To answer the burning question, the meteoric increase in temporary residents, we must first understand what this population is made up of. The answer is not so simple.
There are several categories of temporary immigrants, a world that brings together people who are very different from each other, who do not come here for the same reasons, a multitude of programs, sharing of skills that is not always clear between governments, statistics incomplete and sometimes contradictory. All this because, by definition, it is a changing population.
Let’s go with the official definition from Statistics Canada:
“ Non-permanent resident means a person from another country whose usual place of residence is Canada and who holds a work permit or study permit or who has applied for refugee status (refugee applicant asylum). Family members living with work or study permit holders are also included. »
According to new estimates from Statistics Canada, based on a revised methodology, there are 470,976 temporary residents in Quebec.
The largest contingent is found on the workers’ side. At 200,522, these account for 43% of the total. Their presence is desired by the governments of Canada and Quebec to meet labor market needs. These are people who have obtained a proper work permit.
The second largest group is the 146,723 asylum seekers, which is equivalent to 31% of non-permanent residents. Most of them were not chosen, but welcomed because of our international obligations. They are called asylum seekers because they apply for refugee status, a process that usually takes two years.
You should know that 60% of them have a work permit or a work and study permit.
The third group, the smallest in number, is that of foreign students. There were 102,657 in 2023, or 22% of the total. Even if they are fewer in number, they are the ones who have been associated with pressure on the housing crisis.