Arrima, PSTQ and PEQ in 2026: how to immigrate to Quebec now

Editorial review: October 2026. Immigration rules change often. Always confirm on official sources before making decisions.

If you are researching immigration to Quebec, the PEQ was probably the first acronym you came across. It was the best-known route: finish a program in Quebec, or build up work experience, then apply for provincial selection.

Between 2025 and 2026 that route closed, reopened and got an end date — and a lot of online content stopped halfway through the story. This guide sets out what applies today (October 2026): the temporary PEQ, the PSTQ (Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés) inside the Arrima platform, and what the change of government may bring.

PEQ: closed, reopened, and on a countdown

The sequence, with official dates:

1. November 19, 2025: the government closed both PEQ streams (Quebec graduate and temporary foreign worker), and the PSTQ became the route for skilled workers. The three permanent pilot programs (food processing, orderlies, and AI/IT/visual effects) closed on January 1, 2026. Source: Tabling of orientations on immigration for 2026–2029.
2. May–June 2026: the government announced a temporary two-year reactivation of the PEQ, with details released by MIFI on June 10.
3. July 2 to October 31, 2026: first intake window, through Arrima, in both streams. During that window PSTQ invitations were reduced and focused on TEER 4 and 5 profiles and candidates with less than two years of experience.
4. After October 31: further windows may open depending on application volume. The reactivation is temporary, and the PEQ is expected to close for good around July 2028.

Who could apply in the first window? Only people who were already eligible on November 19, 2025 and were in Quebec when applying:

• Quebec graduates: an eligible Quebec diploma obtained by November 19, 2025 (bachelor’s, master’s, doctorate, technical DEC, or a DEP of at least 1,800 hours, including DEP + ASP).
• Temporary workers: at least two years of eligible Quebec work experience in a TEER 0–3 job, accumulated by November 19, 2025 — and holding a job at that level when applying.

The selection conditions are the same as when the program was abolished, including level 7 oral French (level 4 oral for the spouse). One change: the requirement to have studied in French was removed.

Demand ran well ahead of forecasts: the government expected 8,000 to 12,000 applications by October 31, and July and August alone passed 12,000. MIFI said that from November 2026 it will calibrate PSTQ invitations against PEQ volume. The official document is MIFI’s PEQ reopening summary (in French).

Bottom line: if you were not PEQ-eligible in November 2025, the PEQ is not your route. For almost everyone, the door is the PSTQ — which is what the rest of this guide covers.

What the PSTQ actually is

The PSTQ is the provincial program that selects skilled workers to receive the CSQ (Certificat de sélection du Québec). It is not the visa or permanent residence: it is the provincial step. After the CSQ, you still apply for permanent residence with the federal government (IRCC), including medical exams, police certificates and the rest.

The program is described on the official Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés page. MIFI organizes it into streams (volets), each with its own requirements on experience, education or ties to Quebec. There is no single PSTQ: there is the one that fits your profile.

Here is the part that trips up most candidates: being eligible is not enough. Quebec does not assess every declaration. It runs invitation rounds and picks profiles from the Arrima pool. So the right question is not “do I qualify?”, but “would I be invited today?”.

How the Arrima process works

1. Declaration of interest in Arrima. You create a profile with age, education, experience, languages, family situation and ties to Quebec.
2. Invitation. MIFI invites, round by round, the profiles that match its current priorities.
3. Permanent selection application (CSQ). With an invitation, you submit documents, prove what you declared and pay the fees.
4. Permanent residence with IRCC. With the CSQ in hand, the federal process starts: medical exams, background checks and the final decision.

An invitation is neither automatic nor guaranteed by a high score: it depends on the profile Quebec wants in that round. That is why following the rounds matters — and why we built the invitation tracker.

The 1,400-point grid

The PSTQ uses its own grid, very different from Express Entry’s CRS. It totals 1,400 points across three blocks:

Block	Maximum	What counts
Human capital	520	French, age, work experience, education
Labour market	700	Occupation and labour market diagnosis, Quebec diploma, Quebec experience, region, validated job offer, professional authorization
Adaptation	180	Studies in Quebec, family, and spouse factors

Three details surprise Express Entry candidates:

• English earns no points. The official MIFI document states that no points are currently awarded for English. Effort should go into French.
• French is worth up to 50 points per ability (listening, speaking, reading, writing). It is the most generous criterion in the grid.
• Living or working outside Greater Montreal adds points — up to 40 for residence, 60 for work and 20 for studies outside the Montreal Metropolitan Community.

The full grid is in the official MIFI document. To simulate your score criterion by criterion, use the PSTQ/Arrima calculator.

Who Quebec is inviting

Since July 2025, MIFI has been explicit that PSTQ invitations prioritize:

• people already settled in Quebec;
• especially those with a Quebec diploma;
• those working in the regions outside Greater Montreal;
• those in a high-demand occupation;
• and those with the required French.

For someone living abroad, this changes the strategy: being invited from outside is not impossible, but the program is designed to favour an existing connection to the province. Many people go through a study or work permit first, then the PSTQ.

The 2026 targets

Quebec’s 2026 immigration plan projects 45,000 permanent admissions. For the first time, the plan also covers temporary immigration in the two programs where the province must consent — the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Student Program — with 84,900 to 124,200 people expected in 2026.

The message is explicit: reduce overall volume, both permanent and temporary, to ease pressure on reception and integration capacity. In practice, that means fewer slots for profiles outside the priorities.

French: the requirement catching temporary workers

This is the change that most affects people already in Quebec. Since December 17, 2025, anyone applying for a CAQ under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program after accumulating three years of work in Quebec must show level 4 spoken French on the Quebec scale.

