The Quebec Immigration Programs are a great way for namely business owners, self-employed workers and skilled workers to settle in Canada’s only French-speaking province. However, certain important modifications were recently made to the application criteria. Read on to find out what’s changed with the Quebec Immigration Programs.
Who do these changes apply to?
As of January 1, 2020, all foreign nationals who apply for permanent residency through the Quebec Immigration Programs must obtain an attestation of learning about the democratic and cultural values expressed by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.
More specifically, the attestation is required of applicants who are applying for permanent selection via the following programs :
- Programme régulier des travailleurs qualifiés (Regular Skilled Worker Program)
- Programme de l’expérience québécoise (Québec Experience Program)
- Programme des entrepreneurs (Entrepreneur Program)
- Programme des travailleurs autonomes (Self-Employed Worker Program)
- Programme des investisseurs (Investor Program)
If a foreign national wishes to immigrate via a Quebec program with dependent family members, each dependent will also need to obtain the Quebec culture and values attestation. However, any children under 18 years of age and anyone who has a physical or intellectual disability that inhibits them from obtaining the attestation will be exempt from this rule.
What are the primary constituents of “democratic and Quebec values”?
The goal of the Quebec values test is to ensure newcomers are well-aligned with Quebec’s cultural and democratic norms, whether that be a commitment to upholding the values of a democratic society or speaking the local language. It is intended to attract foreign nationals who are a good fit for the province’s labour market, and who have a high probability of integrating seamlessly into its cultural fabric.
The test lasts three hours and applicants must obtain a score of 15/20 (or 75%) to pass. The following five points are the backbone of the values test:
- Quebec is a French-speaking society
- Quebec is a democratic society
- Equality between women and men
- The rights and responsibilities of Quebecers
- Quebec is a secular society
// The goal of the Quebec values test is to ensure newcomers are well-aligned with Quebec’s cultural and democratic norms.
While the test is, understandably, not available online in its entirety, the government has made a few sample questions available to help applicants prepare for the exam.
In Quebec, women and men have the same rights and this is inscribed in law.
▢ True
▢ False
Identify which situations involve discrimination. A job is refused:
▢ To a woman who is pregnant
▢ To a person lacking the required diploma
▢ To a person because of their ethnic background
What is the official language of Quebec?
▢ French
▢ Spanish
▢ English
▢ French and English
Since March 29, 2019, by virtue of the law respecting the laicity of the state, all new police officers may not wear religious symbols.
▢ True
▢ False
Choose one or more drawings that indicate who is allowed to marry in Quebec.
The document describes illustrations of:
▢ Two men
▢ Two women and one man
▢ Two women
▢ A man and a woman
▢ Two men and one woman
When do these changes take effect?
As mentioned above, this new rule came into effect on January 1, 2020. Anyone who applied to the Quebec Immigration Programs before this date will not be required to take the test.
How can you secure this attestation?
There are two ways to obtain the necessary attestation and move forward with your immigration application.
- Attend an Objectif Intégration information session (link only available in French). This course covers all of the basic information regarding Quebec’s cultural and democratic values, and takes place over 24 hours (over multiple days). You must attend the entire session if you wish to obtain your attestation. Once you complete the course, it will automatically be sent to the ministry.
- Complete the online assessment and score at least a 15/20. Once you complete the test, the system will automatically send your results to the ministry. If you fail the test once, you will need to wait two weeks before retaking it. If you fail a second time and you have a valid work or study permit, you will need to attend an Objectif Intégration session. If you do not have either of those permits, you can choose to either attend a session or try the online test once more. A third failure will result in the rejection of your application.
