 invitations will be issued in January, with additional rounds at the end of each month. CP reported that, among those invited to seek permanent residence:
- 64.5% are graduates of Quebec institutions
- 65.9% live outside Montreal and Laval
- 32.7% are employed in sectors labelled “strategic,”
End of PEQ leaves would‑be applicants stranded
The PEQ had provided a relatively swift route to permanent residence for foreign students and temporary workers who had spent at least two years in Quebec and met French‑language requirements. The program formally ended on Nov. 19, though Roberge has said that all files submitted before that date will still be assessed under the previous rules, according to CP.
Those who moved to Quebec expecting to eventually qualify under the PEQ, but who had not yet met the conditions to apply when it was cancelled, are now being referred to as “PEQ orphans.” Along with several elected officials and civil‑society groups, they have been pressing the government to introduce a grandfather clause that would allow them to transition under the original framework.
Roberge has rejected that approach. He argued that if such a clause were adopted, “technically, 100 per cent of people working in Quebec (...) with temporary status and a certain level of French could protect themselves (with this clause) and apply,” adding that “it would be first come, first served. There would be no selection among these people,” CP reported.
In mid- 2025, the Quebec government announced proposed changes to its immigration policy that include significant reductions to both temporary and permanent immigration levels between 2026 and 2029.
Opposition, business voices condemn lack of grandfathering
The minister’s stance on grandfathering has triggered sharp criticism from opposition parties and economic stakeholders who say the government is abandoning people who made plans based on the PEQ’s previous rules.
Quebec Liberal Party leadership candidate Charles Milliard accused the governing Coalition Avenir Québec of being “stubborn” rather than “logical,” stating on X that “PEQ orphans deserve a viable and humane solution,” according to CP.
Solidarity MNA Guillaume Cliche‑Rivard said that allowing those already in the province to benefit from a grandfather clause would be “the bare minimum.” In a statement reported by CP, he argued that “in the midst of a national crisis over the PEQ, when all stakeholders are asking him to back down and grant a grandfather clause, the Minister of Immigration is stubbornly isolating himself and serving us up the same old story with an announcement that is nothing new and is largely insufficient to reassure anyone.”
The Parti Québécois has directed its criticism at Roberge’s predecessor, former immigration minister Christine Fréchette. PQ MNA Alex Boissonneault said the current turmoil reflects “a government (...) trying to manage a mess of its own making, and more specifically, of Christine Fréchette’s making when she was Minister of Immigration,” adding that “she was the one who removed the PEQ from the permanent thresholds, and there was a loss of control over that program,” CP reported.
Previously, Roberge criticised Ottawa’s actions towards temporary foreign workers in the country. the federal government is working on further changes to the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP). In an address to the Liberal caucus in Edmonton, Prime Minister Mark Carney said that, moving forward, the TFWP “must have a focused approach that targets specific, strategic sectors and needs in specific regions,” reported CIC News. He added that the government is actively working toward these objectives.