The government built in a three-year transition: the French check applies to temporary selection applications submitted from December 17, 2028. There is time — but the clock is running, and starting French now is the difference between comfortable and rushed.

Exempt are agricultural workers, people employed by an office of a political division of a foreign state, and employees of international NGOs recognized by Quebec. The rule is detailed on the renewing temporary work authorizations page.

To place your level, the CLB/IELTS/TEF converter helps you read your results — remembering that the Quebec scale (1 to 12) is different from CLB and has its own correspondence table.

Read also: “CSQ Issued but PR Delayed: Understanding Wait Times in 2026”

LMIA suspended in Montreal and Laval

Another measure affecting temporary workers: the suspension of certain LMIA applications for jobs located in Montreal and Laval has been extended to December 31, 2026. It also covers applications under the facilitated process and work permit renewals for people already employed in those two regions.

The official rationale is to reduce the number of non-permanent residents and prioritize workers already in Quebec. If you are job hunting in Montreal counting on an offer that requires an LMIA, the calculation changes.

Read also: “PSTQ vs. French-Language Express Entry: Which Path in 2026?”

Invited under the PSTQ and your permit is expiring

A federal measure helps people already in the process: workers invited under the PSTQ who have submitted their Demande de sélection permanente (DSP) can apply for an LMIA-exempt, employer-specific permit of up to 12 months to keep working for the same employer while the application is processed. Since June 2026, a spouse listed on the DSP can get an open work permit. The policy covers permits expiring on or before December 31, 2026 — check the current conditions on the IRCC website before relying on it.

The 2026 election: what may change

The Parti Québécois won the October 5, 2026 election and is forming Quebec’s new government. During the campaign, the PQ pledged to cut permanent immigration from 45,000 to 35,000 a year and to halve temporary immigration.

As of this review, the new government had not formalized any change to the PEQ or the PSTQ. But the direction is clear: fewer spots, more competition for invitations and even more weight on French. Check MIFI and the Gazette officielle before deciding — this guide will be updated when new rules are published.

What to do now

If you are abroad: build eligibility first — French (ideally with a recognized test), education aligned with in-demand sectors, and if possible a stint as a student or temporary worker.

If you work in Quebec: the PSTQ is your route, but the French clock is already ticking. Level 4 speaking is the floor to renew your CAQ after three years.

If you studied in Quebec: if you already held an eligible Quebec diploma on November 19, 2025, watch for a new PEQ intake window (the first one closed on October 31, 2026). Otherwise the PSTQ is your route — and a Quebec diploma remains one of the strongest factors in invitations.

If your profile is regional: working outside Greater Montreal adds points and is among the stated priorities.

What usually slows an application down

Most delays do not come from the grid. They come from the file. The declaration in Arrima is a sworn statement, and everything you write there has to be provable later with documents. Three things show up again and again:

• Declaring experience you cannot document. A job title without a reference letter, pay slips or a clear start and end date is hard to defend. Reconstruct the timeline before you declare it, not after you are invited.
• Expired language tests. French and English results have a validity window, and the clock does not stop while you wait for an invitation. Check the date on your certificate before assuming it still counts.
• Inconsistent dates and translations. Mismatched months between your CV, your diplomas and your declaration are one of the most common reasons for requests for additional documents. Certified translations take time, so budget for them.

None of this is glamorous, but it is what separates a profile that moves forward from one that stalls after the invitation.

What to avoid

• Paying for a “guaranteed invitation”: selection belongs to the government.
• Content that presents the PEQ as open to everyone. The 2026 reopening only covers people who were eligible on November 19, 2025, and only during the windows set by the government.
• Postponing French: it is the highest-value criterion and now a renewal requirement.
• Treating the calculator as a final decision: it shows your grid score, not your invitation.

Tools to keep going

• PSTQ/Arrima calculator — your score out of 1,400, with spouse and region.
• CLB / IELTS / TEF converter — your French and English levels.
• Invitation tracker — rounds, cut-off scores, categories.
• Cost of living in Quebec — the budget while the process runs.
• Take-home pay calculator — what is left of the salary you were offered.

Read also: “How to apply for the Quebec CAQ in 2026” — the authorization that comes before a study or work permit.

2026 immigration series

• eTA or visa: who needs what
• Visa cost and how to apply
• How to immigrate to Canada
• Work permit: open, closed and LMIA
• Express Entry 2026: CRS and categories

Frequently asked questions

Does the PEQ still exist?

Yes, but only temporarily. The PEQ closed on November 19, 2025 and was reactivated on July 2, 2026 for two years, only for people who were already eligible on November 19, 2025. The first intake window ran from July 2 to October 31, 2026; further windows depend on application volume and a government decision. It is expected to close for good around July 2028.

What is Arrima?

The MIFI platform where you file your declaration of interest for permanent immigration to Quebec. Invitations to apply for provincial selection come from there.

What is the difference between Arrima, PSTQ and CSQ?

Arrima is the platform and the profile pool. The PSTQ is the program. The CSQ is the certificate given to selected candidates, which then supports the permanent residence application.

Do I need French for the PSTQ?

In practice, yes. It is the most valuable criterion and rounds prioritize French-speaking profiles. Since December 2025, the temporary worker CAQ also requires level 4 speaking after three years in Quebec.

Are people already in Quebec advantaged?

Yes. Since July 2025, invitations prioritize people established in Quebec, with a Quebec diploma, regional experience, an in-demand occupation and French.

This content is informational and does not replace an individual assessment. For your situation, consult a CICC-regulated consultant or an immigration lawyer.