Effective June 1, 2012, Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI) has established provisions for some of the foreign nationals it has selected under its Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés (PRTQ) and its Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) to be able to have their work authorizations extended or renewed with a new employer, without having to submit a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).

To be eligible, applicants must:

• be holders of a valid work permit; and
• currently reside in the province of Quebec.

In addition, the applicant, who holds a skilled worker Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ) and currently resides in Quebec, must fall under one of the following categories:

• seeking to extend their work permit for their current employer;
• seeking to renew their current work authorization with a new employer in the province of Quebec;
• is a foreign student who has obtained a post-graduation work permit and has a job offer in the province of Quebec; or
• is a work permit holder through participation in one of the following programs under the Programme de l’expérience internationale canadienne (EIC)
  • Vacances-travail
  • Stage Jeunes professionnels de 18 mois
  • Stage Coop
  and is seeking an extension for that work permit with the current employer, or to renew the work authorization with a new employer in Quebec.

The duration of the work permit shall be equivalent to the duration of the job offer.