Mariana Chagas: Programas de estudo e trabalho
Column by Mariana Chagas
PEQ –Immigration Program to Canada through studies or work in the province of Quebec
By Mariana Chagas
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Through my practice as a regulated Canadian immigration consultant, I have theprivilege of getting in touch with people from all over the world who come to me to find outhow to immigrate to Canada. Today I'm going to talk about an immigration program to Canadafrom the province of Quebec called PEQ – Quebec Experience Program.
This program has 2 strands, PEQ-studies and PEQ-work. Both require you toobtain a B2/CLB 7 level in French which can be proven in different ways. And if thecandidate qualifies by meeting the requirements of one of the programs, he maysubmit an application for a CSQ (Quebec Selection Certificate). With the CSQ in hand, thecandidate can then proceed to the second part of the permanent residence process togetherto the federal government.
PEQ-study
This program requires the candidate to come to Quebec and complete a program ofstudies, which can be a bachelor's degree, master's degree, doctorate or DEC or DEP (DEP+ASP) of 1800hours of study. Proof of your French level can be done through an official testFrench such as TEF, TEFAQ, DELF, DALF and others. If the candidate has completed his/her entire programstudies in Quebec in French, the letter from the school proving this also serves to prove
the required level of French. There is also the possibility that if the candidate has studiedpreviously in French (for 3 years), he can also use this as proof ofknowledge of French or completed a recognized French course and achieved level B2.
It is worth noting that candidates who must return to their country of origin at the end of the programof studies, or if he starts a new program or if 50% of the studies were done outsideQuebec, the candidate is not eligible for the PEQ-studies.
The great advantage of this immigration program is that it only depends on the candidate to complete thecourse and reach the required level of French, and thus be able to submit a CSQ applicationwith the Quebec government. There is no need to obtain a job offer afterthe end of the program, as is the case in virtually every other province in Canada.
PEQ-work
The PEQ-work requires the candidate to accumulate 12 months of full-time work (inlast 24 months) in Quebec and prove knowledge of French at level B2/CLB 7. UntilAugust 2018, this work was required to be within NOCs 0, A or B. As ofAugust, the Quebec government removed this requirement, and now virtually all types ofwork carried out legally became accepted. But for this program, work carried outby self-employed professionals or by owners of their own company who are employed bysame, is not accepted. The candidate must have worked or be working for anotheremployer, as an employee of that company.
Proof of knowledge of French can be done through the same options
