Immigrate

A unique social and cultural environment

Through its history, values and traditions, as well as its modernism and forward thinking, Québec society is recognized today for offering a unique quality of life on the North American continent.

Discover its many assets on the website of the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration.

An open society

Québec welcomes an average of roughly 50,000 immigrants from some one hundred countries each year. They all participate actively, in French, in Québec’s economic, social and cultural development.

A free and democratic society

Integrating into Québec society means being prepared to learn about and respect its common values.

Québec is a French-speaking, democratic society that is enriched by its diversity and is based on the rule of law. The Québec State and its institutions are secular.

A society that provides high-quality public services

Health, education and social security services guarantee the well-being of the entire population.

A stable and dynamic economy

Québec is future oriented and must face considerable demographic and economic challenges. Immigration is a strategic lever for meeting these challenges.

Immigrating to Québec

Immigration programs

Québec offers various immigration programs: permanent worker, business person, temporary worker, international student, sponsor and sponsored, and refugee.

Learn about the different immigration programs on the website of the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration. The procedures for immigrating to Québec are determined by the program you choose.

Applying to immigrate as a skilled worker

If you feel that your skills meet the specific needs of the Québec labour market, you should apply through the Regular Skilled Worker Program. Selection for this program takes into account such factors as your level of education, field of training, language skills and age.

Learn more about the conditions of this program.

You can also assess your chances of being selected as a skilled worker.

Get a free summary evaluation of your chances of being selected by Québec as a skilled worker. This tool was designed so that you can use it easily and without assistance.

Complete the evaluation.

Immigrating to Québec also means immigrating to Canada

Québec is responsible for selecting its economic immigrants, after which the federal government applies its requirements for admission to the country. It is up to the federal government to decide whether to grant permanent resident status and Canadian citizenship. Consult the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website for information on the conditions for admission to Canada.

Settling in Québec

Choosing where you want to live

We encourage you to discover them by exploring the employment opportunities and quality of life that they have to offer.

Québec is a vast territory composed of 17 administrative regions with distinct characteristics and attractions.

Learn about the assets of Québec’s regions on the website of the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration.

Finding housing in Québec

Considering more than one area increases your chances of finding not only a job but also housing that suits your needs and budget.

Housing is a key factor in the integration process. We strongly recommend that you explore the topic before you move to Québec so that you’ll be familiar with housing-related vocabulary, housing costs, the rights and responsibilities of tenants and landlords.

Studying in Québec

Education is free for all residents, from kindergarten to the college level inclusively. The public education system is secular and is established on a linguistic basis (French or English), depending on the language of instruction used in schools.

Since French is the official language of Québec, children of immigrants, regardless of their mother tongue, must in most cases attend a French School Board institution in their community until the end of their high school education. In addition, coeducation in classes (boys and girls together) is standard for all levels of education.

Study in Québec

Working in Québec

The right job for you

Looking for a job in Québec involves sound preparation and above all having a clear understanding of the new environment.

Find out about the steps to take for finding a job on the website of the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégrationn.

A dynamic job market

The Québec economy has been growing steadily over the past 30 years. As a result, the Québec job market will continue to offer good employment prospects.

List of areas of training highly sought after in Québec

Trades and professions

The practice of some trades and professions is regulated in Québec. For example, the engineering and nursing professions are governed by professional orders while the electrician and mechanic trades are governed by other types of regulatory bodies.

It is in your best interest to contact the professional order that pertains to your situation before your departure. It is strongly recommended that you initiate procedures from abroad.

Finding out about regulated professions or trades

The French Language

The language of integration

Choosing Québec means accepting French as the language of integration and agreeing to live in a richly diversified French-speaking society. Being able to express oneself in French helps build networks of contacts that foster integration in Québec and make it easier to look for a first job.

A French-speaking society

Québec society has a strong French-speaking majority and has made French its only official language.

The majority of the population, i.e., 83%, reports that French is the language most often used at home, 12% report that it is English and 9% another language. Over 40% of Quebecers know French and English. In the metropolitan area of Montréal, the proportion is 54%.

