Quebec’s Abandoned Immigrant Program: Experts Challenge Minister’s Claims and Highlight Systemic Issues
Despite mounting pressure, Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge remains firm in his decision to dismantle the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), a pathway to permanent residency for skilled workers. The program, which previously offered a relatively predictable route to settlement after two years of employment in the province, is now effectively defunct, leaving many immigrants in a precarious legal situation – dubbed the “orphans of PEQ” – fearing deportation. However, recent justifications offered by Minister Roberge have been met with skepticism and accusations of misinformation from leading immigration lawyers.
The minister’s attempts to alleviate anxieties surrounding the program’s cancellation have, according to legal experts, raised more questions than answers. A recent interview with Midi info on January 23rd included the inaccurate claim that the PEQ granted “automatic, free, unconditional citizenship” to hundreds of thousands of individuals.
“Everything in that statement is inaccurate,” asserts Me Laurence Trempe, a specialist in PEQ cases and partner at Exeo. “The PEQ did not provide access to citizenship. Rather, candidates obtained a Quebec selection certificate (CSQ) after two years of work, which was necessary to apply for permanent residence. Crucially, the CSQ also facilitated the renewal of their employer’s work permits.”
Me Yves Martineau, co-chair of the Quebec Association of Immigration Lawyers, echoes this sentiment, stating that the minister’s inaccuracies – specifically conflating the CSQ, permanent residence, and citizenship – “demonstrate a limited knowledge of basic immigration concepts.”
Further fueling the controversy, Minister Roberge has repeatedly suggested that hundreds of thousands of people would be eligible for citizenship had Quebec implemented a “grandfather clause” to protect those already in the system. Me Trempe dismisses this claim as “extremely misleading,” pointing to official data.
“Good year, bad year, there were between 10,000 and 20,000 people who applied to the PEQ,” she clarifies. Data released by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration of Quebec confirms this:
- 2020: 16,492 Quebec Selection Certificates issued
- 2021: 24,391 Quebec Selection Certificates issued
- 2022: 5,915 Quebec Selection Certificates issued
- 2023: 9,313 Quebec Selection Certificates issued
The minister’s higher figures, experts say, include all temporary residents – foreign workers, students, and asylum seekers – not just those eligible for the PEQ, which was specifically targeted at economic immigrants. This misrepresentation was briefly acknowledged and corrected by the minister’s office following a press conference on January 30.
Another contentious claim made by Minister Roberge – that the PEQ prioritized applications from unemployed or low-skilled individuals over healthcare workers – was labeled an “aberration” by Me Martineau. He emphasizes that the program required applicants to have at least two years of work experience, current employment, advanced French language proficiency (including for spouses), and a Quebec-based employer. “An unemployed person simply would not have qualified for the PEQ,” he states. Me Trempe adds that the program was “very selective” and that the Legault government had, in fact, tightened eligibility criteria, even removing certain skilled trades from the list.
“The PEQ was a little gem for the predictability and simplicity it offered,” Me Trempe notes. “It’s worrying that if the Quebec Minister of Immigration doesn’t master the subject, it casts serious doubts on his ability to make informed decisions regarding immigration.”
The minister also asserted that the PEQ lacked regionalization options, a claim Me Martineau refutes. “According to immigration law, the Quebec government could have implemented regulations to regionalize the program. They could have even issued a ministerial instruction.”
Since the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) came to power, Me Trempe points out, the PEQ has undergone constant modification. “Quebec could have used incentives to favor the regions – saying, for example, ‘You’ll be eligible more quickly if you settle in a regional area.’ They could have done it, but they didn’t.”
Immigration lawyers are urging the government to prioritize stability and cease the constant changes to immigration programs affecting those already settled in Quebec – individuals with children in school and who contribute to the provincial tax base. They also implore the federal government to renew work permits for individuals awaiting responses from the PSTQ, particularly those providing essential services in Montreal and Laval.
During a press conference on January 30, Minister Roberge appealed to the federal government to renew these permits, shifting blame for the anxiety experienced by applicants. However, lawyers interviewed by Radio-Canada emphasize that Quebec also plays a role. Restrictions imposed by Quebec, particularly in Montreal and Laval, are often the primary cause of federal limitations.
The situation is complicated by Quebec’s restrictions on low-salary workers (earning less than $72,000 annually) residing in Montreal and Laval, preventing them from renewing their work permits. While exemptions exist for certain sectors – construction, healthcare, education, and agriculture – the moratorium primarily impacts the hotel, restaurant, and tourism industries. The CSQ previously offered through the PEQ circumvented these restrictions, allowing employers to renew work permits regardless of regional unemployment rates.
Ultimately, the legal experts emphasize the need for a stable and predictable immigration system in Quebec, one that recognizes the contributions of those already integrated into the province.
