The province of Quebec has an essential increase in budget allotment for immigration expenses to revive the economy. The approved provincial budget for the years 2021 and 2022 was presented last March 25 by Quebec’s Finance Minister, Eric Girard.
Allotted expenses will be used for regional immigration promotion, foreign student engagement and facilitation of immigrant’s skills. The new budget has an additional $246 million for the next three years to serve Quebec’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de I’Intégration (MIFI) improvement on its efforts on the needs of the province’s labor market and the immigrants’ recognition.
MIFI is responsible for the services for immigrants in Quebec. Allocated funds will also help new immigrants enhance their French language abilities by taking courses together with new and retained students. Nadine Girault, Quebec’s Immigration Minister, stated that “The budget presented by the Government of Quebec demonstrates the importance of immigration in government priorities, Attracting and integrating immigrants into communities, particularly those located in the regions, allows businesses to benefit from qualified workers and thus counter the labour shortage in several economic sectors.”, based on a press release issued in French.
Administering Immigrants’ Recognition
The government came up with a proposal integrating different departments in order to improve the recognition of immigrants’ skills so they can quickly adapt to the Quebec workforce. $130 million from the $246 million will be spent in two years for promotion by identifying occupations and fields to be prioritized in lieu of market demands of the territories.
Financial support for foreign workers with ongoing paid training for them to be exempt on tuition fees and budget allotted will also be used in improving training and upgrading regulated jobs of the immigrants.
Retention of International Students
The new budget also entitles funding for the francization and integration of immigrants. In the next two years, $50 million will be dedicated to innovative educational equipment and increase financial assistance to support immigrants taking French language courses.
Quebec also recognizes the importance of supporting international students, who are essential in the development of the knowledge networks and economic growth of the province.
Elected Quebec authority altering immigration approach
The Coalition Avenir Québec has been in federal power since 2018 and this is its third budget. Their platform included reducing immigration to the province. However, they changed their overview recognizing that immigration is playing essentially on the ageing population and labour shortage.
This year, Quebec plans to welcome between 27,500 and 29,300 new immigrants by its economic and business immigration programs. Moreover, a maximum of 800 admissions is planned in “other economic categories,” such as live-in caregivers.
Quebec also expects to admit 10,200 new permanent residents through family sponsorship, refugees and other immigration programs. Do you find Quebec interesting to immigrate? Let us help you provide further information in applying for a Canadian Permanent Residency status.
