The Canadian province of Quebec has a totally different set of rules and regulations when it comes to immigration. Permanent workers, business people, temporary workers, foreign students, family reunification, and humanitarian immigration are some of the pathways to achieving a permanent residency in Quebec.

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Quebec is a predominantly French-speaking province with French as the only provincial official language. With over 8 million residents, Quebec’s population accounts for one-quarter of Canada. Of this total, approximately 4 million live in the Montreal area. There are several regions in Québec that offer excellent quality of life and many job opportunities.

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There are many ways to immigrate and settle in the province of Quebec. They are categorized under the following segments:

Permanent Workers: Quebec invites applications for permanent workers through the regular skilled worker program. The applicants are awarded points on various factors. Selection factors in the point grid include your education, work experience, age, knowledge of English and French, connection to Quebec, valid employment offer, family ties, financial self-sufficiency, spouse or common-law factors, and a number of children under 19 accompanying you.

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The Grille synthèse des facteurs et critères applicables à la sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (summary grid of factors and criteria used to select skilled workers) presents in addition to the selection factors and criteria, how they are weighted and the passing scores that apply to skilled workers.

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Business People: Quebec government has three different categories of business immigration.

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• Entrepreneur Program: If you are interested in settling down in Quebec to establish or acquire a business, you can apply under this program.    

• Investor Program: This program is for individuals who are looking to immigrate to Quebec to participate in its economic development by making an investment in the province.

• Self-Employed Worker Program: People who want to practice their profession or trade in Quebec being self-employed can apply for their immigration under this category.

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Quebec Experience Class (PEQ): You may qualify under the Quebec Experience Class (Programme de l’expérience Québécoise) if you have studied or worked in Quebec. Attaining the Certificat de sélection du Québec (also known as a Quebec Selection Certificate or “CSQ”) is the first step towards immigration under PEQ, once that is done, you can apply for federal approval through IRCC. This is a fast-track system that has two different categories:

• Temporary Foreign Workers: A temporary foreign worker with 12 months of work experience in Quebec in a skilled, managerial, or professional occupation in the last 24 months may be eligible to apply. You must be employed and have legal status in Quebec at the time of application and be able to prove your ability in French.

• Foreign Students: International students with a two-year degree or diploma from an educational institution recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education within the past 36 months can apply. They must also be able to prove their ability in French.  

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Family Reunification: The basic requirement to sponsor your close relative to Quebec is that you must be 18 years old and a Canadian citizen or permanent resident living in Quebec. You can sponsor your spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, dependent child, father, mother, grandfather, grandmother, orphaned brother, sister, nephew, niece, grandson, or granddaughter who is under the age of 18 and not married or in a common law relationship. Each sponsorship application has different requirements. 

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Humanitarian Immigration Quebec: Each year, Québec, along with the Government of Canada, determines the number and provenience of refugees and persons in similar situations who, once selected, will be admitted into Québec and taken charge of by the government (government-assisted refugees).

In order to be selected as a government-assisted refugee by Québec, a person must be considered by Canada to be a Convention Refugee Abroad who has not resettled permanently in the country where he or she is seeking asylum. The person on behalf of whom a collective sponsorship is undertaken may also be recognized as belonging to the category of a person in the country of asylum class.

The application is then assessed by Québec in light of the following factors: the personal qualities and language proficiency of the foreign national and accompanying family members, the presence of accompanying dependent children, a relationship with a Québec resident who is the spouse, including de facto spouse, or a relative in the first or second degree, any work experience, remunerated or not.

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