Immigration levels to Quebec could reach 52,500 in 2022 under new proposals introduced by the province’s government on June 7.
This would translate to an increase of 10,500 newcomers to Quebec from this year’s maximum of 42,000 and mark an approximate return to the immigration level that was in place before the election of the province’s new Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government in October 2018.Between 2015 and 2018, Quebec’s immigration levels were 53,084, 52,388 et 51,118, respectively.
Other proposals outlined in the new document include:
• Favouring foreign workers and foreign nationals with a degree in Québec who meet the province’s labour market needs and who are already living in Quebec as temporary residents;
• Favouring skilled applicants with in-demand training or a validated job offer who match short-term labour market needs in Quebec;
• Expediting the arrival of economic-class immigrants in order to respond more quickly to Quebec’s labour needs;
• Supporting efforts by employers in all regions of Quebec to recruit temporary foreign workers by reducing delays before their arrival and to facilitate procedures to meet the needs of the workforce. short-term work;
• Promoting the selection of immigrants who know Quebec’s democratic values and the values enshrined in Quebec’s Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms;
• Expanding the number of adult immigrants who speak French by expanding access to government-run French language training;
• Encouraging the permanent immigration of young people to counter the province’s ageing and declining population.
A CAQ move to dismiss a backlog of more than 18,000 pending applications to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) under proposed legislation known as Bill 9 was blocked by a court order in February.
Quebec’s Immigration Minister, Simon-Jolin Barrette, said the applications were submitted when the QSWP operated on a first-come, first-served basis, which he said was not in touch with Quebec’s workforce needs.
