Québec's new PQ government and the October 31 PEQ deadline

The Parti Québécois won the October 5 election and named its cabinet on October 21; the first PEQ intake period closes October 31, 2026.

What happened

Québec held a general election on October 5, 2026. The Parti Québécois won 59 seats, five short of a majority in the 127-seat National Assembly, and will form a minority government led by Paul St-Pierre Plamondon. The Quebec Liberals will form the Official Opposition, and the Coalition Avenir Québec won no seats.

On October 21, the new premier presented a 23-member cabinet. Catherine Gentilcore was named Minister of Immigration and Integration, and also serves as deputy premier.

The new government's immigration pledges

During the campaign, the PQ pledged to set permanent immigration at about 35,000 people a year and to reduce the number of temporary residents in Québec from about 500,000 to about 250,000. These remain campaign commitments. The new government has not yet published an immigration plan, regulations or a timeline, and current programs such as the PSTQ and PEQ keep operating under their existing rules until they are formally changed.

First PEQ intake closes October 31

The Québec Experience Program (PEQ) reopened temporarily on July 2, 2026, for two years (until July 2, 2028). Under a ministerial decision, the first intake period for permanent selection applications runs from July 2 to October 31, 2026.

Applicants must have met the requirements by November 19, 2025, the date the program was suspended. In the Québec Graduates stream, that means a qualifying Québec diploma obtained by then; in the Temporary Foreign Workers stream, at least two years of work experience in Québec in a TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 occupation. French requirements are unchanged.

Eligible people who have not yet applied should submit before October 31. No further intake period has been announced so far.

Based on official information available at the time of the announcement. General information only, not legal advice. Immigration rules change often; IRCC and provincial websites prevail.