Event
End of the PEQ: when Quebec changes the rules midway

For years, the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) has been one of the main pathways to permanent residence for immigrant workers already established in Quebec. It was built on a simple, consistent idea: work here, in French, contribute to Quebec society, and be able to build a lasting life here.

For thousands of people working in essential services such as building maintenance, health care, education, social services, and many others, the PEQ represented far more than an administrative program. It was a promise. A clear path forward. A form of recognition.

A clear program, replaced by uncertainty

The PEQ allowed people who met certain criteria (employment, proficiency in French, and work or study experience in Quebec) to access permanent residence through a predictable and transparent process. Between 2020 and 2023, the program enabled thousands of people each year to obtain permanent status, often after being recruited directly by Quebec, either here or abroad.

Last November, the Quebec government ended the PEQ and replaced it with the Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés – PSTQ (Skilled Worker Selection Program). This new program operates through a points and invitation system, with monthly invitation rounds and much more restrictive criteria: age, education level, region of settlement, priority employment sector, and a status deemed strategic.

The result: no guarantees, even for people who already work here, speak French, and hold essential jobs.

A reform with very real human consequences

Since the announcement of the PEQ’s abolition, stories and testimonies have been pouring in. Workers describe anxiety, confusion, and the fear of having to leave Quebec after building their lives here. Many have sold their belongings, moved their families, and taken on difficult, often precarious jobs with the understanding that there was a clear pathway to permanent residence. Today, that pathway is closed.

In the healthcare system, hundreds of work permits will expire in the coming years. Unions are already warning about potential service disruptions, the closure of long-term care facilities, or entire units. In cleaning, support, care, and community facing roles, the situation is just as alarming: these jobs, largely held by immigrant workers, are rarely prioritized under the new PSTQ criteria.

Yet these are the people who keep public and private services running day after day.

A responsibility Quebec refuses to own

Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge says he wants to “ease anxiety,” while categorically refusing to introduce a grandfather clause for people who were already on the PEQ pathway. He argues that the PSTQ is more “agile” and that the main issue lies with the federal government, particularly regarding work permit renewals.

But it was Quebec’s decisions that changed the rules of the game. And it is workers who are now paying the price.

Unions, municipalities, the business community, community groups, opposition parties and even employers are all calling for the same thing: a simple, humane, and fair grandfather clause for people who are already established here.

A province wide mobilization is taking shape

Faced with the government’s repeated refusal to adopt a grandfather clause, anger and concern continue to grow and this time, they are turning into large-scale mobilization. This Saturday, February 7, demonstrations will take place in eight cities across Quebec, led by Le Québec c’est nous aussi, with the support of several labour organizations, including the FTQ, CSN, and CSQ. People directly affected by the abolition of the PEQ, immigrant workers, and their allies will take to the streets to demand what the government still refuses to grant: a grandfather clause.

Everywhere, the message is the same: we cannot recruit workers from abroad, integrate them into our workplaces, hold out the promise of stability  and then plunge them into uncertainty overnight. A grandfather clause is not a step backward. It is an act of justice, consistency, and responsibility toward the workers we recruited and made promises to.

This mobilization goes far beyond a single sector. It brings together people working in health care, services, education, community organizations, private companies, and public services. It highlights a reality the government seems unwilling to acknowledge: without these workers, essential services simply cannot function.

This Saturday’s mobilization sends a clear message: the end of the PEQ is not a simple administrative adjustment. It is a political decision with major human, social, and economic consequences.