The Quebec government is tightening immigration controls by suspending two key programs that represent a path to citizenship starting in 2025.
Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge announced the upcoming moratorium on social media late Wednesday, saying the province wants to “better regulate” the arrival of new arrivals in Quebec.
The government led by Prime Minister Francois Legault will temporarily freeze two key programs that lead to the Quebec Selection Certificate, which allows immigrants to eventually apply for permanent Canadian residency.
The first is the regular Skilled Worker Program and the second is the Quebec Experience Program, which is intended for recent graduates.
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“The government will also seriously consider the scenario of permanent immigration reduction,” Roberge wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Our goal is clear: we want to provide ourselves with the means to better regulate immigration in Quebec.”
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This is the latest step taken by the government to limit the number of new arrivals to the province. Earlier this month, it introduced legislation giving itself new powers to limit the number of international students.
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The bill was part of a larger push to reduce the number of non-permanent residents in Quebec, which has risen to 600,000 from 300,000 in the past two years.
Last week, the Canadian government also announced it would lower immigration targets by cutting the number of new permanent residents by 21 per cent next year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Immigration Minister Mark Miller said the Liberal government did not get the balance right after the COVID-19 pandemic.
— With files from Global’s Uday Rana and The Canadian Press
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