Quebec Announces 2025 Immigration Levels Plan and Suspends Key Pathways

Quebec’s Minister of Immigration, Jean-François Roberge, announced the province's Immigration Levels Plan for 2025, targeting 48,500 to 51,500 new permanent residents. Economic immigration will account for the majority, representing 72% of total admissions, or approximately 31,000 to 32,900 people. Family reunification and refugee pathways will fill the remaining quotas, with 10,200-10,600 and 6,600-7,200 newcomers, respectively.

Key Elements of the 2025 Immigration Plan:

• French Language Priority: The plan reinforces Quebec's commitment to French language skills, aiming for 79-80% of immigrants to know French, rising to 95% for principal economic applicants.
• Suspension of Pathways:

1. Regular Skilled Workers Program (RSWP): Suspended from November 29, 2024, until June 30, 2025. No invitations will be issued during this period.
2. Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) - Graduate Stream: Intake will be paused, reducing CSQ issuance for graduates from 14,500 in 2024 to an estimated 4,500-5,700 in 2025. PR admissions from PEQ are expected to drop to 13,500-15,000.

• Temporary Foreign Workers: While the plan lacks specific caps on temporary residents, a multi-year immigration framework will be developed in 2025, following public consultations.

Country Cap on Regular Skilled Worker Program:

To balance applicant diversity, Quebec introduced a 25% cap per country for invitations under the RSWP, effective from October 9, 2024, for one year.

Quebec maintains unique control over its immigration system, prioritizing French-speaking candidates and setting specific criteria for the issuance of Quebec Selection Certificates (CSQ). This announcement follows the federal plan to reduce PR targets, setting goals of 395,000 in 2025, 380,000 in 2026, and 365,000 in 2027.

Quebec’s immigration structure underscores the province’s commitment to its cultural and linguistic heritage, while also supporting its economy by attracting skilled talent.