Quebec is blocking the arrival of foreign students supposed to come and do an internship in residences for the elderly or disabled in the region. It thus deprives of a valuable workforce these out of breath establishments which are desperately waiting for reinforcements.
“Since the start of the pandemic, my wife and I have not had a single leave of absence of more than 24 hours! drops Pierre Hébert, owner with his wife of the Sainte-Élizabeth-de-Warwick residence, an intermediate resource with eight severely handicapped residents.
Completely exhausted, Mr. Hébert pinned all his hopes on an Attestation of Collegial Studies (AEC) program set up by the Cégep de Saint-Félicien in partnership with a school in Tunisia. But while the first cohorts had managed to come and do an internship here, a new interpretation of regulations from the Quebec Immigration Department led to the refusal of the Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ) of several of the approximately 20 students who had to come here at the beginning of the year, including two at his residence. A “totally unacceptable” situation, according to him, in a Quebec with a shortage of personnel.
According to information and documents obtained by The duty, the Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) has indeed refused to issue certain CAQs, a step prior to the study permit issued by the federal government, alleging that the person who issues it application will not come to study in an educational institution, but rather “to take up a full-time job in a company within the framework of a paid internship”. The MIFI fears setting a precedent where companies circumvent the rules to bring in foreign workers “disguised as students”.
An innovative program
However, Bernard Naud, educational adviser at the Cégep de Saint-Félicien, claims to have always “sought solutions”. This is what led him to create this partnership four years ago with his friend and former colleague, Wassef Ben Ounis, who runs the Wiki Academy in Tunisia, to teach courses there leading to an AEC in Social work intervention with a specialization in intermediate resources. This diploma allows Tunisians in particular to have access to quality training by avoiding the thousands of dollars in tuition fees that foreign students must pay when coming to Quebec.
“We first give them training with teachers who know Quebec well. They learn to cook from Quebec. We even make them listen The time of a peace “, explains Mr. Naud.
These French-speaking students trained in this recognized Quebec program then come to the regions to do their last practical courses in the form of an internship and thus lend a hand to residences in need of manpower. It’s a “win-win” program, assures Mr. Ben Ounis, a Quebecer of Tunisian origin. “And very often, the employer will take steps so that these students can obtain a work permit and stay. »
A dozen trainees prevented from coming
The students of the first cohort had all had the green light from Quebec. For the third cohort, 8 of the 21 Tunisians are already on internship in residences in various regions of Alma and Charlevoix. “Why aren’t the other trainees already here?” It’s the same program! was surprised Mr. Hébert, who specified that all the requests, including the two for his residence, had been made in the spring of 2021.
On Friday morning, the minister’s office reiterated to the To have to that these Tunisian students in internship were considered as “workers” and that they should instead apply for a work permit, via the International Mobility Program (PMI) or that of temporary foreign workers (PTET). “The rules are clear,” said Minister Jean Boulet.
A few hours later, he changed his mind. “We will not leave these people behind. I have instructed my department to contact them in order to support them and explain to them the criteria for obtaining the CAQ. If it turns out that they do not meet the criteria, we will support them in obtaining a temporary foreign worker permit. For the Minister, “things must be done in order”.
Go into a box
Wassef Ben Ounis cannot explain why other students from the same cohort obtained their CAQ without any problem. “It’s the same promotion, the same program, the same CEGEP! It’s as if there were two weights, two measures,” he says. “If we are out of the ordinary and if [les fonctionnaires du MIFI] don’t understand our program, let them explain it. Looks like they don’t want to talk. »
For Bernard Naud, of the Cégep de Saint-Félicien, the officials of the ministry misinterpret the program. “All of a sudden, it’s as if the MIFI doesn’t recognize the practical courses. They have to be seated in a class to be students, otherwise they come to work,” he explains. “It’s the administrative side that interests them. And we don’t fit into a box. »
The pedagogical adviser notes that his training is disturbing and deplores the fact that he is being put in the way when he has nevertheless brought a concrete solution to the shortage of workers. “We just wanted to be creative,” he says. “The lack of manpower is a war, and if we don’t go beyond administrative standards to find solutions, we will lose it. »
While he would like to be able to accommodate a ninth severely handicapped resident, Pierre Hébert is upset that his two future “French-speaking and perfectly trained” interns are not welcomed with open arms. “The Prime Minister wants to repatriate [du fédéral] all the powers related to immigration when the problem is at home! »