Last month, Quebec Immigration Minister Yolande James announced changes to Quebec’s immigration program that would simplify the immigration process for international students and foreign workers in Quebec as well as facilitate the selection of immigrants who can fulfill the province’s economic and labour market needs.

Although the province welcomed more than 45,000 newcomers to Quebec last year, it is facing a significant labour shortage. The goal of the proposed changes is to attract more immigrants in the coming years.

Most of the changes will not be in effect until later this year. However, some regulations have already been implemented, and some details about future changes have recently been announced.

The most significant change is the introduction of an entirely new program, called le Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ). The program will enable foreign students and temporary workers in Quebec to immigrate permanently to Quebec under a simplified application process if they meet certain criteria. While the PEQ has not been implemented yet, it is expected to come into effect in the coming months.

To qualify under the PEQ, international students must have obtained a degree or diploma from an educational institution recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education and they must have studied in Quebec for at least 1,800 hours (two years). In addition, if their studies were not completed in French, they must show that have successfully completed a level B1 French course at a Quebec educational institution.

Temporary foreign workers may qualify under the PEQ if they have 12 months of Quebec work experience in a skilled, managerial or professional occupation in the 24 months prior to their application. They must be employed and show legal status in Quebec at the time of their application. In addition, they must show that have successfully completed a level B1 French course at a Quebec educational institution, or provide results of a standardised French proficiency test. Alternatively, they can show that they have satisfied the French language requirements of the professional order governing their occupation in Quebec.

Foreign students and temporary workers who do not meet the above criteria may still apply to immigrate to Quebec under the Quebec Skilled Worker category, and their experience in Quebec will be favoured under the new selection points breakdown, explained below.

Additionally, a few new regulation changes regarding applications for permanent and temporary residence in Quebec are now in effect as of July 8, 2009:

1. An individual who has been issued a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ) is now able to add a new spouse or child to their application without having to pay additional fees to do so, if their family status changes after they receive their CSQ.

2. The validity period of a Study Permit issued to foreign students who wish to study at a Quebec institution has now been extended from 37 to 49 months.

3. The interview process will be streamlined. In the past, Quebec immigration authorities have requested almost all applicants to attend selection interviews. They are now aiming to waive interviews when it is possible to do so. They had already adopted this change to applications under the Quebec Investor Program, and will be applying it to other types of applications as well.

In the case where an individual is applying as a person in a particularly distressful situation, an interview will be required if the information presented to Quebec immigration authorities is not deemed sufficient to make a decision.

Furthermore, more information about the changes to the

program, which will be in effect on October 14, 2009, has been released.

The current selection criteria for the Quebec Skilled Worker category will be modified to better reflect Quebec’s current labour market and demographic needs.

Applications where the principal applicant or their spouse has the necessary training for occupations that are highly in demand in Quebec will be given priority processing. The Quebec Immigration Minister recently issued a “List of Preferred Areas of Training” which lists the fields of training that fall under this priority processing category.

In addition, the points breakdown of the selection system for Quebec Skilled Worker applicants has been adjusted. Education, age and previous stays in Quebec will all be weighted differently, favouring young families and workers, and people who have spent time in Quebec. Although a new breakdown for the selection system has not been announced, it is expected to be finalised in the coming months.

More details will continue to be announced on the Canadavisa.com Immigration News section as they become available.