In what opposition parties have labeled a government backtrack, Quebec's Immigration Minister, Kathleen Weil, has said that the the province will maintain its current immigration levels of 50,000 for the next couple of years. Last month, the government of Quebec announced a proposal for a new immigration framework called 'Ensemble, nous sommes le Québec' (Together, We Are Quebec), with the government proposing that overall immigration levels could reach 60,000.

The proposal (Law 77) came into effect April 6, 2016. The new system aims to respond better to Quebec's ongoing labour market needs by adopting an Expression of Interest (EOI) model, whereby people interested in immigrating to Quebec must fill out an EOI so that the government can assemble a bank of candidates best suited to Quebec’s needs. Candidates are then be invited to apply for immigration on a priority basis.

“We just adopted Bill 77 and I tabled a policy,” Weil said. “In my policy, what’s in there is a major, major reform of our immigration system, how we select, how we’re going to better integrate these immigrants and how we’re all going to live together in social cohesion. To be able to put these measures in place, there’s always a transition period.”

This 'transition period' forms the basis of the government's decision to keep immigration levels closer to 50,000 for the time being, rather than the 60,000 that was proposed last month. The document published last month stated that “at 60,000, Quebec would prevent its working-age population from dipping below 2011 levels.”

It should be noted that the government of Quebec has not dismissed its original plan to raise immigration levels by around 20 percent. Rather, it is taking a more gradual approach than originally planned. Through the Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has greater jurisdiction over immigration policy than other Canadian provinces.

Why a new system?

In announcement of 'Ensemble, nous sommes le Québec' last month, the government stated the following objectives:

• Maximize economic participation by prioritizing candidates whose profiles meet labour market needs and who can contribute to the vitality of the French language;
• Reduce delays matching qualified candidates and in-demand employment opportunities;
• Introduce a flexible and dynamic system that allows the government to continually adapt selection criteria, invitation frequency, and the number of candidates; and
• Allow Québec to remain competitive with other countries that have introduced similar systems.

The government states that the online application process for those wishing to immigrate to Québec will be simple, fast, and efficient. This will allow Québec to be competitive internationally,

In its official guide to the new plan, the government of Québec says that 'Like many other societies, Québec is facing significant demographic change, including a slowdown in population growth, a decline in the working-age population, and an aging population. Without productivity gains, these changes will have serious repercussions on Québec's prosperity. Action must be taken now in order to mitigate their impact.'

It is not yet known when the new system will be operational.

In the meantime

The Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP), Québec's flagship immigration program, is scheduled to have two more application intake periods based on the existing first-come, first-served model (i.e. not based on the Expression of Interest method outlined above).

• Up to 5,000 applications will be accepted during the period June 13 to June 20, 2016. This intake period will be restricted to the approximately 41,000 candidates who had created a Mon projet Québec account in January. Mon projet Québec is not scheduled to open for new registrations before the June intake period.
• When this number is reached, applicants who do not have an account may create one with a view to the next intake period. During this second period, the dates of which will be established later, the Ministère will also receive 5,000 applications.

The announcement that up to 5,000 applications will be accepted in June, and another 5,000 at a later date, is likely to be well received by candidates who have created an account in Mon projet Québec, as the previous scheduled quota was set at 2,800 applications to be accepted.

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