(Ottawa) The federal Minister of Immigration, Marc Miller, who challenged Quebec in a letter on delays in family reunification, affirms that he has observed a reduction in the selection certificates issued “for this purpose” by the province.
“It is clear that the fact that Quebec has thresholds that it sets itself causes a certain disproportion in the processing times experienced by Quebec families who expect to be reunited with their family in Quebec,” he said Monday in a press scrum.
Mr. Miller recalled that the missive he sent at the beginning of March to his Quebec counterpart, Minister Christine Fréchette, asked Quebec to address a disparity. According to him, longer delays than elsewhere in Canada in terms of family reunification are attributable to the fact that the province allocates more Quebec selection certificates (CSQ) than its threshold of approximately 10,000 admissions per year in this category. ‘immigration.
Ottawa data shows that Quebecers who wish to bring a spouse of foreign origin must wait 34 months, compared to 12 months for other Canadians.
To bring in a parent, Quebecers must wait an average of 50 months, while the delay is only 24 months elsewhere in Canada.
In the absence of a “collaborative solution” with the government of François Legault, Mr. Miller indicated in his letter that he gave authorization to his ministry to process applications for permanent residence accompanied by a CSQ even if the Quebec threshold in the family reunification category was exceeded. Ottawa recorded “approximately 20,500 [dossiers] dated January 31, 2024.”
Asked on Monday about the effect of his March letter, the federal minister affirmed that “there has been a reduction in the CSQs which are issued for this purpose.”
Mr. Miller did not specify an order of magnitude. His team could not provide further details. On this subject, Minister Fréchette’s office did not immediately respond to The Canadian Press, with a spokesperson mentioning that the ministry might need more time to carry out the necessary verifications.
Ottawa’s long-standing position is that the threshold set by Quebec for family reunification is considered too low.
I told Quebec very clearly that I wanted them to make an extra effort when it comes to Quebec families who expect to be reunited. […] It is a question, for me, of humanity.
Marc Miller, Federal Minister of Immigration
Despite everything, he mentioned that his discussions with Mme Fréchette on the delays in terms of family reunification give him a glimpse of “certain possible solutions”.
“These are discussions, frankly, that are still taking place […] which I cannot speak to you publicly. »
In March, Mme Fréchette denounced Mr. Miller’s missive, deploring “a direct affront to Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction.”
Immigration is a shared responsibility between Quebec and Ottawa; only the economic immigration component is controlled entirely by Quebec.
“Such a decision would have a considerable impact on Quebec’s permanent immigration thresholds. […] This is unacceptable,” argued the Quebec minister.
The current thresholds were the subject of consultation in the National Assembly, “and it is not up to Ottawa to impose them on us,” she added.