Quebec Opens Consultation Period for 3 New Immigration Pilot Programs

Quebec has offered more details of three new Quebec immigration pilot programs targeting specific occupations in a draft regulation.

The details were put forward in the Gazette officielle du Québec on Wednesday, October 28.

Each pilot program will last for five years and include up to 550 candidates per year and their family members, according to the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI).

The pilots, initially announced in May and July this year, will target beneficiary attendants (orderlies), jobs in the food processing sector, and tech workers in artificial intelligence, information technology and visual effects.

“These actions will allow immigrants to fully contribute to the development of Quebec society by choosing to settle there and work in these spheres of activity,” said Quebec Immigration Minister Nadine Girault.

1. Beneficiary Attendant Pilot

The pilot for the permanent immigration of beneficiary attendants is designed to tackle what Quebec calls the “glaring lack of manpower in this field”.

2. Food Processing Pilot

The pilot for food processing provides a pathway to permanent residence for temporary foreign workers in a sector with “significant labour needs”.

3. Artificial Intelligence, Information Technology and Visual Effects Pilot

The pilot for workers in artificial intelligence, information technology and visual effects aims to attract international talent, plus allow temporary workers already in Quebec to become permanent residents. Artificial intelligence workers will make up half of the 550 candidates, with the remaining quota divided equally between the other two groups.

Following the publication of the draft regulation, the details of the pilot programs are now open to a 45 day consultation period, ending on December 5, 2020.

Colin Singer

Colin Singer is an international acclaimed Canadian immigration lawyer and founder of immigration.ca featured on Wikipedia. Colin Singer is also founding director of the Canadian Citizenship & Immigration Resource Center (CCIRC) Inc. He served as an Associate Editor of ‘Immigration Law Reporter’, the pre-eminent immigration law publication in Canada. He previously served as an executive member of the Canadian Bar Association’s Quebec and National Immigration Law Sections and is currently a member of the Canadian Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. Colin has twice appeared as an expert witness before Canada’s House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration. He is frequently recognized as a recommended authority at national conferences sponsored by government and non-government organizations on matters affecting Canada’s immigration and human resource industries. Since 2009, Colin has been a Governor of the Quebec Bar Foundation a non-profit organization committed to the advancement of the profession, and became a lifetime member in 2018.