Quebec Immigration Levels Plan For 2025 Announced

Surya Rathee
[Published 04 Nov, 2024 | 03:39 PM]
About Author - 7 min read
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On October 31, 2024, Quebec’s Minister of Immigration Jean-François Roberge, announced the details of the Quebec Immigration Levels Plan for 2025 in the National Assembly.

The new & improved targets will act as a guide for the number of permanent residents to be welcomed in 2025. According to the announced Quebec Immigration Levels Plan, the province aims to admit between 48,500 and 51,500 permanent residents in 2025.

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These targets include inviting between 30,600 and 32,350 skilled workers, 400 to 500 business immigrants, and around 50 candidates in other economic immigration programs. Of the total invitations targeted by Quebec for 2025, economic immigrants are expected to represent 72% of the overall target. The economic category presents the largest proportion of newcomers - accounting for roughly 31,000 to 32,900 immigrants.

Quebec Immigration Levels Plan For 2025

The Quebec Immigration Levels Plan for 2025 emphasizes the province’s commitment to promoting the French language while attracting skilled talent in key sectors. For 2025, Quebec aims for 79-80% of immigrants to be proficient in French, with this figure rising to 95% among economic category applicants.

In addition to the Immigration Levels Plan, Jean-François Roberge also announced that it would be suspending two popular permanent residence programs for Quebec.

• The Regular Skilled Worker Program (RSWP) will stop issuing new invitations until June 30, 2025. The Skilled Worker Selection Program (SWSP) will replace it as of November 29, 2024.

• Applications through the Quebec Graduate stream of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), a pathway commonly used by international students, are also suspended.

This pause aims to reduce the issuance of Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQs) from an anticipated 14,500 in 2024 to between 4,500 and 5,700 in 2025. As a result, PR admissions through this program are expected to fall to 13,500-15,000. The province will also limit the share of RSWP invitations to a maximum of 25% for any one country, effective for one year from October 9, 2024.

Unlike the recently announced Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027, Quebec’s 2025 plan does not set specific limits for temporary residents. However, a multi-year immigration review with public consultation is planned, with updated guidelines expected for 2026.

Immigrating to Quebec in 2024-2025

Quebec stands out for its emphasis on francophone immigration throughout Canada.

Also, it is the only province in Canada that releases an Immigration Level Plan every year. Unlike other Canadian provinces, this gives Quebec more control over its annual intake of skilled workers and immigrants.

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).

Immigrating to Quebec in 2024-2025 is a two-step process. Immigrants and their family members wanting to immigrate to Quebec under an economic immigration program must first obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). With a CSQ, they can then apply for Canada PR to the federal immigration authorities.

Currently, 80% of applications under a Quebec Immigration program are being processed within 8 to 12 months.

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Read More: Canada Immigration Levels Plan 2025-2027