Quebec Immigration Plan for 2024 and 2025

Quebec Premier François Legault, Minister of Immigration, Franchization and Integration Christine Fréchette and Minister of French Jean-François Roberge unveiled the details of Quebec's Immigration Plan 2024 and the final directions of Quebec's Immigration Plan 2024 and 2025 at a briefing at the National Assembly of Quebec. Canada's overall immigration plan for the next three years can be viewed at this link.

In its program document for 2024 and 2025, the Quebec provincial government has outlined key areas of work, among them:

• Increase francophone immigration and French language proficiency among immigrants through the "Francization of Quebec" program;
• Increase in the share of economic immigration — up to 64% in 2024;
• Encouraging immigration of young people to offset Quebec's aging population;
• Ensuring, in collaboration with the federal government, that skilled workers are found and that the residence permission is issued within 12 months;
• Promoting the integration of all categories of immigrants into the labor market;
• Continued reception of refugees and people seeking asylum;
• Maintaining immigration targets of 50,000 people per year — but this number does NOT include candidates coming under the program for professionals with Quebec experience (Programme de l'expérience québécoise), and therefore in practice immigrants will be well over 50,000.

Economic immigration

Under the principles described, most immigration will be categorized as economic. Admissions under this category will remain at 31,950 persons in 2024 and 2025.

Skilled workers will make up the majority of arrivals in these flows. The target for skilled workers will increase from 30,650 in 2024 to 31,500 in 2025.

For those immigrating under the Programme de l'expérience québécoise, there is no admission ceiling. In 2024, it is expected to be around 6,500.

The volume of entrepreneurial flow in 2024 will be from 1,200 to 1,300. In addition to these regular admissions, between 5,400 and 6,600 by additional selections of businessmen are planned.

Family reunification and humanitarian migration

The family-based immigration rate will remain at 10,400 people per year.

For refugees and people in difficult situations, the admission rate will be 7,200 people per year. For those immigrating for humanitarian reasons, 450 admissions per year are planned.

Francophone immigration

The provincial government has confirmed the entry into force of the regulatory amendments of May 2023. They make French language skills mandatory for all economic programs. All candidates need to demonstrate an oral knowledge of French at CLB level 4. This is to ensure that they can adapt to the province.

An exception will be made only for agricultural workers. Namely, those who will be applying to renew their Quebec residency (CAQ) after living and working in the province for more than three years.

Employers inviting candidates into the Temporary Foreign Workers program will have to commit to supporting the province's franking efforts, for example, by allocating time slots for language learning during working hours.

Further immigration planning

The provincial government has decided to draw up an immigration plan for two years, rather than four, in order to track the impact of Quebec's francization measures and adjust its actions in the near future if necessary.

The planning benchmarks reflect the authorities' desire to use immigration as a lever to solve labor problems, support economic development, and strengthen the vitality of the French language throughout the territory.