Plan to reduce immigration in 2019 confirmed

IMPACT – MEDIUM

What is the change? Quebec plans to allow around 40,000 new permanent residents under the 2019 Quebec Immigration Plan, around 10,000 fewer than 2018’s projected numbers.

What does the change mean? The plan, published by Minister for Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion Simon Jolin-Barette, aims to reduce immigration by 20 percent from last year by limiting the number of qualified workers, businesspeople and economic migrants, among others, moving to Quebec in 2019.

• Implementation time frame: 2019.
• Visas/permits affected: Foreign workers, permanent residence applicants, and refugees.
• Who is affected: Employers and foreign nationals seeking residence permits in Quebec.

Background: The Canada-Quebec Accord gives Quebec the authority for selecting immigrants and refugees to move to the province. Each year, Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion releases its projections for the following year.

This year’s plan fulfills a campaign promise by the recently elected Coalition Avenir Québec to slow immigration despite pushback from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has expressed that reduced immigration may exacerbate the labor shortage problem in the province.

Please refer to the chart below for a comparison of admission projections in 2018 and 2019, as outlined by the 2019 Plan summary:

Analysis & Comments: Employer and foreign nationals should take the projected goals into account when applying for residence permits in Quebec.

This alert was prepared by Garson LLP, an independent law firm, allied with Deloitte LLP in Canada.