IMMIGRATION PROGRAMS  Quebec
Quebec , a province of Canada , has a special status within the Canadian confederation, with a distinct francophone identity. Several provisions within the constitution of Canada enable Quebec to maintain its distinct cultural identity and grow its majority French- speaking population.
Canada and Quebec have signed an immigration accord whereby the province has Sole responsibility of selecting immigrants destined for Quebec . The accord allows the province to pass a special immigration law, with a wide-ranging authority to establish selection criteria, process applicants and make selection decisions. Contrary to popular belief, fluency in French is not the most important criteria in selection, though any demonstrable ties to Quebec influence the selection decision. The program is attractive as the selection criteria are different and generally faster than the federal one.
Quebec has a provincial immigration Act and an immigration department that handles the following functions broadly:
- Establish selection criteria for Quebec
- Acceptance of applications
- Assessment and Processing
- Issuing permit (CSQ)
Just as in Federal system, Quebec has several immigration programs like permanent workers, business people, temporary workers, students, Family class, etc. Quebec uses a ‘favoured training list’ and ‘Jobs in Demand list’ to select majority of its permanent workers.
Once the CSQ is issued by Quebec , the applicant can then apply to the concerned Canadian embassy for visa to enter Canada . Canadian embassies carry out the admissibility checks (medical and security related) before issuing a visa.
Quebec has its immigration offices at various locations around the globe, which serve clients from various countries.
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