The Quebec government is tightening controls on immigration by suspending two major programs that are pathways to citizenship.
Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge announced the moratorium on social media late Wednesday, saying the province wants to “better regulate” the arrival of newcomers to Quebec.
The government under Premier François Legault is temporarily freezing two key programs that lead to a Quebec Selection Certificate, which allows immigrants to eventually apply for permanent Canadian residency.
The first is the Regular Skilled Workers Program and the second is the Quebec Experience Program, which is for recent graduates. The freeze takes effect Thursday.
“A scenario for reducing permanent immigration will also be seriously studied by the government,” Roberge wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Our objective is clear: we want to equip ourselves with the necessary means to better regulate immigration in Quebec.”
The freeze for both programs will be in place until June 30 2025, as the province prepares a multi-year immigration plan. The province says the measure will also have an impact on “the volume of admissions” for 2026.
“We’re taking action for 2025 but we are also making sure we have all the room for the maneuver for planning,” Roberge told reporters at the National Assembly on Thursday.
It is the latest step by the government to cap the number of newcomers coming to the province. Earlier this month, it introduced legislation to give itself new powers to limit the number of international students.
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The bill was part of a larger push to lower the number of non-permanent residents in Quebec, which has increased to 600,000 from 300,000 in the last two years.
The Legault government has also clamped down on admitting temporary foreign workers for low-rage jobs in Montreal. The six-month suspension took effect in September.
Quebec has tussled with Ottawa over immigration in recent months, asking for more power to decide who can settle in the province, and demanding Ottawa forcibly relocate asylum seekers to other parts of the country.
Last week, the Canadian government also announced last week it would slash immigration targets by reducing the number of new permanent residents by 21 per cent next year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration Minister Marc Miller said the Liberal government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.
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“We think they should go further but they did move on that matter,” Roberge said, referring to Ottawa’s latest targets.
Fears over ‘real repercussions’ for some job sectors
Quebec Manufacturers and Exporters (MEQ) said it was “concerned” about the impacts of the latest moratorium Thursday.
The MEQ claims the province didn’t consult with businesses on suspending use of the two programs, adding it “will have real repercussions on the economy of several regions of Quebec, where the economic fabric is based on the manufacturing sector.”
There are currently 13,000 available jobs in the manufacturing sector and the MEQ is worried the latest cap on immigration will “harm their activities and productivity.”
“Manufacturing businesses are currently stuck in a perfect storm: vacant positions are struggling to be filled and the pool of available workers is shrinking,” vice president of public affairs Julie White said in a statement Thursday.
— with files from Global’s Uday Rana and The Canadian Press
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