French to become mandatory for new Quebec Immigrants?

Quebec Premier Francois Legault has suggested significant adjustments to the province’s requirements for economic immigration

In order to converse in French in both their professional and social lives, adults now need to master some basic verbal French.

“The adjustments will guarantee that by 2026, nearly all new economic immigrants to Quebec will be fluent in French before they arrive in the country. Legault spoke with Christine Frechette, the minister of immigration, Frenchization, and integration, and Jean-François Roberge, the minister of the French language, about the need to encourage Francophone economic immigration in Quebec.

In Quebec, the use of French is declining, as we have observed for a number of years, said Legault. Since Bill 101 was passed by the Lévesque administration in 2018, our government has taken more steps to protect our language than any other succeeding administration. But if we want to stop the trend, we need to take further action. Our target year for nearly entirely Francophone economic immigration is 2026. As Quebecers, we all have a responsibility to speak French, to spread our culture on a regular basis, and to be proud of it, he said.

The modifications are part of a new Quebec permanent immigration program for skilled employees. According to the government, the Skilled Worker Selection Program would “take into account the diverse needs of Quebec.”

The government has yet to specify the four categories in which applicants will now be judged, but the province has stated that three of the four categories would call for both the primary applicant and their spouse to be fluent in French.

The current programs will also see changes. For instance, the Quebec Experience Program will no longer require job experience from graduate students enrolled in French-language academic programs.

A strategy for integration and reception that will support the individual being hosted in learning French must be submitted by the guarantor as part of family reunification policies.

Quebec has set a goal that by 2023, 65% of immigrants accepted into the province will come from affluent backgrounds.

Quebec is also thinking about increasing the number of immigrants admitted annually from 50,000 to 60,000 by 2027. This follows Legault’s previous remarks that there was “no question” that Quebec would accept any increase in immigration and his vocal rejection of the federal Immigration Levels Plan, which sets a target of admitting 500,000 permanent immigrants to Canada annually by the end of 2025.

Why the adjustments?

The only province in Canada where French is the official language is Quebec. This makes it special. In order to preserve Quebec’s distinctive culture and position, the province is fiercely protective of its language.

Legault is the head of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) and is serving his second term as the premier of Quebec after winning re-election in October. The CAQ party’s protection of Quebec’s French language is one of its central tenets.

One of the major election issues was immigration. Legault maintained throughout his campaign that Quebec will only accept 50,000 immigrants per year due to the difficulty of integrating additional people into Quebec society. More than that, he claimed, would be “a little suicidal.”

Nevertheless, the aging population and low birth rate in Quebec are contributing to a manpower deficit across Canada. According to a study by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business published in March of last year, Quebec may experience an annual shortage of up to roughly 18,000 immigrants who could meet the province’s labor needs.

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