Foreign nationals who had previously sought permanent residence through the now-defunct Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) may have their best shot at permanent residence by settling outside Quebec.

The Quebec government closed the PEQ to new applications on November 19, 2025, while Canada’s federal government continues to signal its intention to ramp up francophone immigration outside Quebec.

These immigration trends mean that foreign nationals who had been eligible for the PEQ may have a better shot at permanent residence through settling outside Quebec.

We will look at two (fictional) examples:

• Amos, who was a candidate for the PEQ – Workers stream; and
• Clara, who was a candidate for the PEQ – Graduate stream.

Amos gets PR through Express Entry

Amos is a 33-year-old foreign worker currently residing in Quebec. He works on a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-based work permit as a computer programmer and has built up eligibility for the PEQ – Workers stream by gaining two years of work experience in the province. He also has one year of foreign work experience as a computer programmer.

He currently speaks French at an NCLC level 7. He speaks English at a similar level, but hasn’t taken an English language test.

Amos’s work experience and language skills make him an excellent candidate for permanent residence outside Quebec under the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Submitting a profile for the CEC

Amos creates a profile in the Express Entry system, with the hopes of receiving an invitation to apply for permanent residence (PR).

He notes that as an Express Entry candidate, he must have an intent to reside outside Quebec, and that he will have to demonstrate that intent at the time of his application.

As someone who was eligible under the PEQ – Workers stream, Amos already has many of the documents and information that he needs to submit a candidate profile under the CEC, including:

• Knowledge of what National Occupation Classification (NOC) code and Training Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) level his work experience falls under; and
• His basic identity documents, such as a passport and Quebec identification.

However, he will still need

• An English language test, to be able to count points for English proficiency; and
• An Educational Credential Assessment (ECA), since he wants to claim points for his education, which was completed outside Canada.

Amos takes an approved language test for English. Because his primary occupation (computer programming) is classified under NOC 2174, he is eligible to apply for permanent residence under the CEC.