SOCI – Quebec Key Facts – December 5, 2024

Key Figures

(Incremental increase for 2023-2024 of $48.3M)

Key Facts

• Canada-Quebec Accord: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) bilateral relationship with Quebec is defined by the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord (the Accord) and is guided by the principle that immigration should support the preservation of Quebec’s demographic weight in Canada and its distinct identity.
• The federal government remains responsible for determining the admissibility of all immigrants to Quebec and for issuing visas.
• Compensation under the Accord: Quebec receives an annual compensation to provide settlement and integration services.
• For fiscal year 2023-2024, Quebec received a total of $775.1M as part of its annual grant under the Accord. The incremental increase (grant adjustment) for 2023-2024 was $48.3M.
• International Students: On January 22, 2024, the federal government introduced a two-year cap on the number of study permit applications that IRCC will accept for processing each year.
• On September 18, 2024, Minister Miller announced a further reduction in the intake cap on international student study permits for 2025 based on a 10% reduction from the 2024 target of 485,000 new study permits issued and then stabilizing the intake cap for 2026 such that the number of study permits issued remains the same as 2025. For 2025, this means reducing study permits issued to 437,000.
• Quebec retains its authority to determine which applicants will receive the Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ). As of February 13, 2024, the CAQ confirms if a student is within Quebec’s cap allocation.
• Since December 1, 2023, post-secondary designated learning institutions are required to confirm every applicant’s letter of acceptance directly with IRCC.
• On October 10, 2024, Minister Roberge tabled new legislation to further reduce the number of international students in the province, reinforcing the federal cap on students announced by Minister Miller on September 18, 2024. The new bill is expected to pass by December 2024 to be able to impact the next cohort of students in fall 2025. It will give Quebec the authority to set quotas by region, program, and designated learning institutions, as well as the power to refuse a letter of acceptance.
• Temporary Foreign Workers Program (TFWP): Employers seeking to hire temporary foreign workers (TFWs) under the TFWP in Quebec must obtain a Labour Market Impact Assessment issued jointly by Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Quebec before IRCC can issue a work permit.
• Quebec also issues CAQs to TFWs who are seeking to work in Quebec under the TFWP.
• TFWs working in the province of Quebec through any of the International Mobility Program (IMP) streams do not require a CAQ; however, TFWs who are selected for permanent residence in Quebec and who have received a Certificat de sélection du Québec may be eligible for a work permit under the IMP.
• IRCC issued over 9,700 work permit renewals to TFWs in Quebec in 2023.
• On August 20, 2024, ESDC announced the approval of a proposal by Quebec for a six-month moratorium on lower-wage TFW applications in the Montreal area, effective as of September 3, 2024.
• On January 1, 2024, a new agreement came into force between Canada, represented by the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, and Quebec, represented by the Quebec Ministre de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI). Under the agreement, selected investor candidates who receive a Quebec notice of intent to select are eligible for an open work permit.
• Quebec has asked that a French language requirement be added to the IMP stream. In order to implement this language requirement under in-scope IMP streams, federal regulatory amendments will be pursued. The Government of Canada is committed to implementing these changes in line with Quebec’s timing.
• The Department has concluded its consultations with English-language minority communities in Quebec.
• Asylum claimants: Once a refugee claim is made, the Canada Border Services Agency or IRCC officials will determine if an individual is eligible to make an asylum claim. If eligible, the claimant will be referred to the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) for a hearing. The IRB will determine if a claimant meets the definition of a Convention refugee.
• In 2022, Quebec received approximately 64% of all claimants in Canada, an outlier because of volumes at Roxham Road.
• In 2023, Quebec received about 46% of all claimants. Of those, 26% are estimated to have left Quebec for other parts of Canada.
• To date in 2024, Quebec has received around 34% of all claimants. Of those, 18% are estimated to have left Quebec for other parts of the country.
• Taking into account interprovincial movement (determined through the last known address), Quebec’s share of claimants was 36% in 2023 and 31% to date in 2024 when considering secondary migration to and from Quebec.
• At a June 10, 2024 meeting with Premier Legault, Prime Minister (PM) Trudeau confirmed that the Government of Canada will provide $750M for its provision of services to asylum claimants, including temporary housing.
• Between April 2020 and the implementation of the Safe Third Country Agreement (STCA) Additional Protocol on March 25, 2023, IRCC provided temporary hotel accommodation to approximately 35,000 claimants in Quebec.
• Since the implementation of the STCA Additional Protocol on March 25, 2023, the number of claims made between ports of entry and at Lacolle Port of Entry has significantly decreased.
• Quebec continues to maintain the 1,150 bed capacity that it has had in place since 2019, while other jurisdictions are increasing their shelter space.
• Between June 30, 2022 and the present, IRCC transferred approximately 10,640 asylum claimants from Quebec to other provinces, mainly Ontario. Previously, transfers were also made to the Atlantic provinces and British Columbia.
• In 2023, IRCC approved 60.3K initial work permits to eligible asylum claimants that made asylum claims in Quebec.
• As of October 31, 2024, 80% of asylum claimants in the last eight weeks waited eight days or less in Quebec for their work permit once the eligibility decision was made and the medical activity completed.
• Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP): Through IHAP, the federal government has reimbursed $440.9M to Quebec for costs incurred between 2017 and 2022. Funding through IHAP for 2023 ($58.7M) and part of 2024 ($43.1M) will be part of the $750M commitment to Quebec, expected to be paid before March 31, 2025.
• Federal-Provincial/Territorial (FPT) Asylum Working Group: Further to the commitment made by FPT Ministers at the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration (FMRI) in May 2024 and the PM’s agreement to work with other PTs, the FPT Working Group on Asylum was established in June 2024. This working group provided a forum for ministers and their officials to work on better managing the flow of asylum claimants in Canada, develop a voluntary relocation model for asylum claimants, as well as improve the connections of claimants to the labour market and the necessary resources to support them.
• The FPT Asylum Working Group was suspended following the Ministers’ meeting on September 23, 2024, in light of public statements made by various PT premiers opposing the voluntary relocation of asylum claimants to their jurisdiction and following the resignation of the PT co-chair. While PTs expressed support for working towards a model for voluntary relocation, most remain unwilling to commit to taking on asylum transfers at volumes significant enough to reduce pressures on Quebec and Ontario.
• Moving forward, the Department will focus on bilateral discussions and seek to establish agreements with collaborative jurisdictions (Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Yukon, Newfoundland and Labrador) to pilot the voluntary relocation of asylum claimants from Quebec. Progress will be reported at FMRI meetings.