Report reveals impact of Temporary Immigrants in Quebec

Temporary Immigrants in Quebec: Problem or solution?

Although public policies have facilitated the arrival of an unprecedented number of temporary residents to meet the labor needs of companies, the report raises two crucial questions.

The first retrospectively questions the scope of measures in favor of temporary immigration in the context of the relationship between immigration and the economy.

The second, which is partly a consequence of this, focuses on the practice of considering only permanent immigration in the calculations of annual limits. This is equivalent to approaching immigration in isolation, distorting the assessment of the true impact of arrivals on the province’s reception capacity.

Read also: “What changes for you with permanent residence in Canada”

Explosion of temporary immigration in the province of Quebec

Several elements widely discussed in recent months are backed by concrete data. Among them, the significant increase in the number of people with temporary work permits in Quebec stands out, which went from 43,770 in 2015 to 167,435 in 2023.

In addition, foreign students totaled 117,745 last year, added to asylum seekers, totaling 528,034 people with temporary status. Surprisingly, in 2023, the number of temporary residents surpassed that of permanent residents.

Read also: “New rules for international students in Canada in 2024: Overview”

Currently, 1.8% of Quebec’s population is made up of temporary residents, compared to 1.9% for all of Canada. However, the growing population in Quebec has sparked debates about the province’s capacity to provide housing and access to public services.

Faced with the increase in temporary immigration, governments are considering measures to limit this trend, such as imposing a maximum two-year limit for study permits.

This increase is the result of public policies aimed at attracting foreign workers and facilitating companies’ access to a diverse workforce, in a context of demographic changes and a large number of retirements, in addition to the measures adopted after the COVID-19 pandemic to stimulate the economy.

As a result, employers and secondary educational institutions have seen a significant increase in the proportion of immigrants, both workers and students.

Overall support for the economy

In general terms, immigration has been beneficial. It has helped to offset the loss of retirements and to stabilize demographics. Furthermore, struggling sectors such as manufacturing (16% of the workforce), wholesale and retail (12%), and accommodation and food services (9%), rely significantly on temporary workers. And, of course, while temporary immigrants use public services, they also contribute as consumers, boosting the local economy.

Read also: “Canada’s population just surpassed 40 million and sets a new record”

However, measures to meet the specific needs of companies through immigration are not the most effective. For example, 59,820 people arrived via the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP), while 107,615 arrived through the International Mobility Program (IMP), which attracts more skilled workers, although not necessarily aligned with economic demands. However, many of these highly qualified workers highlight Quebec internationally.

Almost half of them are Canadian graduates who have chosen to work in Quebec, fulfilling all the criteria to obtain permanent residency and better integrate into the province. In 2023, 75% of people who obtained permanent residency from temporary status in Quebec were holders of a permit granted by the IMP.

Read also: “New Quebec Experience Program 2023: Faster pathway to Canada”

Shortcomings and crisis in health and construction

However, the report highlights that, despite this increase, the construction, social assistance, and health sectors face ongoing challenges. For example, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) is underutilized in the health sector, while agriculture employs it intensively (representing 23% of permits in 2023), as does manufacturing.

These gaps can be attributed to “more complex and restrictive regulations that make it difficult to recruit foreign workers and recognize their skills,” according to the report. Notably, the situation in Quebec is more critical than in British Columbia or Ontario in the construction sector, for instance.

The Institut du Québec (IDQ) does not define an ideal threshold for Quebec’s economy, but notes that an increase in immigration does not necessarily result in an increase in the collective standard of living.

Final considerations and reflection

Faced with these challenges, the authors of the report present proposals to develop “more coherent immigration policies.” Among them, the following stand out:

• Anticipate and coordinate temporary immigration more effectively. Instead of just setting limits for permanent immigration, greater synchronization between different programs is recommended, thus aligning both forms of immigration.
• Improve the transition between temporary permit and permanent residency, a process that is not always straightforward.
• Adopt more assertive approaches to meet the needs of struggling sectors, such as health and construction, especially considering Quebec’s long-term demands.
• Enhance data collection on temporary immigrants to improve analysis and more accurate immigration forecasts.

You can read the full report by clicking on this link.

With that, I’ll close for now. Don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter to receive weekly updates on how to prepare for this journey we affectionately call immigration.

See you in the next post! 😀