(Quebec) Quebec plans to welcome up to 67,000 permanent immigrants next year, coming close to the record for 2022. A threshold that Prime Minister François Legault described as “suicidal” for the future of French during the last electoral campaign.
Published at 10:50 a.m.
The number would have been even higher without its moratorium on two immigration programs, due to an explosion in applications among international graduate students. Quebec is also preparing to submit a scenario for lowering the immigration threshold from 2026.
At the National Assembly on Thursday, the Minister of Immigration, Jean-François Roberge, tabled the Quebec Immigration Plan 2025. This plan sets “the admissions objectives” of new arrivals for next year. It presents a range between 62,500 and 67,000 new arrivals. This is permanent immigration – it excludes temporary immigrants.
Number of permanent immigrants admitted (2025)
- A maximum of 32,900 in economic immigration
- A maximum of 15,000 among foreign graduate students
- A maximum of 10,600 in family reunification
- A maximum of 7,200 among refugees
- A maximum of 500 among business people
- A maximum of 800 in other categories
Quebec is witnessing a much higher demand than expected among foreign graduate students who participate in one of the components of the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) to settle here permanently.
Without the moratorium on this program, Quebec would have admitted up to 19,000 – instead of 15,000 – more permanent immigrants in 2025.
The moratorium on the Regular Skilled Worker Program aims to prepare the ground for a reduction in the immigration threshold in Quebec starting in 2026.
The new multi-year plan will be revealed by June 30, 2025. The moratorium is in effect from now until June 30, 2025 at the latest.
The Legault government reduced the immigration threshold only at the start of its first mandate. He lowered it to 40,000 permanent new arrivals in 2019. If we put aside the pandemic, which obviously slowed immigration in 2020, the threshold has increased by at least 50,000 per year since 2021.
For this year, Quebec expects to admit up to 61,450 immigrants. Jean-François Roberge will present the plan for 2025 to the National Assembly this Thursday.
The number of permanent immigrants stood at 52,800 in 2023 and 68,700 in 2022.
François Legault had promised a threshold of 50,000 per year in the last elections. During the 2022 campaign, he said that a threshold of 60,000 would be “suicidal” for the future of French.
Number of permanent immigrants
- 2022 : 68 700
- 2023 : 52 800
- 2024: up to 61,450 according to forecasts
- 2025: up to 67,000 according to Quebec’s objective
