'We want to equip ourselves with the necessary means to better regulate immigration in Quebec'
Quebec is freezing two immigration streams as it looks to control population growth in the province.
The provincial government has tabled the Quebec Immigration Plan for 2025 which provides for the regular admission of 48,500 to 51,500 immigrants on top of the admissions planned for the "Quebec Graduates" component of the Quebec Experience Program.
As part of the plan, the government is suspending the reception of applications under the “Quebec Graduates” component of the Quebec Experience Program. It is also halting invitations to submit an application for permanent selection under the Regular Skilled Worker Program (PRTQ), then under the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) which will replace it as of Nov. 29, 2024.
“Our objective is clear: we want to equip ourselves with the necessary means to better regulate immigration in Quebec,” said Jean-François Roberge, minister of immigration, in a post on X.
The moratorium took effect Oct. 31 and will be in effect until June 30, 2025 at the latest, which is another way of saying they will be in place until the guidelines for the next multi-year immigration planning are known, according to the provincial government.
Previously, Quebec amended the rules around a foreign national’s practice of profession in the province and the validity of their declaration of interest to settle in the province.
Despite the suspensions, all applications for permanent selection already submitted under this component of the Quebec Experience Program will be examined by the Ministry of Immigration, Frenchisation and Integration (MIFI), said the government.
Those who have already been selected by Quebec under this component will be able to continue their immigration process leading to permanent residence.
Applications to add family members – including dependent children and spouses – are not affected by this suspension. Applicants can still submit their applications under the “Québec Graduates” stream.
The suspension of the reception of applications does not concern the “PEQ Temporary Foreign Workers” component. It is still possible to submit an application for permanent selection.
Meanwhile, individuals invited to submit an application for permanent selection under the PRTQ before Oct. 31 this year will be able to submit their application within the 60-day period provided for in the program.
Permanent selection applications already submitted under the PRTQ will be examined by the MIFI according to the conditions of this program, including after the entry into force of the PSTQ.
The temporary suspension of invitations will not affect the validity period of validated job offers (OEV), which is 18 months.
When invitations resume, persons who hold an OEV will be able to take advantage of it.
Despite the changes, the MIFI will continue to receive and process requests for validation of job offers for employers who wish to present them despite the temporary suspension of invitations.
The moratorium, however, comes on the same day the provincial government announced it planned to welcome up to 67,000 immigrants in 2025 – several thousand more than in 2023 and what was planned for 2024, according to a report from The Canadian Press posted on CTV News.
In 2022, Premier François Legault said it would be "suicidal" for the province to accept more than 50,000 immigrants per year, because of the threat they pose to the survival of the French language.
“2025 will be an exceptional year in the sense that for the first time, the proportion of immigrants who know French will be around 80%,” Legault told reporters, according to the CP report.
In mid-2022, Quebec passed Bill 96, An Act respecting French, the official and common language of Quebec. The government later set out deadlines for employers who must comply with new requirements to guarantee the use of the French language in their workplaces.
In 2023, Legault introduced strict requirements mandating nearly all immigrants to Quebec to be able to speak and write in French.
