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Immigration — what is changing in 2025?
Illustration: Loubna Chlaikhy
1/20/2025

Immigration — what is changing in 2025?

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Note de transparence

In recent months, there have been a succession of announcements of measures restricting immigration, both provincial and federal. Programs for temporary or permanent workers, post-graduation work permits, refugees — all have been redesigned with different criteria. Difficult to find your way around when you are an immigrant. La Converse goes over the modifications here.

Over the past several months, immigration policies and work programs in Quebec and Canada have experienced a series of major changes, making navigating this administrative maze more and more complex. Between salary criteria, requirements related to place of residence and differences in access routes, some feel completely lost in a system that is increasingly difficult to understand.

This complexity fuels growing uncertainty and a diffuse fear: that of seeing a dream of settling in Canada turn into a real administrative nightmare, with the fear of being sent back to one's country because of non-compliance with criteria that are difficult to control and that change regularly.

In Montreal, in the offices of the Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes (TCRI), a team specialized in immigration issues is working hard to offer support to the 150 member organizations of its network in Quebec and to try to influence the government through its advocacy. On the desks, files are piling up.

“The measures taken by governments involve a lot of very technical changes,” underlines François Loza-Rodriguez, analysis and advocacy coordinator at TCRI. “It is already complicated for us to understand all these changes, so imagine for an immigrant who has to go through a whole complex administrative process and who hears news, sometimes contradictory, every week...” he adds.

When the first measures of the Quebec government were announced in September 2023, the TCRI prepared a webinar, summary documents and all sorts of support for organizations working with immigrant populations. “Our members received a lot of calls and visits from completely lost people who wanted to know if they would be affected by immigration changes,” reports Mr. Loza-Rodriguez.

A situation that persists today, following new changes recently made to certain federal programs. Especially since the current political context, which is particularly unclear after the announcement of the Justin Trudeau resignation and the possible coming to power of a Conservative government, adds to the concern and questions about the future of immigration policies.

“We are very critical of the government and all these changes that suggest a certain improvisation, since some measures have no basis that can justify them. We want to make the population understand that, when there are changes in threshold or criteria, or anything else, human lives are affected,” insists the analysis and advocacy coordinator. For their part, the Quebec and federal governments cite inflation, the housing crisis or even the fall in labour needs to justify their decisions.

Confusion and precariousness affect many immigration candidates, as well as workers who are already authorized to reside here, but whose work permit renewal is suddenly questioned. Already vulnerable to the challenges of a new life, they find themselves in an increasingly untenable situation and have great difficulty sorting through the incessant flow of information.

That is why La Converse decided to offer a summary of the main measures.

The Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) — federal

What is it?

The (TFWP) allows businesses to recruit foreign workers to fill positions in the context of a labour shortage. These workers receive a so-called “closed” work permit, which binds them to a single employer. If they lose their job, their license therefore becomes invalid.

This program, which is often criticized, has been described as “breeding ground for forms of modern slavery” by the United Nations special rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, Tomoya Obokata, in 2023.

What is changing?

Since September 3, 2024, employers can no longer submit applications for employment under the TFWP for positions whose salary is less than the median gross annual salary of $57,000 CAD. On September 26, similar measures came into effect in provinces where the unemployment rate exceeds 6%.

The regions affected by the hiring freeze scheduled from September 3, 2024 to March 3, 2025 concerns the census metropolitan area, namely the following municipalities: Baie‑d'Urfé, Beaconsfield, Côte‑Saint‑Luc, Dollard‑des‑Ormeaux, Dorval, Hampstead, Kirkland, L'Île-Dorval, Montréal, Montréal Est, Montréal-Ouest, Mont‑Royal, Pointe‑Claire, Sainte‑Anne‑de‑Bellevue, Senneville and Westmount.

Until when?

Quebec Premier, François Legault, indicated that this decision would apply for a period of six months in Montreal: from September 3, 2024 to March 3, 2025. On the federal side, the date of the end of the measures is not yet known.

Exceptions?

“The governments of Canada and Quebec have agreed to extend the measures available to employers in Quebec since 2021 under the TFWP. These measures will remain in place until the annual update, which will take place on February 23, 2025,” can we read on the official website of the Government of Canada.

