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The highly anticipated reopening of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) was derailed by a technical glitch Thursday morning, leaving several foreign workers and international students locked out of their accounts.
In an email sent Thursday, a spokesperson for the Immigration Ministry said the Arrima platform has been fully operational as of 8:30 a.m.
“We are aware that some users are currently experiencing difficulties accessing the Arrima platform due to a high volume of traffic,” the spokesperson wrote, noting that teams are “actively monitoring the situation.”
People who were eligible for the PEQ before the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government abolished the immigration pathway in November 2025 will now be able to submit a new application during specific periods. The first started today at 8:30 a.m. and runs until Oct. 31.
All eligible applications submitted during this period will be processed by the ministry and evaluated based on the government’s selection criteria, the spokesperson wrote.
Immigration Minister François Bonnardel has said between 8,000 and 12,000 people are expected to apply during this first period.
‘There’s a big trust issue,’ says immigration lawyer
Despite the temporary reopening, Yves Martineau, co-president of Quebec’s immigration lawyers association, notes that many potential applicants may have already relocated to other provinces after their paperwork was stalled in Quebec.
“There’s a big trust issue,” between applicants and the government, Martineau said.
“Many say up until the time I have my permanent residency in hand, I will still have this anxiety.”
Julian Ballester is one of those anxious applicants. He was among the frustrated people locked out of their accounts on Thursday.
“We have been fighting for almost one year, since November 2025, and the very day when finally we have a chance to apply and to secure our life here, the site doesn’t work,” said Ballester, who has lived in the province for 10 years.
“It’s not just frustrating, it’s like very, very [upsetting] because it seems that they are playing with us.”
Former applicant loses eligibility
Some former applicants who accumulated two years of work experience and could have applied to the program before its suspension have been unable to renew their work permits since then, making them now ineligible for the reopened pathway.
Estefany Renauleaud is an example of someone falling through the cracks.
She arrived in Quebec in July 2023 with her two children on a working holiday visa. By August 2025, she had completed her two years of skilled work and was preparing to submit her PEQ application, but her plans were derailed when the government abolished the program.
Since January, Renauleaud has been without a work permit, leaving her with a temporary visitor status, which means she ineligible for the PEQ despite its return.
“For me, it’s a fake reopening,” Renauleaud said. “I feel disposable, even though I did everything right to make my immigration a success.”