Under Canada's constitution, responsibility for immigration is shared between the federal and provincial or territorial governments. The federal government is responsible for setting overall immigration levels, including the admission targets for each immigration category, issuing visas, and managing permanent residence and temporary foreign worker programs.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has immigration agreements with provinces and territories and works closely with provincial and territorial partners to ensure the immigration system is responsive to their needs, supports economic growth, addresses regional labour market needs, and helps communities across the country welcome and integrate newcomers. Provincial and territorial partners also play a key role in selecting newcomers for permanent residence.
Canada-Quebec Accord
Quebec plays a distinct role in Canada's immigration system under the Canada-Quebec Accord, which came into force in 1991. The Accord reflects Quebec's unique role in selecting immigrants and supporting their integration in the province. Its objectives include preserving Quebec's demographic weight within Canada and supporting the integration of immigrants while respecting Quebec's distinct identity.
Under the Accord, Quebec has the authority to
- establish its own desired immigration levels in all categories
- establish its own selection criteria for economic immigrants
- establish and assess financial criteria for family class sponsorship
- select resettled refugees (both government-assisted and privately sponsored) while sharing overall responsibility with the federal government
- deliver settlement and integration services in the province
- receive federal funding to support the delivery of settlement and integration services for permanent residents in the province
Under the Accord, the federal government maintains authority for
- selection in some permanent resident categories (for example, family), as well as certain temporary resident streams (including the International Mobility Program)
- determining the total number of immigrants to be admitted to the country in a year, taking Quebec's requirements into account
- determining if a foreign national is admissible to Canada
Workers in Quebec
Quebec is currently facing labour shortages in a number of sectors, including health care, construction, manufacturing and services. The Accord enables the province to attract workers with skills that align with its labour market needs.
The Quebec Experience Program and its successor, the Skilled Worker Selection Program, are Quebec permanent residence programs. The province has full responsibility for these programs.
