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NEW RULES TAKE EFFECT AUGUST 2ND

Earlier this year, Quebec announced that it had proposed a series of changes to the immigration system. However, in order for these changes to take effect, they first had to be approved by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Diversité et de l’Inclusion (MIDI). On July 3rd, MIDI officially accepted the changes, announcing that they would take effect on August 2nd, 2018.

The approval was announced by Quebec’s immigration minister, David Heurtel, via Twitter last week. With this new system, Quebec hopes to reduce the processing time for its 31,000 immigrants, from 32 months to 12 months.

QUEBEC SKILLED WORKER (QSW) – INTRODUCING A NEW EXPRESS ENTRY-STYLE SYSTEM

The Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW) program will be introducing a new application procedure which will resemble Canada’s federal Express Entry immigration system. As per the new guidelines, the program will require candidates to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI), just like Express Entry. Candidates with the most desirable EOIs will be invited to submit applications for a CSQ. After 12-months, if a person’s EOI has not been selected, then it will become invalid and be removed from the pool of candidates. 

Presently, the Quebec Skilled Worker (QSW) program uses a points grid to assess candidates. A candidate is assigned a certain number of points related to their age, education, work experience, etc. Only those people who meet a predetermined minimum amount of points are eligible to submit to the program.

QUEBEC BUSINESS IMMIGRATION CHANGES

The Quebec Business Classes of immigration will be affected by the upcoming changes as well. Notably, the Quebec Investor Class of immigration requires applicants to have a more impressive financial profile.

Previously, investors required a personal net worth of at least $1.6 million CAD and were required to invest at least $800,000 CAD in Quebec for a period of at least 5 years. Under the new regulations investors will be required to have a personal net worth of at least $2 million and invest at least $1.2 million.

Quebec has announced that it will not accept any applications for Quebec Investor, Quebec Entrepreneur, and Quebec Self-Employed until at least August 15th, 2018. Once this date passes, the government will likely release more updates on their intention with these programs for the remainder of the year. While there is no guarantee that after August 15th the province will accept new applications, it is a definite possibility.

It should be noted that the Quebec Entrepreneur and Quebec Self-Employed have now been closed to new applications for several years. The Quebec Investor program was open to new applications until February 23rd, 2018.

Immigration programs and policies are constantly shifting and changing to respond to the demands of the world. These many changes to Quebec show just how frequently the landscape of Canadian immigration is transforming. If you are eligible for immigration now, we recommend doing your best to apply, as you never know if your eligibility may shift in the future.