Ukrainians are struggling to learn French before the expiration of their work permits after fleeing to Quebec to escape the Russian invasion of their home country.
One of Quebec’s permanent residency requirements is to be proficient in the language, which can be displayed by taking French tests.
Many Ukrainians who moved there have been taking government-offered francization courses, but that is not enough to develop the level of proficiency the government requires, due to which they are unable to obtain a Quebec selection certificate are thus not acknowledged to be accepted as permanent residents.
Ukrainians also need two years of work experience in a job requiring some specialized training or education, which many of them are unable to obtain because of the short timeline of their three-year work permits.
The deadline to extend their temporary stay – although available – is approaching, and is on March 31.
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In a statement, a spokesperson for the Quebec Immigration Ministry said that there are no current plans for the French province to change its requirements for issuing a certificate of selection, as per CBC News.
President of the Quebec chapter of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress, Michael Schwec, said he hopes the different levels of government will exercise flexibility with their permanent residency requirements for the Ukrainians who fled the war, the majority of whom are women whose husbands are still in Ukraine.
“The people who are coming from Ukraine during wartime to Montreal, they’re welcoming the challenge to learn French, to get the kinds of jobs they need to meet the criteria, to get permanent residency,” he said.
“They want to succeed.”
However, Quebec’s difficult PR requirements are making the process even more stressful for them than it already is.
The Quebec immigration process is unique in comparison to the rest of the country. Quebec has its own set of criteria based on which it issues the candidate and their family a Certificate de selection du Quebec (CSQ), after they have applied to one of its immigration programs.
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Following this, the candidate can apply to IRCC for a Canada PR and pass the medical, security, and criminal checks to obtain the immigration status.
The following economic immigration programs allow foreign nationals to apply for a CSQ:
- Quebec Permanent Immigration Pilot Programs
- Quebec Experience Program (PEQ)
- Quebec Business Immigration Programs
- Quebec Regular Skilled Worker Program (QSWP)