In concrete terms, this means that the following professions are not subject to restrictions, even in Montreal, at least until February 23, 2025: cashier, student supervisor, waiter, kitchen assistant, meat cutter, fishmonger, sports or leisure worker, specialized cleaner, housekeeper, janitor, handler, delivery man, taxi driver, fisherman.

Be careful, however, because the federal government has lowered the maximum quotas for low-wage temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in companies belonging to some of these fields. In the construction and health care sectors, the number of TFWs in low-wage positions will be reduced to 20% of the company's workforce. In other sectors, the current limit of 20% on the number of TFWs in low-wage positions will be lowered to 10%. In concrete terms, this will limit the possibility for employers to use foreign workers, even if they want to.

Finally, the maximum length of employment for low-wage positions will be reduced from two years to one year. It will therefore become impossible to obtain permanent residence after two years of employment in Canada if the renewal of the work permit is refused.

How do you maintain your status?

The options available to immigrants who can no longer renew their closed work permits as a result of government measures are limited. The first is to find a job in an exempt field (see above) or to find a job in any sector that pays $32.96 per hour or more.

The second and last option is to find a job, regardless of sector or salary, in a company based outside the Montreal region and outside any region whose unemployment rate is 6% or more at the time of filing the application. You can continue to live in Montreal, while working outside the city, for example.

The Regular Skilled Worker Program (PRTQ) renamed the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) — provincial

What is it?

On November 29, 2024, the Skilled Worker Selection Program (PSTQ) replaced the Regular Skilled Worker Program (PRTQ). To apply under the PSTQ, you must have received an invitation before this date.

The PSTQ is for people who want to immigrate to Quebec and obtain permanent residence. Like the PRTQ, this program allows you to declare your interest in immigrating to Quebec on the Arrima platform as a skilled worker, from Quebec or from abroad. This “expression of interest” is submitted to a bank of applications and ranked according to the number of points your profile obtains according to the criteria sought by Quebec (professional sector, languages, degrees, diplomas, family situation, etc.). Only if the person is invited to apply for permanent selection can they begin the administrative procedures to obtain a permanent resident card, valid for a period of five years.

What is changing?

Until June 30, 2025, Quebec will no longer send an invitation to apply for permanent selection under the PSTQ. This path, one of the two main ones to permanent residence, is therefore closed until next summer.

Exceptions?

There is really no way around this moratorium. Only applications for permanent selection already submitted under the PRTQ are currently examined by Quebec.

How do you maintain your status?

To avoid being forced to leave the country, immigrants can use the TFWP to try to maintain temporary worker status while waiting for the program to reopen in July 2025.

Graduates excluded from the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ), surviving workers — provincial

What is it?

In normal times, the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) is very popular with temporary workers and international students who graduate in Quebec. It allows you to obtain a Quebec Selection Certificate in order to access permanent residence. Workers must have two years of experience in Quebec, while students must have obtained an eligible degree in the last 36 months and have lived in Quebec for at least half of their studies.

What is changing?

The PEQ “Quebec Graduates” component has not been accepting new applications since October 31, 2024, and will not reopen until June 30, 2025.

Exceptions?

Not really... Only applications filed before October 31, 2024, are still taken into account by Quebec. It should be noted that requests to add family members, including dependent children, spouse, or spouse, are not affected by this suspension. It is therefore still possible to submit an application of this type under the “Quebec Graduates” component.

How do you maintain your status?

Students who have recently graduated in Quebec can turn to the post-graduation work permit (PGWP), which is a federal measure. Since November, those who have a bachelor's, master's, doctoral, or public college degree must pass a language proficiency test in English or French.

Be careful, however, because those who graduated from a college participating in the public-private agreement are no longer eligible for the PGWP since May 15, 2024.

Misunderstanding after the end of private sponsorships of refugees — provincial

What is it?

The Overseas Refugee Program — often called Collective Sponsorship — allows Quebecers to commit to welcoming refugees and their families who are still abroad.

What is changing?

Since January, the program is suspended. No more collective sponsorship applications are processed. But it is not the first time that this program has been suspended. The Liberal government interrupted it in 2017 due to the delay in processing files, and then again in 2020 after suspicions of fraud. This time, the Minister of Immigration, Jean-François Roberge, says he made this decision to respect Quebec's permanent immigration objective for 2025, which involves halving the number of refugees welcomed by the province.

