As is known, under an agreement concluded with the Canadian government, Quebec independently selects candidates for immigration entering the province for employment purposes. Candidates are selected by the Quebec Immigration Bureau or the Directorate for the Selection of Candidates for Labour Immigration, responsible for a specific country. After that, the Canadian authorities issue them a visa for permanent residence, provided that the immigrants meet health and safety requirements.
Candidates under the labour immigration category are selected by Quebec based on their education, work experience, age, knowledge of French, and ability to adapt to Quebec's socio-economic conditions. The candidate's professional qualifications must either match existing job vacancies or allow for easy adaptation and finding work in another specialty. The immigration candidate must also have sufficient funds to support themselves and their family members for the first three months after entering Quebec.
Representative of the Quebec Immigration Bureau Guy Nolin particularly noted that the immigration process at the initial stage is completely free. Since the introduction of new rules, the preliminary assessment of immigration candidates has also changed, allowing candidates to take a free online test of eligibility for immigration to Quebec before submitting official documents. This test is available in French, English, and Spanish on the website: www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca. Subsequently, for processing the immigration application, a standard fee must be paid: 390 Canadian dollars for the main applicant and 150 dollars each for the spouse and each dependent child. Those wishing to submit an official immigration application should know that cases of candidates who use the services of immigration intermediaries have no priority in processing.
The introduction of new immigration rules in Quebec was also the subject of a recent speech by Quebec's Minister of Immigration and Cultural Communities, Lise Thériault. 'The anticipated evolution of the labour market in Quebec's regions makes it necessary today to revise the criteria for selecting immigrants for labour immigration,' she stated. 'We want to make candidate selection more closely match the needs of employers.'
First and foremost, the selection of candidates for labour immigration will henceforth primarily rely on the profession for which the immigration candidate received education, giving additional advantages to those whose training matches the needs of Quebec's labour market. The new criteria will continue to select candidates with higher education but will also increase the selection of persons in trades and with secondary specialized education. In addition, candidates with an official job offer will receive additional points, which will be higher for job offers from the regions.
Changes will also affect immigration selection for entrepreneurs. The minister clarified that these changes will give new impetus to this area of immigration, so that Quebec can benefit from the economic advantage associated with the arrival of entrepreneurs. In order to promote the creation of a succession of entrepreneurs, the program will be enriched with a new part allowing to simplify the selection process for candidates who have already identified a Quebec business they wish to acquire and develop further.
For the 'Family Reunification' category, the duration of commitments undertaken by a Quebec resident to sponsor a child aged 16 or older will be reduced to a minimum of 3 years or until the child reaches age 25. To allow the selection of more persons in the collective sponsorship category, groups of two to five Quebec residents or a legal entity plus one resident will be permitted to sponsor a refugee or a person in a similar situation. The three-year commitment period will also apply to sponsorship for persons with weak living skills. 'These changes reflect Quebec society's values regarding family reunification and compassion for refugees,' the minister emphasized.