Today the Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration presented Québec’s pluriannual orientations on immigration for 2026–2029 and tabled Québec’s Immigration Plan for 2026.
The 2026–2029 planning seeks to limit the overall volume of temporary and permanent immigration in order to reduce the pressure on Québec’s capacity to receive and integrate immigrants. This planning aims to preserve the regions’ vitality and restore balance between Québec’s socioeconomic needs and its capacity to receive and integrate, in French, immigrants settling on its territory.
The Immigration Plan for 2026 is based on Québec’s pluriannual orientations. Its goal is to permanently admit 45,000 immigrants. For the first time, the Plan focuses on temporary immigration to Québec in the two programs for which its consent is required, namely, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and the International Student Program. It plans for the temporary admission of 84,900 to 124,200 people in 2026.
Moreover, the Gouvernement du Québec is establishing a series of measures in several immigration programs to promote the attainment of the objectives for 2026–2029.
Complementary measures
Skilled workers
- The Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) (Skilled Worker Selection Program) becomes the only means for permanent selection of skilled workers. It is a more flexible and modern program, aligned with Québec’s selection and reception objectives. People who wish to permanently settle in Québec to work are invited to declare their interest in Arrima.
- The Gouvernement du Québec is therefore ending the two streams of the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (Québec Experience Program) (the Québec Graduate and Temporary Foreign Worker streams, currently suspended). The program will end on November 19, 2025.
- The three permanent immigration pilot programs will end, as planned, on January 1, 2026. They are pilot programs for food processing workers, orderlies, and workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors.
Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective Sponsorship)
- The suspension of the acceptance of applications in the Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective Sponsorship) is extended to December 31, 2029. The exceptions to the suspension of the acceptance of new sponsorship applications in effect continues to apply.
Given the high increase in the number of non-permanent residents, in particular foreign nationals recognized as refugees when already on the territory, Québec wishes to focus its efforts on the reception and integration of people recognized as refugees already present on its territory and prioritize their admission.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program
- The suspension of the acceptance of some LMIA applications for jobs located in the Montréal and Laval regions is extended to December 31, 2026.
This measure responds to the government orientation to reduce the number non-permanent residents in Québec in the context of an economic slowdown and promote the recruitment of workers already present in Québec. It is limited to the administrative regions of Montréal and Laval in order to take into account the realities, regional needs and importance of temporary foreign workers for the economic vitality of the regions.
- The requirement of level 4 knowledge of spoken French is added for people who apply for a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) (Québec Acceptance Certificate) under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program after having accumulated three years in Québec to work. Certain exceptions apply.
- The planned effective date for the regulation is December 17, 2025, however, there is a three-year transitional measure to help temporary foreign workers (TFWs) who are currently staying in Québec to attain and demonstrate the required level of French. Consequently, the verification of French knowledge to obtain a CAQ for work will start on December 17, 2028.
In Québec, French, as the official language, constitutes a key pillar of its cultural and social identity. It is the vector for the integration of immigrants. In this context, the linguistic integration of temporary foreign workers is of particular importance to ensure the sustainability of French as the common language.
Additional information for the clientele
If you are affected by the measures announced, we encourage you to read the information below.
Skilled workers
- All applications for permanent selection already submitted under the Programme de l’expérience québécoise (Québec Graduate and Temporary Foreign Worker streams) and the permanent immigration pilot programs will continue to be examined by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) (Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration).
- For the pilot programs, only the Francophone profile of the artificial intelligence stream of the pilot program for workers in the artificial intelligence, information technologies and visual effects sectors is still accepting new applications until December 31, 2025. The ceilings have already been reached in the other stream of this program and in the other two pilot programs.
- The applications to add family members, that is, dependent children and the spouse, for applicants who have been selected for one or the other of these programs will continue to be received and examined by the MIFI.
- People who wish to apply under the PEQ and people who occupy an occupation that was targeted under one of the three permanent immigration pilot programs can declare their interest in permanent immigration to Québec on the Arrima platform.
- If their profile corresponds to those sought by Québec, they might receive an invitation to apply for permanent selection in the stream of the PSTQ that applies.
- Since July 2025, invitations to the PSTQ prioritize people already settled in Québec, in particular those who hold a Québec diploma, work in the regions, practise an occupation that is in high demand and have the required knowledge of French.
Program for Refugees Abroad (Collective Sponsorship)
- All undertaking applications already submitted to the MIFI that meet the eligibility conditions will be examined.
- The applications to add dependents, such as dependent children or spouses, are not affected by this suspension. These applications will continue to be received and examined by the MIFI.
Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP)
- The suspension of the acceptance of certain LMIA applications for jobs located in the regions of Montréal and Laval also pertains to applications submitted under the facilitated process and for the renewal of work permits for temporary foreign workers already working, for Laval and Montréal.
- Even if Québec’s measure is renewed for the next year, as long as the unemployment rate for the Montréal Metropolitan Census Area is 6% or higher, the federal government’s refusal to process will apply to LMIA applications made for low wage positions, in the context of the joint processing of the LMIA.
- Exempt from the requirement of level 4 knowledge of spoken French are agricultural TFWs, foreign nationals occupying a job for an office of a political division of a foreign State, and international employees of international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) recognized by the Gouvernement du Québec.
The Regulation amending the Québec Immigration Regulation enacted and the ministerial orders will be published in the Gazette officielle du Québec on November 19, 2025.
For more details:
Planification pluriannuelle de l’immigration 2026-2029 Web page on Québec.ca