New Quebec Immigration Level Plan for 2023

Surya Rathee
[Published 09 Dec, 2022 | 04:14 AM]
About Author - 3 min read
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The Quebec Immigration Level Plan for 2023 was released on December 8, 2022. The new & improved Quebec Immigration Level Plan for 2023 will act as a guide for the number of immigrants - to be welcomed by the province in the year 2023. The targets for the new Quebec Immigration Level Plan for 2023 will seek to welcome 52,500 new permanent residents.

Quebec Occupation In-Demand List 2023

A majority of new immigrants to Quebec in 2023 will come through the province’s Economic Immigration programs including the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP) and Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).

The new Quebec Immigration Level Plan is in line with the targets established during the public consultation held in the summer of 2019 – as a part of the Quebec Immigration Level Plan for 2022 – 2023.

With over 65% of planning admissions and a maximum target of 33,900, the economic category represents the largest proportion of new immigrants. In this category, Quebec expects to welcome some 29,500 Skilled Workers and up to 4,300 Business Immigrants which would include Investors, Entrepreneurs, and Self-employed.

As for the remaining 18,100 new immigrants, they are expected to arrive through the province’s Family Reunification, Refugees, and other immigration programs.

A new Quebec Immigration Level Plan is presented each year by the province’s Immigration Department and outlines the number of new immigrants the province intends to welcome in the coming year – as well as the categories in which it will admit them.

Focus on French-speaking candidates

The 2023 Quebec Immigration Level Plan stays close to the 2022 plan as earlier this year, the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) won a second term as the governing party, with a strong majority.

The current 2022 plan set out under the leadership of current premier François Legault, aimed to gradually increase the number of immigrants after reducing intake targets back in 2019. A 20 % decrease was introduced that year by the CAQ to improve the selection and francization of newcomers to Quebec.

One of the key interests of the CAQ party is to protect the French language in Quebec and the 2023 plan focuses on selecting immigrants who already speak French. The Ministry of Immigration, Francization, and Integration expect that 79% of economic immigrants in 2023 will have knowledge of the French language, as well as 66% of immigrants across all categories.

During this year’s provincial elections in Canada, immigration to Quebec was a much-debated topic. As part of his campaign, François Legault committed to target only 50,000 new immigrants in Quebec a year throughout his term. He stated that this is the largest number of immigrants Quebec can accommodate as it is difficult to integrate newcomers into Quebec society, particularly those who need to learn French.

Quebec’s unique immigration system

Quebec is the only province in Canada that releases an Immigration Level Plan on a yearly basis. Also, out of the other provinces with their Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) - it is also the only province that has complete control of its Economic Immigration intakes.

The autonomy over its immigration programs is largely due to the launch of its own immigration ministry back in 1968. The province continued to push for more control over immigration until over 20 years later in 1991, the Quebec-Canada Accord gave the province the responsibility for setting its own admission targets.

Even though Quebec selects the number and type of skilled workers it wishes to admit, immigration remains a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments – and the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).