Knowledge of French: an important criterion

Québec’s permanent immigration programs promote the selection of candidates who have an advanced intermediate knowledge of French. Candidates with insufficient knowledge of French may, based on clearly defined conditions, be directed to language schools in order to improve its knowledge or have their selection certificate application rejected.

Time spent learning French in one’s country of origin will therefore foster quicker integration in Québec. You can enroll in a French course in your country right now.

Learning French on the website of the ministère de l'Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration.

The Family: a Priority for our Society

The array of family-oriented measures that the government is implementing demonstrates its commitment to supporting families in Québec.

Work-family balance

Québec’s active population has changed dramatically! Today, the Québec workforce is composed of almost as many women as men. They are often parents of young children or caregivers. The workforce is now more skilled and employees have higher expectations of the companies employing them.

Reconciling work and family is therefore an effective way to recruit and retain qualified personnel in an increasingly competitive labour market. It also means finding a balance between the demands and responsibilities of professional life and family life.

Family life refers to persons with whom a worker has a relationship of dependency. This includes the family, immediate family, extended family and friends.
The goal is to ease or reduce some of the work world’s constraints and demands in order to achieve a more balanced approach to managing time devoted to work and family life.

The government is playing an active role in this regard by working to implement initiatives that will enable citizens to reach their full potential on both a professional and personal level, including the opportunity to have children if they so desire.

Childcare

Regarding childcare, the Québec government supports parents by:

making reduced contribution spaces (French only) available throughout Québec;
providing a set of measures that foster access to childcare.

Financial assistance

There are several Québec and federal programs designed to ease child-related financial burdens. Some are open to all families while other more targeted programs are based on income.

For more information, visit the website of the ministère de la Famille du Québec (French only).

Gender Equality in Québec

Québec’s contribution to gender equality, its know-how and its collective values in that regard are recognized around the world.

In Québec law, the foundations of the principle of gender equality are enshrined in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

A number of other sectors have also adopted legislation that recognizes and promotes equality between the sexes, such as the Pay Equity Act, the Act respecting equal access to employment in public bodies and the Act respecting the governance of state-owned enterprises.

Here’s how the theory of gender equality plays out in various fields and sectors of activity

Education
Schools aim to provide equal opportunities for both sexes; this is one of the fundamental conditions for building an egalitarian society. It cannot be repeated too often: if we want our children to grow up equal, society must place a greater value on studies and increase its efforts to combat the drop-out rate.

Couples and families
Deciding to start a family or share one’s life with another person constitutes a major commitment. Men and women who cohabit—whether with the same or the opposite sex—are equal before the law and have the same obligations toward each other and toward their children.

Work and business
Québec has established strict rules to guarantee that male and female employees receive fair and equitable treatment. The province has also adopted various measures—the most generous in North America—designed to help mothers and fathers balance their professional responsibilities with family life.

Health-care services
Do you have a health problem or need to consult a physician? Health-care services are accessible to all, without distinction. As soon as it has been established that you are a Québec resident (in accordance with the criteria of existing legislation), you are entitled to receive health-care services.

Safety and integrity of the person
For many years now, public institutions have worked with a number of social groups to successfully combat all forms of violence. Special initiatives have been launched to combat violence against women, specifically domestic violence, sexual assault and sexual exploitation.

The right to respect for one’s physical integrity is entrenched in the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms. However, in order to rigorously apply this right in all areas and in every circumstance—and for it to be applied to every citizen, women and men, with no distinction whatsoever—it is vital that every person get involved. Only by working together as one can the men and women of Québec succeed in building a non-violent society.

Participation in public life
Québec society invites all its members to become involved in their community. There are many ways to do so: holding political office at the local, regional or provincial level, joining a community organization or support group, or becoming involved in public debate. Those men and women who wish to express their opinions have equal access to Québec’s many public places and forums.

For any further information please consult Equal in every way! – Gender equality in Québec (855 Ko).