The Quebec government is suspending two major pathways to permanent residency as part of a reassessment of its overall immigration strategy.
Over the next few months, the Legault government will stop issuing Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQs) — an essential document in the immigration process — for economic immigrants and foreign students applying through two of its main pathways to permanent status.
This freeze will target those wishing to immigrate to Quebec under the Regular Skilled Worker Program and the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ).
At a news conference Thursday, Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge said freezing admissions was the “courageous” decision, arguing that Quebec would otherwise have reached almost 70,000 permanent residents.
The government said it will use this period to clear out the backlog of applications in the system and to re-evaluate its immigration policy.
The moratorium will be in place until June 30, 2025, at which time a new multi-year plan will be unveiled that will, for the first time, take into account the number of people on temporary work and study permits in Quebec.
Higher immigration targets for 2025
On Thursday, Roberge also announced his 2025 immigration forecast at the National Assembly, which includes raising its target for permanent immigration.
Next year, Quebec could have 10,000 more permanent residents than expected, thanks to the explosion in popularity of the graduate component of the PEQ.
Following reports of some private colleges mainly serving as channels to obtain citizenship, Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge has tabled a bill to reduce how many foreign students are in the province.
The number would go from 3,800 in 2024 to up to 15,000 in 2025, taking into account the new freeze. Without it, that number could have reached 19,000, according to the ministry.
“Seeing that the number may go too high, we are taking action. So we are in control,” Roberge told reporters.
This means some 66,500 people could get permanent status next year — about 10,000 more than planned by Roberge’s predecessor, Christine Fréchette.
Roberge said the province is projected to welcome 59,000 newcomers by the end of this year.
The news comes a week after the federal government announced plans to cut its projected number of newcomers.
The Trudeau government is cutting the projected number of new permanent residents from 485,000 to 395,000 in 2025, with further cuts to 380,000 in 2026 and 365,000 in 2027.