17. Quebec's Immigration Levels Plan 2026-2029
episode
Welcome to Canada! Your Ultimate Guide to Moving to Canada: Immigration, Budgeting, Jobs, Housing, Healthcare, Studies & More.
14 min
1 speaker
8 chapters
transcribed 1 month ago
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What is Quebec's new immigration levels plan for 2026–2029 and who is this episode for?
Welcome to Canada, the podcast that helps you prepare for your Canadian adventure with clarity and confidence.
Hello future newcomers and welcome to your Canadian PrepZone. You're listening to episode number 17 and it is recorded in December 2025. I'm Emma, your host and your international mobility coach. I'm here to help you prepare, plan and thrive in your move to Canada. Today we're diving into Quebec's immigration levels plan. Every year, Quebec's Minister of Immigration, Franchization and Integration releases its immigration plan. This year's plan covers the period for 2026 to 2029. Who is included in the plan? Temporary residents and permanent residents.
How does Quebec's unique autonomy affect immigration rules and who is included in the plan?
But before we dig in, we need to talk about something that makes Quebec, Quebec. Among all Canadian provinces and territories, Quebec is the one with the highest level of autonomy in immigration. With that in mind, let's talk about temporary residence. In Quebec's immigration plan, temporary residents include two groups, international students and temporary foreign workers. An international student is someone who holds a study permit for a program of six months or more at a designated learning institution in Quebec. A temporary worker is someone who obtains a work permit under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program, the TFWP. To access this program, you need a labor market impact assessment, an LMIA.
Before we go any further, one clarification.
What counts as temporary residence in Quebec and how are international students defined?
The numbers I'm about to share include both new arrivals from abroad and extensions for people who are already in Quebec and decide to continue studying or working. In other words, these numbers do not represent only people arriving from overseas. They also include people already in Quebec who renew their status. Now, what are the planned temporary resident admissions for 2026? 44,500 to 68,500 for international students. It means a total range of 84,900 to 124,200. You might ask yourself, are these numbers going up or down? Let's start with international students. In 2023, admissions were 78,000. In 2024, the numbers dropped. In 2025, they dropped again. In 2026, the maximum forecast hits 68,500. That's a drop of about 13% compared to 2023.
But it is a potential 23% increase between 2025 and 2026 at the upper limit.
How many temporary resident spots are forecast for 2026 and are student admissions rising or falling?
Some of you might be thinking, hey, this looks encouraging. Studying in Quebec could be a solid pathway. Fair point. But is it your best strategy? Do you actually want to go back to school? At what level? And what would that mean for your spouse's ability to get an open work permit? Even if both of you can work, will those salaries be enough to cover tuition, rent, living costs, and everything else? Your budget can make or break your project. If you need clarity, my book Cost of Moving to Canada and my budgeting coaching sessions will give you the answers you need. Now, let's talk about temporary workers. In 2023, admissions were 58,545. In 2024, they decreased. In 2025, they decreased again. In 2026, the maximum forecast is 55,700.
A decrease of nearly 5% compared to 2023, but a small increase of 0.54% at the upper limit between 2025 and 2026. You might look at this and think, Well, at least it's stable. But not so fast. What matters is who these numbers refer to. Because there is a split between non-agricultural workers and agricultural workers. Let's look at Quebec Acceptance Certificates, CAQ, for temporary workers. It is a document that you need to have in order to work in Quebec. In 2023, 62% were for non-agricultural workers. In 2024, it dropped to 58%. In 2025, it dropped again to 55%.
What are the 2026 forecasts for temporary foreign workers and how are agricultural roles changing?
And in 2026, it should turn around 51%. Year after year, the proportion of non-agricultural workers is dropping while agricultural roles are increasing. I'm guessing that if you're planning to work in Quebec, you're not coming here for agricultural work. I'm also guessing that many of you want to live in the Montreal area. But the Quebec government has extended the suspension of certain LMIA applications in Montreal and Laval until December 31st of 2026. Therefore, here are some very important questions for you.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What is Quebec's new immigration levels plan for 2026–2029 and who is this episode for?
0:10–1:15
2
How does Quebec's unique autonomy affect immigration rules and who is included in the plan?
1:15–2:16
3
What counts as temporary residence in Quebec and how are international students defined?
2:16–4:00
4
How many temporary resident spots are forecast for 2026 and are student admissions rising or falling?
4:00–6:09
5
What are the 2026 forecasts for temporary foreign workers and how are agricultural roles changing?
6:09–9:06
6
Which permanent residency pathways are closing and what replaces them in Quebec?
9:06–11:40
7
How many permanent residents does Quebec plan to admit in 2026 and what are the priority criteria?
11:40–13:21
8
How should prospective newcomers adapt their immigration strategy given Quebec's priorities and reduced targets?
13:21–14:20
Speakers
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