September 3, 2026 — Full restoration of services as of September 8. In recent days we have been to ensure that we can securely restore our systems and services. We are therefore planning to re-establish all online services and telephone services starting on Tuesday, September 8.
Measures taken for restoration of services
We are aware that the prolonged shutting down of services had an impact on our clienteles. We are doing everything possible to facilitate the restoration and to offer optimal service. We are planning to have extra staff members to respond directly to the clientele on the phone and to ensure processing of online requests and applications.
Online services
- The restoration of online services at SEL.ccq.org is planned for Tuesday, September 8.
Client services
- The phone services will become available again on Tuesday, September 8, at 8:30 a.m. according to the normal schedule.
- Extra staff members will be assigned to processing high-priority requests and applications (including those concerning work permits) and those received during the temporary interruption of services.
- The service counters will be open according to the usual schedule.
For clients and employers
- The date for submission of the August monthly report has been delayed to September 18, 2026, with no penalty incurred.
- The request for situation letters service will return to normal on September 8.
- The validity of competency certificates, with or without job guarantee, exemptions, and temporary work permits whose expiry date is between August21 and September 8, 2026, is extended to September 30, 2026.
- The labour pools will reopen on September 8; these are labour pools that were open for the weeks of August 18 and August 25.
- People whose qualification examinations were cancelled during the service interruption will be contacted quickly to reschedule their session. At the moment, it is still impossible to register for an upgrading activity. The Répertoire des activités de perfectionnement 2026-2027 will be made available soon. This information will be communicated as soon as possible.
Reminder – state of the situation
The CCQ has been dealing with a computer security incident related to a cyberattack since August 24, 2026. We immediately took protective measures to limit the impacts on our clienteles and our employees, notably by shutting down our systems and our online and telephone services. An investigation is underway to determine the exact scope of the incident.
The decision to shut down our services was not made lightly. Although it had major consequences for our clienteles, our partners, and our employees, it enabled us to protect our systems, to carry out the required verifications, and to prepare a secure restoration of our activities.
The security of our clients’ and our employees’ data remains our top priority.
Protection of personal information
We understand the concerns that this situation has raised. The investigation into the nature of the data affected by the incident is still underway.
As a reminder, the CCQ will offer credit monitoring and identity theft protection services from Equifax to all of its clients and employees.
If we determine that an individual’s personal information has been compromised, that individual will be contacted directly by the CCQ and will receive all the information necessary.
Over the coming weeks, eligible people will receive all the information they need to activate the protection services offered. It is not necessary to do anything right now.
We know that many people still have questions. That is why we will continue to update our website as the situation evolves, especially with regard to the restoration of services.
For the latest information on the situation and the status of our services, please consult: