October 27, 2017 – Quebec has tabled its 2018 immigration plan that will see an overall target between 49,000 and 53,000 newcomers under all programs.
The numbers are within the same range as the 2017 Quebec immigration targets.
The figures show a slight increase in the number of economic immigrants offset by a slight decline in family reunification and refugee immigration numbers.
Quebec Immigration Categories
Quebec Skilled Worker
Quebec Business Immigration
Quebec Experience Program
Watch How Quebec Skilled Worker Program Works
Economic Immigration Numbers
Quebec plans to welcome up to 31,300 economic immigrants in 2018, split between Skilled Worker, Business and Other Economic categories.
This maximum intake figure is 1,000 more than the expected maximum for 2017 and effectively the same as the 2016 total of 31,600 new immigrants.
The 2018 breakdown figures for Skilled Workers (24,200 to 26,300), Business (4,000 to 4,300) and Other Economic immigrants (500 to 700) are all within a similar range as seen in the previous two years.
Family Reunification Numbers
In the Family Reunification category, the maximum intake of 12,100 is slightly lower than the projected 2017 maximum intake of 12,800, but significantly higher than both 2016 (11,124) and 2015 (10,490).
Refugee Numbers
Refugee numbers are expected to drop slightly when compared to the previous years. In 2018, Quebec plans to welcome a maximum 8,800 in the Refugee categories, compared to a projected 9,500 maximum for 2017 and 9,274 in 2016.
This comes following the completion of the federal Liberal government’s drive to welcome 40,000 Syrian refugees, as well as a number of expected asylum claims from people illegally crossing the land border between the U.S. and Canada.
Quebec Immigration Admission Targets 2018
| Category | Minimum | Maximum |
| Economic immigration | 28,700 | 31,300 |
|
24,200 | 26,300 |
|
4,000 | 4,300 |
|
500 | 700 |
| Family reunification | 11,600 | 12,100 |
| Refugees and people in similar situations | 8,100 | 8,800 |
|
5,600 | 6,000 |
|
1,550 | 1,600 |
|
4,050 | 4,400 |
|
2,500 | 2,800 |
| Other immigrants** | 600 | 800 |
| Total | 49,000 | 53,000 |
* Includes caregivers and other economic class immigrants
** Includes various special categories of immigrants admitted on humanitarian or public interest grounds
Quebec Selection Certificate Plan
In the same immigration plan, Quebec also set out the numbers of selection certificates it expects to issue in 2018.
In the Skilled Worker category, selection certificate numbers are expected to decrease significantly, to a maximum of 29,000. This compares to a projected 33,000 certificates issued in 2017 and the real number of 39,986 certificates that were issued in 2017.
Overall, Quebec expects to issue a maximum of 43,000 certificates in 2018, compared with 46,700 in 2017 and 56,083 in 2016.
Issuing an invitation certificate does not guarantee the candidate will arrive in Quebec the same year, as the application process can take a number of months after the certificate has been issued. Fewer certificates also indicates a backlog of applications, meaning candidates already issued with certificates will arrive in 2018.
Quebec Immigration Selection Targets 2018
| Category/program | Minimum | Maximum |
| Skilled worker | 26,000 | 29,000 |
| Business | 4,000 | 6,000 |
| Other economic* | 600 | 800 |
| Refugees | 5,600 | 6,500 |
| Others** | 500 | 700 |
| Total | 36,700 | 43,000 |
* Includes caregivers and other economic class immigrants
** Includes various special categories of immigrants admitted on humanitarian or public interest grounds
The Quebec government has exclusive jurisdiction to manage its own comprehensive immigration programs, under a series of agreements dating back to 1981. It has the largest allocations of immigrants to Canada, among the 10 provinces and 3 territories accounting for approximately 17% of Canada’s planned overall annual immigration levels for 2018.
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