The roles of Québec and Canada in humanitarian immigration

Québec participates in the international solidarity efforts to protect people in distress and subscribes to the objectives of the international agreements that protect these people.

In Québec, humanitarian immigration is the responsibility of both the Gouvernement du Québec (Government of Québec) and the Government of Canada. Each government plays a role in the immigration process.

The federal government is responsible for:

• determining if, in Canada or abroad, you may be recognized as a refugee or in a similar situation;
• Determining if, on the basis of humanitarian considerations, your permanent residence application can be reviewed in Canada;
• applying its criteria regarding health and its security and criminal background checks.

The Gouvernement du Québec is responsible for:

• Reviewing your selection application
  • if you have been recognized by the governement of Canada as a refugee or in a similar situation abroad;
  • If your application for permanent residence on the basis of humanitarian considerations was approved in principle (i.e., determined to be eligible) by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada for processing in Canada;
• Managing undertakings, particularly under collective sponsorship;
• Providing services to help you settle and integrate into Québec.