CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Quebec Experience Class Immigration Program Announced

Friday, 21 August 2009

Similar to the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), the "Quebec Experience Class" (PEQ: Programme de l’expérience québécoise), is a new accelerated immigration program that will allow international students and Temporary Foreign Workers in Quebec to apply to immigrate permanently to Quebec.

The PEQ, which will be put into effect before October, 2009 will be even more simplified than the CEC process, and applicants will be able to qualify sooner under the PEQ than the CEC after they first arrive in Canada.

Under the PEQ, foreign students will be eligible to apply for a Certificat de Sélection du Quebec (Quebec Selection Certificate, a document that allows the holder to immigrate to Quebec, commonly known as a CSQ) if they:

1. Have obtained a degree or diploma from an educational institution recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education;
2. Have studied in Quebec for at least 1,800 hours (two years); and
3. Show that have successfully completed a level B1 French course at a Quebec educational institution, if their studies were not completed in French.

The PEQ offers an advantage to foreign students in Quebec in that they do not need work experience in Quebec to be eligible for the PEQ and can even begin the application process six months before their expected graduation date. However, their applications will only be assessed upon submission of proof that they have graduated.

Temporary Foreign Workers in Quebec will be eligible to apply for a CSQ if they:

1. Have 12 months of Quebec work experience in a skilled, managerial or professional occupation in the 24 months prior to their application:
2. Are employed and show legal status in Quebec at the time of their application; and
3. Show that have successfully completed a level B1 French course at a Quebec educational institution, or provide results of a standardized French proficiency test. Alternatively, they can show that they have satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing their occupation in Quebec.

Temporary foreign workers in Quebec only need one year of eligible work experience to qualify for the PEQ, whereas temporary foreign workers elsewhere in Canada need twice the amount of work experience before they become eligible for the CEC.

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.