Quebec Experience Program: PEQ – Temporary Workers
PEQ – Temporary Workers
The Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) -Programme de l’expérience québécoise- is a popular immigration pathway for French-speaking skilled workers who have gained recent work experience in the province of Quebec. Temporary work permit holders in Quebec are allowed to transition to Canadian permanent resident status, through the PEQ – Temporary Workers program.
Applicants who apply successfully through the PEQ receive a CSQ – Quebec Selection Certificate (Certificat de sélection du Québec), which
People who are not eligible for the PEQ – Students program, can be eligible to apply for the PEQ – Temporary Workers program. However, workers who intend to apply must meet the general conditions of the program and the specific conditions for the temporary foreign worker stream.
Eligibility Criteria of a Temporary Foreign Worker
A temporary foreign worker working in Quebec might be qualified to apply for the Certificat de sélection du Québec, or CSQ, through the Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ, under the following conditions:
- Intent to Stay and Work in Quebec: The applicant should have intentions to live and work in Quebec. The job taken on cannot be from a restricted sector.
- Temporary Stay for Work: The applicant will have had a temporary stay in Quebec with a work assignment.
- Work Experience: The applicant has obtained full-time work experience in Québec for at least 24 of the last 36 months in employment with skill levels NOC 0, A, or B.
- Legal Status: The applicant must be a legally admitted temporary worker in Quebec or, in the case of a young worker, apply through a reciprocal youth exchange program, such as International Experience Canada (IEC).
- Legal Residency: Applicants must be legally resident in Quebec when applying.
Application Language Requirements
Applicants need to meet any one of the following language requirements:
- French Proficiency Level 7: The applicant’s proficiency in spoken French should have been at the level of 7 according to the Quebec French Proficiency Scale.
- Education in French: The applicant has to prove a minimum of three years of full-time education in French. This is inclusive of the master’s and doctoral thesis.
- Professional Order Requirements: An applicant must show that they fulfill the requirements of the French language for their profession as stated in the professional order governing their profession in Quebec.
Spouses of Main Applicants
Spouses are required to show that they have spoken French abilities that at least correspond to level 4 of the Quebec French Proficiency Scale.
Full-Time Work Experience for the PEQ
In the following, we’ll discuss the work experience requirements:
- Full-Time Work: Full-time for the purposes of PEQ is defined as at least 30 hours of paid work per week.
- Eligible Work: The work should be legal and, besides the skill type NOC 0, must come under A, B1, 2, or 3 categories.
- Work Experience as an International Student or IEC Participant: Work experience obtained as an international student with a post-graduate work permit or through an IEC program can count if the applicant meets all PEQ criteria.
- Non-Eligible Work: Part-time work, self-employment, or entrepreneurial work will not be counted for PEQ eligibility.
Find out if you are eligible to get in Canada →
What are the conditions of the Temporary Foreign Workers stream?
To be selected for the Québec PEQ – Temporary Workers program, you must have:
- Reside legally in Québec as a temporary foreign worker or under a youth exchange program, including:
- Working Holiday.
- Young Professionals.
- International Co-op Internship.
- Show that you have legally worked full-time in Quebec for at least 1 year in the last 2 years preceding the submission of your application.
- you are financially self-sufficient.
Work Experience (National Occupational Classification)
Which jobs are eligible for PEQ – Temporary Workers?
To be eligible for the PEQ – Temporary Workers program, the jobs which you have held must have:
- Correspond to a profession at levels 0, A, or B of the National Occupational Classification (NOC).
- Worked legally in Quebec.
- Been working full time (minimum of 30 hours of paid work a week).
- Got paid.
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.
When you can’t be eligible for the PEQ – Temporary Workers?
You are not eligible for the PEQ – Temporary Workers program if you:
- Have been working a part-time job.
- Your work experience is not continuous however, it can be considered if it was full-time.
Is the French Required?
Yes, you still need to show that you can speak French with an intermediate-advanced knowledge of oral French. The student can prove his knowledge of French by one of the following:
- Completed one of the above programs in French.
- Studied French on a full-time basis for at least three years in a secondary or post-secondary educational institution.
- Completed an intermediate-advanced approved French course given in Quebec.
- Passed a recognized French test, such as the Test D’évaluation De Français and others.
- Satisfied the language requirements of a professional order in Quebec.
Will I be requested to attend an interview?
There is always a possibility that you will be requested to attend an interview to assess your French language skills, as this is a discretionary power granted to Immigration Quebec. Usually, this happens if you did not submit any French language test results with your application.