Quebec urges all economic programs to impose French proficiency, according to the latest reports.
The conditions for economic immigration to Quebec have undergone significant adjustments, according to Premier Francois Legault. Furthermore, he claims that by 2026, nearly all new economic immigrants to Quebec will be fluent in French before arriving there. This perception is according to the remarks made on May 25 by Ministers of Immigration, Francization, and Integration Christine Frechette and Jean-François Roberge. It aims to encourage the economic immigration of francophones to Quebec.
He even stated about an incessant decline in the French language in Quebec. As early as 2018, the Canadian government has taken several initiatives to protect the French language. This is in contrast to other successive governments ever since the Bill 101 execution under the Levesque government. Also, he stated that if they wanted to turn around this trend, they must move forward.
Quebec urges all economic programs to impose French proficiency
According to Legault, by the end of 2026, they must be able to meet their objective of converting economic immigration into Francophone immigration.
Hence, adults will need to have complete knowledge of oral French. This will further ensure that those who seek immigration to Quebec will have the necessary capability to interact in the French language. Moreover, they will be able to easily carry out conversations with the local community and even for other work purposes.
A new permanent immigration program for qualified workers in Quebec includes these changes. According to the government, the Skilled Worker Selection Program would consider Quebec’s diverse needs.
The program’s candidates will be subject to evaluation in four areas without any specifications. According to the province, three categories will call for French language proficiency from the principal applicant and their accompanying spouse.
Additionally, the current programs will witness changes. French-language graduate students in academic programs, including the Quebec Experience Program, will no longer need job experience.
The Family Reunification’s new initiatives include compelling a guarantor to submit a reception and integration plan. Such measures will promote the specific person’s French language proficiency whom they would be hosting.
Among the family, reunion procedures require the guarantor to present a plan for integration and reception to aid the person they are hosting in learning French.
The federal and provincial governments are jointly in charge of immigration. Being able to choose all its economic immigrants makes Quebec’s agreement different from other provinces. Quebec lacks the power to choose which individuals to sponsor under the family class, the refugee class, or any other humanitarian category.
Enhancing Quebec immigration
The province is additionally contemplating increasing the annual number of admissions for permanent selection from 50,000 to 60,000 by 2027. Legault recently stated that there was “no question” that Quebec would accept an increase in immigration, outright rejecting the federal Immigration Levels Plan. This plan aims to admit 500,000 permanent residents to Canada annually by the end of 2025.
These adjustments were made in response to Quebec’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2023, which stated that the province would stop introducing annual immigration plans by 2024 and start offering multi-year ones instead.
The need for these changes
Being the only Canadian province with French as the official language renders Quebec special. The province vigorously defends its language, claiming that doing so is essential to preserving Quebec’s distinctive culture and position.
Legault, the head of the Coalition Avenir Québec, is the premier of Quebec and is in his second term after winning reelection in October. Protecting the French language in Quebec is one of the CAQ party’s core tenets.
One of the main themes in the most recent election was immigration. Legault maintained throughout his campaign that Quebec would only accept 50,000 immigrants a year because it would be challenging to assimilate and integrate further into Quebec society. He even claimed that overdoing it would be “a bit suicidal.”
Regardless, as the population ages and the birth rate stoops too low, Quebec, like the rest of Canada, is undergoing a labor crisis. According to research in March by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, Quebec might experience a yearly shortage of up to roughly 18,000 immigrants who could meet the province’s labor needs.
