Quebec Promises New $130m Funding To Tackle Immigrant Credential Recognition

Canada immigration news: Quebec will tackle the problem of newcomers being unable to get jobs in their fields by pumping $130 million into a new action plan in the French-speaking province, says its new immigration minister.

Minister Jean Boulet announced the funding on Tuesday, as the provincial government looks to tackle a chronic labour shortage.

The money, to be spent over two years, will help develop projects in areas such as recruitment, skills assessment, personalized support, refresher training, skills and credential recognition.

“Our government is firmly committed to addressing the labor shortage in all regions of Quebec,” Boulet said in French.

“Immigration is part of a set of solutions to help us get there. For several years, we have too often witnessed cases of professional immigrants, unable to work in their field of expertise, for lack of recognition of their professional skills. 

“This is simply unacceptable, particularly in the current context where the difficulty of recruiting staff affects the growth of our economy and essential public services. 

“With these new measures, immigrants will be able to practice their profession more quickly and will use their skills to serve the prosperity of Quebec.”

The plan includes action in six main areas:

1. Finding new talent

Quebec plans to spend some of the funding on identifying countries with similar professional training, in order to open recruiters up to for diverse talent pools.

2. Support for regulatory bodies and professional orders

Regulatory bodies and professional orders are to be encouraged to improve skills assessment, develop refresher training and issue temporary restrictive permits to certain workers to practice their profession.

3. Personalized support for immigrants

Support services will be enhanced to offer help for specific skill recognition procedures. Candidates are to have access to services throughout the whole immigration process.

4. Funding for refresher training and internships

Immigrants to have access to refresher training and internships, from abroad and in Quebec to accelerate skills recognition.

5. Financial support for skills recognition

Candidates can benefit from specific financial support for refresher training, plus tuition fee exemptions.

6. Support for Quebec employers to evaluate foreign credentials

Quebec employers will be able to use an online tool to compare a foreign diploma to the Quebec school system.

The Quebec government hopes the plan will result in a complete overhaul in the success of immigrants in the Quebec labour market.

As the economic recovery from COVID-19 continues, Quebec currently has the lowest unemployment of any province, according to the latest federal government Labour Force Survey.

Figures show unemployment dropped 1.1 percentage points to 4.5 percent in November, lower than the pre-pandemic rate, as Quebec added 45,500 jobs. 

The figures included the first notable increase in employment for Montreal since June 2021, adding 56,000 jobs for an unemployment rate of 4.8 percent, 1.6 percent lower than October.