Prior to its next immigration program, Quebec’s government introduced a new immigration program to speed up the process of obtaining permanent residence for francophone immigrants in the province.
In order to implement this new immigration policy, Quebec would target “graduates of francophone CEGEP schools and universities as well as temporary workers living already in the province.”
What is the reason for the separation of Quebec’s immigration history from the rest of Canada?
For a better understanding of Quebec’s new immigration program, it is necessary to understand why Quebec has the ability to develop its own immigration policies.
As a result of gradual modifications of the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has granted itself the right to pick what “talented professionals” it wants to move to its province based on its own criteria. This current reality of Quebec immigration has resulted in an increasing number of immigrants moving there.
After establishing its own immigration ministry in 1968, Quebec has continuously pushed for immigration autonomy to ensure that French, Canada’s second official language, remains dominant in the region. In describing her disappointment, Quebec’s minister of immigration, Christine Frechette, noted that Canadians have yet to make French proficiency a requirement for admission.
The province is currently free to change its selection criteria and welcome more French-speaking economic immigrants regardless of whether they have received the federal government’s desired degree of immigration control.
Additionally, Quebec has introduced Bill 96 in order to strengthen and preserve French in the province. According to Bill 96, officially passed into law on June 1, 2022, immigrants have only six months to learn the language before being required to use French exclusively for most government services.
As a result of the intention mentioned above to control its own immigration and the existence of the Canada-Quebec Accord, the province can no longer request that the federal government prioritize French-speaking immigrants for permanent residency in Canada.
As a consequence, Quebec’s immigration plan must function without Canadian assistance in order to achieve its exact objectives.
Québec’s potential immigration program will aim to accomplish two primary goals
It has always been Quebec’s intent to offer a speedier path to permanent residency in order to retain families, students, and employees.
This initiative will help Quebec advance its goal of protecting. As well as expanding the French language by making it easier for only French speakers to immigrate to the province.
