The subject of immigration in general and, more specifically, the temporary aspect, provokes a lot of reaction in the public space. However, the people behind the statistics are neither represented on political panels nor known.
Certainly, publications and reports on the adaptation, life and challenges of Ukrainians multiplied around February 24 (marking two years of the war in Ukraine), but the number of countries in which the Democracy and freedoms are disappearing and multiplying.
Temporary immigration brings together a multitude of stories: those of young French men and women arriving in Montreal, working vacation program (PVT) in hand, those of refugees from Ukraine, those of Afghan women fleeing the oppression in their country, those of temporary workers taken on a closed work permit, those of immigrants selected by Quebec who arrive thanks to the PMI+ (International Mobility Plus Program) and the stories of all those who took refuge here, in Quebec, because they had no other choice but to leave.
It is precisely this PMI+ that we forget in the debate on immigration thresholds, reception capacity and “good immigrants”. This temporary measure aims to facilitate the arrival of immigrants already selected by Quebec. These include graduates abroad, mainly French-speaking, but also people who are perfectly (or almost) bilingual and highly motivated.
The stories of the individuals or families in question are just as varied as their countries of origin, although the reasons that pushed them to immigrate are quite universal: to build a better life in a free, democratic and peaceful country.
Although I do not define myself as a refugee — my departure took place in circumstances very different from those of Ukrainians, for example — I left for two main reasons: on the one hand, propelled by my love for Quebec and, on the other, pushed to leave due to the situation in the Middle East which already gave rise to fears of the worst, well before October 7.
It is thanks to PMI+ that I am here today and not stuck in a country at war. It is thanks to this same agreement between Quebec and Ottawa that I experienced the horrors of October 7, 2023 remotely, while building my life here. Today I work in the health network and in education.
To say that I say “Thank you Quebec, thank you Canada” each time my integration into Quebec society advances, each time I see the beauty in a moment spent in this beautiful place which welcomed me so warmly is far from ‘be exaggerated.
The fact of being able to express myself freely, to say “no” to a man without him responding with a “But why?” “, the fact of being involved in politics as an allophone newcomer and, of course, the fact of being able to write my lines in the newspaper that I have read daily for two years, all of this means that I am happy here.
This is a story, that of a Quebecer with an immigrant background who is one of the 528,034 non-permanent residents. While waiting for my permanent residence application to be processed, I am among these famous temporary immigrants.