“This is the very example of an incomprehensible decision! In this program, citizens make the choice to cover all the costs of bringing a refugee person in and welcoming them. In addition, this only concerns a few hundred files per year; this is therefore not what will reduce immigration. On the other hand, this will have terrible consequences for these families, who have dramatic reasons to leave their country,” explains François Loza-Rodriguez.

Until when?

The moratorium is scheduled until June 30, 2025. It will be re-evaluated, like the previous programs, during the multi-year immigration planning, which will take place in the spring.

Exceptions?

Those who are waiting for a decision on admission as a permanent resident are not affected. Applications for employment for a dependant of a refugee who is awaiting a decision on admission as a permanent resident are also not covered.

Family reunification goal cut in half — provincial

What is it?

Canadian citizens, permanent residents currently living in Canada, and individuals registered as Indians can sponsor certain family members to allow them to come to Canada with permanent residence.

The person sponsoring must also be of legal age, not receive social assistance other than a disability pension and be able to provide for the people they want to bring in.

What is changing?

Since June 26, 2024, Quebec has reduced the number of cases of family reunification accepted. A goal of 13,000 people welcomed between June 26, 2024 and June 25, 2026 has been set by the province. This is half as much as in the previous two years, with 24,416 applications accepted from 2021 to 2023.

In detail, it is expected that 10,400 applications for an undertaking will be accepted for a spouse, common-law partner or dependent child aged 18 or over. The other 2,600 places are intended for the sponsorship of parents, grandparents, orphaned minor brother or sister, orphaned minor nephew or niece, and orphaned minor grandson or granddaughter.

Until when?

Once 13,000 people have benefited from family reunification, Quebec will no longer receive the applications and will return them to the applicants. Therefore, the principle of first come, first served applies here, but it should be noted that files that have been pending for months or even years are currently being processed.

Exceptions?

Several cases are not affected by this lowering of the threshold. These are sponsorship applications for a minor dependent child, a minor child in the context of an adoption, an orphan minor who is the brother, sister, nephew, niece, grandson or granddaughter of the person sponsoring, or for an adult dependent child who is dependent on one or other of his parents because of his physical or mental condition.

Finally, applications submitted for the child or spouse of a person who is already waiting to be admitted as a permanent resident are also exempt.

Open work permit (OWP) restriction for family members of temporary residents — federal

What is it?

This program allows spouses of temporary foreign workers or international students to obtain an open work permit. This precious sesame gives them the opportunity to work for any Canadian employer.

What is changing?

A few days ago, the federal government announced yet another measure. As of January 21, 2025, only the spouses or common-law partners of certain international students and foreign workers will be able to take advantage of an OWP.

Students who want to come with their significant other must be enrolled in a master's program of at least 16 months, a doctoral program, or one of professional programs eligible.

As for workers, they will henceforth have to exercise a profession included in FEER 0 or 1 categories of the National Occupation Classification or one of the professions in FEER 2 or 3 categories of sectors where there are labour shortages or which are linked to government priorities. These include the following sectors: natural and applied sciences, construction, construction, health care, natural resources, education, sports and the military.

But be careful, because the foreign worker must also have a work permit whose remaining duration, at the time of applying for an OWP, is at least 16 months. It should also be added that dependent children of foreign workers will no longer be eligible for an OWP.

Exceptions?

OWPs that have already been issued and have not expired remain valid. Family members of an international student who have received a work permit that is shorter in duration than the duration of the principal applicant's permit may apply for a renewal of their status. To do so, they must apply using the same criteria as their current work permit, for a duration equal to that of the study permit.

Another category that escapes these restrictions is that of spouses or common-law partners of workers covered by free trade agreements and those who are moving to permanent residence.

How do you maintain your status?

The only option for those affected by this measure is to apply for a work permit individually, for example under the TFWP.

In the end, Canada's intention is clear: that all these measures taken together should lower immigration numbers in 2025. Indeed, the permanent resident (PR) targets are now 395,000 instead of 500,000 as in 2024. For 2026 and 2027, further decreases are expected to reach goals of 380,000 and then 365,000 permanent residents.

For non-permanent residents, the federal government wants to increase their proportion from 6.5% to 5% of the population. In 2025 and 2026, the goal is 445,000 people per year, with an increase of 17,439 people in 2027.

With such measures, Quebec and Canadian businesses in certain sectors could be the collateral victims of this change of immigration course.

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