Immigrate to Canada to Quebec, a province in Eastern Canada, would soon start issuing invitations to the Quebec Skilled Worker Program. While the individuals received an email on July 4, 2019, they are supposed to submit the application within 60 days. Post applying for the program, the candidates would be offered a Quebec Selection Certificate or Certificat de sélection du Québec.
As the candidates show interest, the Arrima system, which was launched in September 2018, would help to manage the list of the candidates. The applicants need to create an Expression of Interest (EOI) profile which would later be submitted to the database of Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP). Based on certain factors, the EOI system would then award a score.
An EOI should not be perceived as an application but a way to send notifications to Quebec’s Immigration Ministry. This approach would be considered for a Quebec Selection Certificate.
The Government of Quebec would add some features to the immigration system as some elements of the federal Express Entry system would be integrated. For the QSWP, the applicants would have to submit a ‘declaration of interest’. This approach would eliminate the ‘first-come first-served’ approach and make integrations easier for those who are keen to immigrate to Canada.
A new feature to the Arrima portal would be introduced in February 2020. This feature would enable employers to go through the list of candidates with the specific needs in mind. To initiate the immigration process, the employers can get in touch with the individuals along with the offer through the portal. Such a kind of update would show commitment towards addressing labour shortages across regions of Quebec.
While applying for the program, the candidates need to meet certain criteria. According to the Government of Quebec, the first invitations will list down the candidates who have a job offer with an employer in Quebec. They may also be chosen based on certain conditions.
If the application for the certificate has been terminated on June 16, 2019 and they have been working with a company during that period, then Arrima would give priority to the candidate. Moreover, the candidate will be eligible for the program even when they were a temporary resident at that span of time.
It should be noted that June 16, 2019, was the date when the changes to the Quebec’s immigration laws were approved. These reforms later cancelled 16,000 pending applications to the QSWP. However, the cancelled applications had been filed much before the Arrima system was introduced. As per the Quebec’s Immigration Ministry (MIDI), it was better to match immigration candidates to the requirements of the employers around the province.
MIDI further said that individuals who wish to immigrate to Canada would have to go through a number of invitation rounds. These rounds would be conducted anytime till January 16, 2020.
Moving ahead, Quebec Premier François Legault would follow the plans of the government to increase the chances of immigration to Canada.
According to an interview published in the French-language newspaper Le Devoir, the government would aim at admitting around 50,000 immigrants by 2020. Once the individuals would be immigrated, 65 percent of the individuals would be selected through Quebec’s economic-class immigration programs. On the other hand, the Legault’s Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) government has decided to immigrate 40,000 individuals. This step would be taken to make sure that newcomers can be a part of the Quebec society.
With an objective of admitting each and every candidate, Quebec would offer opportunities for those who possess the prerequisite skills. These skills would give an idea of the capabilities required for a particular position. Hopefully, this would help to make it for the shortage of labour which may worsen in the forthcoming years.
Just last week, the Immigration Minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette said that the Arrima system would speed up the selection of individuals according to the requirements of the Quebec labour market. But, as the invitations are sent, individuals would have to wait due to the six-month processing time. The time required to attain the Quebec Selection Certificate would be lesser than the current time span.
With less than four months before the date set aside for Canada’s federal election, Legault is also requesting leaders of Canada’s national political parties to approve the new clause for Canadian permanent residence. The new condition would also be applicable to all immigrants settling in Quebec. Such individuals would have to clear the French language test and the values test soon after they immigrate to Canada.
When individuals wish to apply to the Quebec Skilled Worker program, the education, work experience, age and language skills would be taken into consideration. A single applicant has to score a minimum of 50 points while the spouse has to score a minimum of 59 points. Section A and B in the test give more points for the area in which the person has been trained. An individual is bound to earn more points if the individual’s age is between 18 and 35 years. Quebec considers French proficiency to be important. The candidate needs to clear the higher intermediate level for the program. Besides, the applicant can earn some more points in case they are able to communicate in English properly.
Quebec further needs the permission from Canada’s federal government to apply the conditions to permanent residence. But, while the province would take the steps, this action may violate Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Owing to lack of clarity, the Liberals and the federal Conservative Party of Canada have refused to approve the conditions. The parties opted to refuse because they aren’t clear about the details of the test. The parties also aren’t aware about what would happen next in case candidates don’t pass the test. As far as the Quebec programs for economic immigrants are concerned, there are several programs apart from QSWP. While the Programme de l’experience quebecoise (PEQ) is for candidates who have got a degree in Quebec, the Quebec Entrepreneur Program is for individuals with high net-worth and who have years of management experience. The Quebec self-employed program is for candidates with high net-worth and who has been a professional since a long period of time.