Quebec Immigration Plan: PQ to Halve Temporary Residents, Cut Foreign Workers and International Students

If you work, study, or hope to build a life in Quebec, the ground is shifting. The province's incoming Parti Québécois (PQ) government is preparing the sharpest immigration cut Quebec has attempted in a generation: temporary immigration roughly halved, deep cuts to the foreign-worker and international-student streams, and lower permanent admissions. For one group already living in Quebec, a deadline 18 days away could decide everything.

None of this is law yet. But according to Business Standard's October 13 report on the proposals, and immigration analysts at Moving2Canada, the direction is clear: fewer newcomers, chosen more selectively, with French-language ability at the centre.

Video: CBC News Quebec on the PQ's plan to cut temporary immigration in half.

Quebec Immigration Plan: The Numbers Behind the PQ's Cuts

The headline figure is the temporary-resident population. The PQ wants to cut Quebec's non-permanent residents from more than 500,000 today to between 250,000 and 300,000 by the end of its four-year mandate, according to Business Standard.

The targets get specific. Workers under Canada's Temporary Foreign Worker Program would fall to about 40,000, from more than 80,000 now. International students would be capped near 50,000, versus more than 120,000 today. Annual permanent admissions would drop from about 45,000 to approximately 35,000 — a cut of 10,000 a year, or roughly 22 per cent. The PQ ties the cuts to capacity: as the Canadian Press reported during the campaign, leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon argued current levels had exceeded the province's capacity to provide housing and public services. His rivals accused him of blaming immigrants for strained services.

Who Is Affected: Foreign Workers, International Students, Applicants Abroad

For temporary foreign workers, the plan does more than shrink numbers. According to Business Standard, the PQ proposes tighter selection criteria and a shift toward regional or sector-specific work permits, instead of permits tied to a single employer. Agriculture would be shielded, and Moving2Canada reports the PQ would protect access to temporary workers in manufacturing, some regional industries, and health care.

For applicants abroad, the hardest blow is a proposed moratorium on selecting economic immigrants directly from outside Quebec. While the pause lasts, all economic immigrants chosen for permanent residence would be picked from temporary residents already in Quebec, and the moratorium would stay until the temporary-immigration target is hit. For someone applying from overseas, the door would effectively close for years.

PEQ October 31 Deadline: What Temporary Residents in Quebec Must Do Now

For temporary residents already in Quebec, the most urgent date is October 31, 2026, when the current intake of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) closes, according to Moving2Canada. PEQ was closed in November 2025, then temporarily reopened by the outgoing CAQ government. This intake is open only to applicants who had already met the work or education requirements when PEQ originally closed on November 19, 2025. Quebec says there is no application cap for this intake.

After October 31, the program's future is uncertain: the PQ has published no detailed rules for future intakes. One reassurance exists: the PQ has previously signalled support for grandfathering roughly 40,000 temporary foreign workers directly selected by Quebec. But that support has focused on workers selected through Quebec's own system, not those who arrived through federal programs. Immigration analysts are blunt: if you qualify under the current intake, apply before October 31.

Why Quebec Can't Do This Alone: The Ottawa Problem

Quebec does not fully control temporary immigration. As Moving2Canada notes, some temporary residents are admitted through programs administered primarily by the federal government, and that split has long been a point of disagreement between Quebec City and Ottawa. Ottawa controls final permanent-residency approvals and issues the visas for temporary foreign workers and international students. The PQ wants full control over those levers transferred to Quebec — something the federal government has rejected in the past. The PQ's minority status adds a second obstacle: after winning the October 5 election, it will need other parties' support to pass legislation.

What Happens Next for Quebec Immigration

The first formal signal will come when the National Assembly resumes sitting in November. Quebec's next annual immigration plan, expected then, should show how the new government turns its targets into admission limits and selection rules, according to immigration law firm Fragomen, cited by Business Standard. Until changes are announced, the existing 2026–2029 framework — 45,000 permanent admissions a year plus its own measures to reduce temporary immigration — remains official policy. French will be central: the PQ wants to prioritise candidates with intermediate French on entry and stronger proficiency at selection. Quebec is entering its most restrictive immigration era in decades — and for anyone with a PEQ application still unfiled, the clock is already running.

Sources

• Business Standard — Canada's Quebec proposes halving foreign workers, cutting student numbers (October 13, 2026)
• Moving2Canada — Quebec Election Results: What a PQ Win Means for Immigration and the PEQ (October 6, 2026)
• CBC News Quebec — PQ plans to reduce temporary immigration to Quebec by half if elected (YouTube)