The province of Quebec introduced its own accelerated and simplified immigration scheme aimed at international students and skilled foreign workers who meet labour market demands in the region.
Yolande James, Quebec’s Immigration Minister, announced that new regulations emphasise the importance of attracting and keeping skilled workers and international students for Quebec’s economic growth.
The new legislation consists of two components. The first one concerns the new fast-track immigration program for foreign students and workers in Quebec. The second one aims at simplifying the selection of economic class applicants by removing some preliminary processing as well as the “Adaptability” factor in the selection grid for Quebec Skilled Workers.
Thanks to the new legislation it will become easier to select candidates who can best respond to Quebec’s labour market demands. New regulations will affect three categories of applicants.
Two of three listed below, relate to Quebec immigration candidates who are already in Quebec as international students or foreign workers. Eligible applicants will receive a Certificate of Selection of Quebec (CSQ) – Quebec’s nomination certificate. Those candidates will receive priority processing for immigration to Canada.
To qualify for the certificate, international students have to hold secondary school vocational diploma, a diploma of college studies in a technical program, or a university diploma attesting to a bachelor’s degree, a master’s degree, or a doctorate from an educational institution recognized by the Quebec Ministry of Education. In order to be recognized for Quebec immigration, these studies must have been completed in French or the candidates must have completed at least one year of full-time studies in French at the secondary or post-secondary level or have successfully completed a level B1 French course at a Quebec educational institution.
Candidates from outside Quebec are eligible to apply if they obtained their diploma in Quebec no more than 24 months before the new regulations come into effect.
To qualify for the fast-track CSQ program, foreign workers have to be lawfully in Quebec at the time of application submission. They are required to be in full-time skilled occupation employment in Quebec for at least 12 months in the 24 months preceding the date of application.
There is also a French language requirement. All foreign worker candidates must have completed at least 1 year of full-time studies at the secondary or post-secondary level, or have taken a level B1 French course at a Quebec educational institution. Alternatively, a candidate can provide documentation which will certify that they meet the French language requirements of a professional order, or that they have received sufficient results on a standardized French language test.
Candidates from abroad who have training/experience in occupations that are in high-demand by the province of Quebec will also have their applications fast-tracked. The labour market needs applicants at all skills levels, from welders to laboratory workers, to nurses, and aeronautical engineers. Candidates with training/experience in the province’s in-demand occupations have the best employment prospects and will receive priority in the application process.
A “List of Preferred Areas of Training” has been issued and, as of 14 October 2009, qualified applicants who have received a diploma listed on the document in the past five years prior to submitting their application will receive priority processing.
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