Moving to any country is not an easy task. You are unsure of work and life options, especially since reality, in most cases, is very different from one’s dreams. However, that’s not been the case in Canada. If reports are to be believed, the number of immigrants the Great White North has been seeing every year is still increasing, with more and more people from around the world desiring to better their lives by immigrating to Canada.
Among its many favored provinces and territories is Quebec, which is the preferred destination of many immigrants. Montreal is its largest city, and over a hundred ethnically and culturally diverse communities call it home. Placed second on The Lonely Planet’s list of ’10 Happiest Places in the World’, Montreal offers extensive employment opportunities, an excellent educational system, affordable accommodation, feasible cost of living, a universal healthcare system, and a rich and diverse culture to all newcomers, which makes it a warm and welcoming destination for immigrants.
While you may have heard about the IRCC’s Express Entry System, Quebec has its own immigration programs, which are different from the others. Read on to know more.
Here are some ways in which you can immigrate to Quebec:
One of the best ways is immigrating via PEQ, which is the Quebec Experience Program. While there are certain vital criteria you have to meet to be considered eligible for PEQ, the most important among these is your proficiency in the French language, which should be at the advanced-intermediate level. If you do not have that level, you stand ineligible for this program.
However, if you do meet that level, you have two streams open for you:
For stream A, you will be qualified if you are already working in Quebec at the time of application. Most applicants gain it via the following three options:
Apart from this, an applicant should hold at the very least 12 months of full-time experience at the technical, professional, or managerial level.
For stream B, you will be required to show proof of either having completed or will complete within six months an eligible post-secondary course/program in Quebec. In case yours is a post-secondary program of two (or more) years, you are eligible for this. However, if yours is a DEP or Diploma of Vocational Studies, you must check if your program fits the required parameters.
If you want, you can immigrate to Quebec via the route of business too. This route has two streams:
You are eligible for this if you have prior experience in owning a business. To apply under this stream, you should:
You are eligible for this stream if your personal net worth is at least CAD $2 million, and you can invest about CAD $1.2 in Quebec. This will open the doors for permanent residency in Canada for you.
The QSW or Quebec Skilled Worker program follows a points-based system, which is quite like the Express Entry System. The highest priority in this system goes to applicants with French-language proficiency. However, since the 2018 elections in Quebec, this option has been in the ‘pause’ mode. The new government has reduced the immigration quota, and no round of invitations for interested applicants has been opened.
Do note that immigrating to Quebec is easy if you meet the minimum set requirements. You must, however, be able to communicate in French as most people in Quebec are either bi-lingual (speak English and French) or speak only in French. You will, in all probability, find it very difficult to get a job if you are able to speak English only as most employers expect their staff to be able to speak French.
