Immigration Announcement
New requirements added to the Quebec Experience Program
Quebec in its recent move has decided to raise the bar on eligibility requirements for immigrants. The province has unveiled major changes to the requirements that international students and candidates with work experience in Quebec must fulfill to be eligible for Canadian permanent residence. The changes affect the Quebec Experience Program (Programme de l’expérience québécoise, or PEQ) and are designed to better respond to job market needs. Most of the changes are expected to enter into effect on November 1, 2019, with a few exceptions that will come into effect in the new year.
One of the major changes introduced by the province of Quebec is the introduction of an in-demand occupations list (available in French language only) for worker applicants. The candidates holding work experience in the province and wish to apply to the PEQ are now required to have worked in an occupation on the list. The total years of work experience required depending on the job’s National Occupational Classification (NOC) code.
Candidates who work in occupations on the new in-demand list rated NOC 0, A or B are required to have Quebec work experience of at least 12 months and those with work in NOC C or D occupations require 18 months of work experience in the province of Quebec. The international students who wish to apply for the Quebec Experience Program will have to ensure that the area of their training is one of the Quebec degrees listed under sections A and B of Quebec’s Area of Training list. The candidates can check the list here.
Effective January 1, 2020, only the following means are admissible for attesting to knowledge of French:
- Result of a standardized test
- Fulfillment of the language requirements of a professional order
- Successful completion of at least three years of secondary or post-secondary study conducted entirely in French
The new language requirements will also be imposed on spouse included in the application for selection and both the applicant and spouse must demonstrate advanced intermediate knowledge of spoken French (CLB 7 or 8).
