Quebec welcomes many more newcomers than it seems and integrates them economically much better than before, finds a study. Struggling with a labor shortage, it should now increase its official immigration thresholds, with the regions in particular in mind.
Regarding immigrants, the Legault government said it wanted to “take less of them, but take care of them”, recalls the Institut du Québec (IdQ) in the press release accompanying the Portrait of immigration in Quebec unveiled on Wednesday. However, even though he reduced the threshold for new permanent immigrants from 51,000 to 40,000 in his first year in office, the total number of new foreign residents in Quebec increased for a fourth consecutive year, the overall external migration balance — total arrivals minus departures in Quebec — indicating a record gain of almost 93,500 newcomers in 2019.
This increase is due to the steady increase in the number of immigrant workers and international students admitted under temporary permits. Their total has increased, in ten years, from 79,000 in 2012 to 177,000 in 2021. The COVID-19 pandemic and the tightening of health rules at the borders have sharply reduced the total migratory balance to 14,000 in 2020 and to 44 000 in 2021. From just under 125,000 in 2019 to 97,000 in 2020, the number of temporary residence permits issued by the Government of Quebec, however, quickly rebounded last year, to almost 136,000.
Better economic integration
It is not just the number of temporary immigrants that has changed significantly in recent years, continues the IdQ in its 69-page report. The degree of economic integration of new arrivals has also improved markedly.
The unemployment rate of landed immigrants aged 25 to 54 has, for example, more than halved in ten years, dropping from 12.7% in 2012 (compared to 6.5% for people born in Canada) to 5. 3% last April (against 2.9%). Still far behind that of Ontario (75.1%) or that of British Columbia (76.7%), the employment rate of all immigrants landed in Quebec has, moreover, jumped 69.9% to 81.9% and caught up with all its delay on the other provinces.
Progress is also observed on the income side. In Quebec, the average weekly earnings of all landed immigrants in 2012 were 8.5% behind those of the Canadian-born population. This gap had narrowed to 2.8% in 2020, before the pandemic hit immigrant workers harder and widened the gap to 6.4% in 2021. The catch-up is even more dramatic when you focus on the only economic immigrants, whose salary delay, one year after their admission to permanent residence, amounted to 40% compared to the Quebec median in 2010 and which was only 1.3% in 2019.
The growing use of temporary immigration is no stranger to this better economic integration of immigrants in Quebec, indicated in an interview with the To have to two of the study authors. Indeed, having work experience in Canada greatly helps this integration, observes economist Daye Diallo. And if the proportion of new landed immigrants who have such experience has increased, in ten years, from 37% to 57%, it is because many of them were already working in Quebec as international students or temporary workers.
The increase in the number of immigrants and their better economic integration in recent years are also the result of the aging of the Quebec population and the increasingly pressing labor needs of businesses, continues the President and CEO of the IdQ, Mia Homsy. “It is clearly the effect of the tightening of the labor market, which benefits all workers, but more immigrants. »
Could do better
However, all is not for the best in the best of worlds, specifies the IdQ. If the increase in the number of temporary workers helps companies to face the shortage of labour, it is often done at the cost of greater precariousness for these foreign workers, sometimes struggling with work permits linked to an abusive or unfair employer and with less favorable working conditions, unable to bring their families or showing a lack of knowledge of their rights. The situation is also not ideal for employers, who would like to be able to count on a more stable workforce in the long term.
To complicate matters, the delays in obtaining permanent residence for these temporary workers “are, by far, much longer in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada”. Primarily attributable to the federal government, these “excessive administrative delays” which can span 37 months unfortunately lead some to turn to other provinces, such as Ontario.
The IdQ also observes that, despite efforts, the regionalization of immigration is “at a standstill”, with the greater Montreal region still welcoming nearly 85% of immigrants to Quebec. However, labor needs are often much greater elsewhere. In addition, the economic, social and linguistic integration of immigrants with a French-speaking majority would probably be even better outside the metropolis.
The IdQ recommends in particular to raise the annual immigration thresholds by prioritizing the regions. To the 50,000 new immigrants expected, Quebec could thus accept a maximum of 10,000 additional applications which would be submitted by temporary immigrants already settled outside the major centres.
In the absence of major ambassadors like Montréal international and Québec international, the regions should be able to count more on Investissement Québec international as well as on their CEGEPs and universities to attract more international students and qualified temporary workers.
Since application processing times are very long and are generally imposed on temporary immigrants who are already working in Quebec, the IdQ believes that we could also abolish the professional experience requirement before filing an application. application for permanent residence. To reduce delays, Ottawa should also cede more powers to Quebec in the processing of applications from economic immigrants.