Ukrainians and other pending immigrants will be able to begin full-time francization this summer, less than a month after applying. The Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration, Jean Boulet, made a personal commitment to this during an interview granted to the To have to Wednesday.
“There may be cases that go [nous] escape, but our goal is to do it as quickly as possible. This summer, yes, there are possibilities to start sessions [de francisation] full-time. As of June 17, 981 people, including 137 born in Ukraine, were on a waiting list to register for courses, and the average cumulative waiting time was 22 days, a period which Jean Boulet said “particularly proud”.
Last Friday, The duty had revealed the difficulties of some Ukrainians in having access to full-time and even part-time francization this summer, while in certain regions, several organizations mandated by the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration ( MIFI) did not open courses, for lack of teachers or a sufficient number of registrations. Some organizations even took a break during the summer.
“I wouldn’t accept [ça]. If I know, I’ll make sure to remedy the situation. If there are four of them and they want to start, I will make sure that they start, whatever the means, whether it is online with support, whether it is with people from other regions, ”insisted Jean Ball. Online courses are not offered for beginners, however, he agreed.
Start part-time
On the MIFI calendar, only one full-time session is scheduled for the summer, from May 25 to August 3. If the groups have no more places, immigrants can however begin part-time francization – the next session begins on July 11 – before integrating a full-time course later. “MIFI agents must direct clients to other organizations and to school service centers if their groups are full so as not to create a waiting list and delays for clients,” reads a document. of information sent to To have to.
In its statement of customer service, the MIFI undertakes to offer a “full-time” course within 50 days for more than 80% of people who request it. This target has been met, assures the Minister, since 83.2% of students who started a course between 1er April and June 13 did so within 50 days. However, this information on waiting lists and deadlines is not available for part-time courses, registrations being managed directly by community organizations.
Minister Boulet also does not deny “the challenge” of recruiting teaching staff, especially for part-time courses, where an increase in clientele has been noticed. “But I made sure that we do ongoing training to meet the growing demand. That’s why we are able to meet the average deadline of 22 days. »
A lack of information
Many Ukrainians and Quebecers who host them or give them a hand said they had trouble getting information on the course offer. The minister says he understands the situation. “It is often a lack of information. Of course, it’s important for us to carry out a new advertising offensive and to state what our francization services are,” acknowledged Mr. Boulet.
He also invites immigrants to get information from Accompagnement Québec, a free and personalized orientation service available in the regions. Last week, Minister Boulet also announced the start of work leading to the creation within a year of Francisation Québec, a one-stop service whose first attempts to set up date back to 2005 and which no government has succeeded in delivering until here, due to a lack of agreement between the various departments offering francization.
To be able to register for a course, the MIFI requires, among other things, a document that proves the immigration status, such as the temporary residence visa (AVUCU) or the work permit. Only the latter can provide access to the participation allowance of $200 and reimbursement of transportation and child care expenses. The visitor visa, without the work permit, does not allow this.
However, the minister says he has acted by allowing, in the meantime, access to free full-time or part-time courses for Ukrainians who do not yet have a work permit. “As soon as the Ukrainians arrive, they benefit from all the services, in particular francization,” he assured. If an immigrant benefits from last-resort financial assistance (social assistance) as is often the case when one is an asylum seeker, he can also have access to francization and reimbursement of child care and transportation costs.
“I have regional offices and nearly 200 people spread throughout Quebec, and the message is the same. […] It is sure that there [en] who may not be fully informed, but the rights are there, they must be respected, there must be healthy communication and we must not be scattered,” said the Minister.
Jean Boulet said he “wanted to do everything” to support the new Ukrainian arrivals. “It is certain that there will perhaps be an isolated case where you will come across people in a city X, Y or Z in Quebec, who will not have had their request completely satisfied. And if it’s not a whim, I’m going to make sure there’s a return. »