French Family Faces Deportation After Quebec Abruptly Closes Immigration Pathway
Tiffany Corti and her family moved from France to Quebec in 2023 with dreams of building a permanent life in the province. They followed all the rules, secured employment, and integrated into their community in Lévis, expecting to gain permanent residency through the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ). Now, with their visas set to expire in March 2026, they may be forced to leave everything behind.
Promised Pathway Suddenly Closed
The family's plans were shattered when Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge closed the PEQ immigration pathway in November 2025. The program had been frozen without prior notice in the lead-up to this decision, catching thousands of immigrants by surprise. The PEQ had offered French-speaking immigrants with work or study experience a direct route to permanent residence.
"We did everything we were asked, we followed all the rules, we did everything that was possible to ensure our family could stay in Quebec," Corti explained. "Had I known before leaving France that today I'd be here and probably need to leave, I would never have left everything we had."
Financial and Emotional Toll
The family has invested their entire savings in their Quebec relocation. Corti works as a pastry chef after studying pâtisserie in France, while her husband Christopher Dinh-Tran, a former police officer, works in the security sector. Despite their efforts to establish themselves, the sudden policy change has left them in financial and emotional distress.
"We already spent just about all our money coming to live here," Corti revealed. Her salary alone cannot support the family, and her husband's work permit isn't eligible for renewal. Although Corti awaits a decision on her employer-sponsored visa renewal, the family faces imminent departure if no solution emerges.
Political Backlash and Family Uncertainty
The closure of the PEQ program has sparked provincewide backlash:
- Mayors, unions, and business groups have called for a grandfather clause
- The Quebec Liberal Party and Québec solidaire have criticized the abolition
- The Parti Québécois says it would offer a grandfather clause if elected
- Both Coalition Avenir Québec leadership candidates promise partial reopenings
However, Roberge has stated he won't make changes before the next premier takes office after the CAQ's leadership vote on April 12. "That's too late for us," Corti said, noting their visas expire March 24.
Children Caught in the Middle
Explaining the situation to their children has been particularly challenging for the parents. Their nine-year-old son Kyo struggles to reconcile school lessons about keeping promises with the government's reversal on the immigration pathway.
"For him, it's very, very complicated because he's learning values at school," Corti said. "You have to keep your promises, and if you don't, there are consequences. Today, he doesn't understand why the pathway promised to us no longer exists."
Their five-year-old daughter Sakura receives simpler explanations: "Mom is fighting, Dad is fighting too, to try to change things."
Waiting for a Miracle
Corti has been attending protests and working with Québec solidaire on the PEQ issue. Her son stays up waiting for her return from these events, always asking the same question: "Mom, did Roberge change his mind? Do we have the right to stay?"
"Right now, we haven't made the decision, I'll be honest," Corti admitted. "We're waiting for a miracle." The family has considered returning to Europe, where they wouldn't need to undergo another immigration process, but this would mean abandoning their Quebec dream.
The Corti-Dinh-Tran family's story highlights the human impact of sudden immigration policy changes, leaving immigrants who followed all established rules facing uncertainty and potential deportation despite their contributions to Quebec society.
