Quebec could admit up to 44,500 new permanent residents in 2020

The province’s immigration ministry said its targets for 2020 respond to Quebec’s labour needs “while respecting its capacities for welcoming and integrating” the new arrivals. (Pixabay photo)

Quebec could admit up to 44,500 new permanent residents and issue up 24,700 new selection certificates in 2020, the province’s immigration ministry announced Wednesday. 

The majority of new admissions to Quebec in 2020 — 59 per cent — are expected to come through the province’s economic immigration programs, including the Quebec Skilled Worker Program (QSWP).

The province’s immigration ministry said its targets for 2020 respond to Quebec’s labour needs “while respecting its capacities for welcoming and integrating” the new arrivals.

The levels, which provide for an increase of 2,700 over its maximum of 41,800 newcomers this year, reflect the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ)’s promise to progressively increase immigration levels to the province after reducing them by around 20 per cent.

The CAQ said the reduction was necessary to ensure new arrivals are properly integrated into Quebec’s majority French-speaking society and its labour market.

Quebec’s Immigration Minister, Simon Jolin-Barrette, said Wednesday that the province’s immigration level could return to above 50,000 — the level it was at when the CAQ won office in 2018 — by 2022.