{"id":2422,"date":"2024-09-23T13:42:18","date_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:42:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/immigration-services.org\/?p=2422"},"modified":"2024-09-23T13:42:18","modified_gmt":"2024-09-23T13:42:18","slug":"quebec-to-hold-off-on-target-to-increase-immigration-levels-to-60000","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/immigration-services.org\/?p=2422","title":{"rendered":"Quebec to Hold Off on Target to Increase Immigration Levels to 60,000"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\" <\/p>\n

In what opposition parties have labeled a government backtrack, Quebec’s Immigration Minister, Kathleen Weil, has said that the the province will maintain its current immigration levels of 50,000 for the next couple of years. Last month, the government of Quebec announced a proposal for a new immigration framework called ‘Ensemble, nous sommes le Qu\u00e9bec’ (Together, We Are Quebec), with the government proposing that overall immigration levels could reach 60,000.<\/p>\n

The proposal (Law 77) came into effect April 6, 2016. The new system aims to respond better to Quebec’s ongoing labour market needs by adopting an Expression of Interest (EOI) model, whereby people interested in immigrating to Quebec must fill out an EOI\u00a0so that the government can assemble a bank of candidates best suited to Quebec\u2019s needs. Candidates are\u00a0then be invited to apply for immigration on a priority basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe just adopted Bill 77 and I tabled a policy,\u201d Weil said. \u201cIn my policy, what\u2019s in there is a major, major reform of our immigration system, how we select, how we\u2019re going to better integrate these immigrants and how we\u2019re all going to live together in social cohesion. To be able to put these measures in place, there\u2019s always a transition period.\u201d<\/p>\n

This ‘transition period’ forms the basis of the government’s decision to keep immigration levels closer to 50,000 for the time being, rather than the 60,000 that was proposed last month. The document published last month stated that \u201cat 60,000, Quebec would prevent its working-age population from dipping below 2011 levels.\u201d<\/p>\n

It should be noted that the government of Quebec has not dismissed its original plan to raise immigration levels by around 20 percent. Rather, it is taking a more gradual approach than originally planned. Through the\u00a0Canada-Quebec Accord, Quebec has greater jurisdiction over immigration policy than other Canadian provinces.<\/p>\n

Why a new system?<\/h3>\n

In announcement of ‘Ensemble, nous sommes le Qu\u00e9bec’ last month, the government stated\u00a0the following\u00a0objectives:<\/p>\n