Quebec Experience Program

Work visas

Quebec Experience Program

The Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program) is for you if you are a foreign student who is a Québec graduate or a temporary foreign worker.

It allows you to obtain a Québec selection certificate to settle in Québec permanently.

You may submit an application if you meet all of the program’s conditions. This program is a pathway for you to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (certificat de sélection du Québec), which makes you eligible to apply for Canadian permanent residency.

There are 2 streams in this program:

👉 Temporary Foreign Workers

👉 Quebec Graduates.

Common criteria for Quebec Experience Program

No matter what streams you are applying for in this program, you must meet the following common requirements:

👉 you have respected the conditions of your stay;

👉 you intend to settle in Québec to hold a job.

👉 you are 18 years of age or older.

👉 you have knowledge of oral French equivalent to Level .

👉 you are legally in Québec at the time of application.

👉 you are financially self-sufficient. This depends on the number and kind of dependent people accompanying you

Number of accompany children under 18	One adult	Two Adults
0	$3,284	$4,816
1	$4,413	$5,395
2	$4,981	$5,822
3	$5,549	$6,251
Add $1,531 per dependent child that is 18 or older.

Temporary Foreign Worker Stream

You must be legally in Québec as a temporary foreign worker or under a youth exchange program, including:

👉 Working Holiday

👉 Young Professionals

👉 International Co-op Internship.

To be eligible for the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program), the jobs which you have held must:

👉 correspond to a profession at level 0, A or B of the National Occupational Classification ;

👉 have been performed legally;

👉 have been full time (minimum of 30 hours of paid work a week). No part-time work can be considered for this program;

have been paid.

You must also have a job that meets these criteria at the time you apply and for at least 24 of the 36 months before you submit your application.

Quebec Graduates Stream

To be selected for the Québec Graduate stream of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program), you must:

👉 Have obtained an eligible diploma

👉 Have obtained eligible work experience in Québec following your study program

👉 Have stayed in Québec for at least half the duration of your study program

Eligible diplomas

Diplomas eligible for the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ – Québec experience program) are:

👉 Bachelor’s degree (university undergraduate)

👉 Master’s degree (including an MBA)

👉 Ph.D.

👉 Diploma of college studies, technical training (DCS)

👉 Diploma of vocational studies (DVS) attesting to 1,800 hours or more of study

👉 Diploma of vocational studies (DVS) followed by an Attestation of vocational specialization (AVS) of 1,800 hours or more of continuing education leading to a given trade

You must have obtained your diploma:

👉 In the 36 months preceding the submission of your application

👉 In a full-time study program

👉 In an education institution in Québec

Work Experience

The required work experience varies depending on the type of diploma you obtained.

If you have obtained a DVS of 1,800 hours or more of training, alone or with an AVS, you must have obtained work experience:

👉 Of at least 18 months after the end of your study program

👉 Full-time in a job at level 0, A, B or C of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)

To be eligible, you must also hold a full-time job at one of the following NOC levels when you submit your application:

👉 If your job is at level 0, A or B, it does not have to be related to your study program

👉 If your job is level C, it must be related to the DVS you obtained in Québec.

For all other PEQ-eligible diplomas, you must have gained paid work experience after completing your study program:

👉 Of at least 12 months

👉 Full-time

👉 In a job at level 0, A or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC)

To be eligible, you must also hold a full-time job at the same NOC level 0, A or B when you submit your application. This job does not have to be related to your study program.

Work experience you acquired during a mandatory internship for your study program may be recognized. To do so, you must have received a work permit issued by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.