On September 2, 2022, Joe El Ghazouli applied for permanent residency in Canada. Everywhere, except in Quebec. In December, three months later, he was admitted. And on February 9, he landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“It went very quickly,” notes the 35-year-old Moroccan, who speaks French and English, who studied in France and who has experience in the construction industry.
As Quebec tries to attract French-speaking immigrants to counter the decline of French, the number of new French-speaking permanent residents settling in other Canadian provinces, such as Joe El Ghazouli, is increasing.
In Nova Scotia, according to data from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, it rose from 180 in 2021 to 795 in 2022. In Ontario, from 3905 in 2021 to 9760 in 2022. The increase is even more marked in New Brunswick: 790 in 2021, compared to 2,315 in 2022.
Why do they choose other provinces? Because the federal government opens its arms to them and facilitates the admission process at the very moment when the Quebec government is tightening the screw and sending negative messages, analyze the experts consulted.
Most applications made under the federal Express Entry program are processed in less than six months. In Quebec ? "To have permanent residence, it can easily take two years," answers Me Gabrielle Thiboutot, specializing in immigration.
The federal government has set very ambitious immigration targets with 500,000 newcomers per year by 2025. It has also committed to increasing the proportion of French-speaking immigrants in provinces where French is a minority.
For its part, Quebec, which aims to admit 52,500 immigrants in 2023, has tightened the admission criteria for the Quebec Experience Program to limit the flow.
Result: the delays are longer to immigrate to Quebec and the outcome is often uncertain, not to mention that it costs more.
"For people looking to build a future, applying for permanent residence in Quebec is more expensive and slower than in other provinces," says Benjamin Brunot, a lawyer specializing in immigration. “There is a cost of about $1000 more just in administrative costs. »
“In Quebec, the message is to restrict,” adds Me Brunot. In general, immigrants feel that they are not wanted. It is also economic discrimination. You have a better chance if you pay for the services of a professional who will help you navigate through it all. But overall, the message is: we're going to make your life as difficult as possible. »
A competitive system
Both in Quebec and at the federal level, the selection system for economic immigrants is based on competition. To apply for permanent residence, a skilled worker must create a profile, choose a program and meet the eligibility criteria: language skills, education, age, work experience, income, job offer, etc.
His skills give him points. If the total points are deemed sufficient, his application is placed in a pool of candidates for immigration. He could receive an invitation to apply for permanent residency, depending on his score and ranking in the pool.
In Quebec, the platform used to manage applications is called Arrima. At the federal level, it's Express Entry.
Francophones have two advantages in applying outside Quebec. The first: the federal government grants 50 additional points to those who master French, valuable points that can make the difference between acceptance and refusal. The only condition: they must commit to settling outside Quebec.
The second is that they skip a long, expensive and risky step, obtaining the Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). “At the moment, to obtain the CSQ, we are about six months away from processing, once the person chosen to present his request”, specifies Me Thiboutot.
From Togo to the Northwest Territories
Koko Avoyi, 35, and his 32-year-old wife, from Togo, have chosen to settle outside Quebec. Parents of two little girls aged 4 and 5, they speak French and hold a master's degree in management, accounting-control-audit, in addition to nine years of experience.
“We applied for the Quebec selection program, but I was not selected,” says Koko Avoyi, who had also filled out an application on Express Entry.
He and his wife received a federal invitation in September 2022. They were granted permanent residency and moved to Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (NWT) on March 10. Koko Avoyi found a job in French in her field. His wife takes care of the youngest while waiting to find her a place in daycare. And the eldest is in school.
Why Yellowknife?
“As we were selected by Express Entry, we could not go to Quebec. We did some research and we liked Yellowknife. We said to ourselves that here, we can quickly integrate and get a job. »
—Koko Avoyi
The NWT has 11 official languages, including French. Out of a population of 40,000 inhabitants, 4,395 people can express themselves in French, i.e. 11%.
French, Lisa Boisneault, 29, also chose to settle in the N.W.T. to apply for permanent residence, obtained last summer, after two years in New Brunswick.
“There are Francophone communities outside Quebec with their specificities and jobs. This is what I discovered and what I find very interesting. »
— Lisa Boisneault, Coordinator at the Welcoming Francophone Community of Yellowknife
Lisa adds that the NWT Provincial Nominee Program has a French component. “It makes the journey easier for a candidate who speaks French,” she notes. We have a lot of vacancies and a well-established francophone community. »
The beauty of Vancouver
Hajer Ben Ajroudi, 44, chose Vancouver instead.
Originally from Tunisia, she came to Canada in September 2022, on a visitor's visa, to see her twin sister who has lived in Ottawa for three years. Once there, she decided to create her profile on Express Entry and respond to a job offer in French, in Vancouver.
“I arrived in British Columbia in December,” she says. And since I was already registered in Express Entry and had a profile, I made an expression of interest to British Columbia. On April 26, Hajer received an invitation to apply for permanent residency.
“Honestly, it seems like fate gave me a gift. I really like British Columbia and Vancouver is beautiful. I speak English, not as well as French, but I manage. »
— Hajer Ben Ajroudi
Why not Montreal? “Yes, it could have been my choice, without hesitation, recognizes the Tunisian. Montreal is a city that I love, that I know. If I had had an interesting opportunity, I would have accepted. »
Hajer notices that in recent years, more and more Tunisians are going to New Brunswick and Manitoba rather than Quebec.
The call of New Brunswick
Cédrelle Eymard-Duvernay would also have liked to live in Quebec, where she spent two years, from 2016 to 2018.
“I could have applied for a study permit or found another solution to stay, but it was more expensive and more complicated,” explains the 38-year-old Frenchwoman. “So I went back to France with the idea of coming back to Canada to settle down. »
She resumed her studies and did a master's degree in teaching French, a second language, at the University of Tours. She was supposed to go to Moncton, New Brunswick in March 2020 on a temporary work permit, but COVID-19 hit. She had to postpone her arrival to spring 2022.
After a year of full-time employment, she has just received her invitation for permanent residence. "I will be able to file all my documents next week," she says. This is the last step. It's four to six months, normally. »
Why Moncton?
“In Quebec, it is too complicated, too long to have a closed work permit. I did a lot of research and realized that we had to give up on Quebec for permanent residence. I have French friends who have been in Quebec for several years and who still do not have permanent residence. »
— Cedrelle Eymard-Duvernay
She adds: “I do not regret my decision. It's money, sacrifices, there are obviously a lot of bad experiences, but at the end of the day, it's permanent residence in Canada and it's a quality of life that will be much higher here, what I could have had in France. »
How much does it cost?
Applying for permanent residence is not free. Here are the main fees charged by Quebec and Ottawa.
$1365
Amount required by Ottawa, per adult, to process the application for permanent residence, which includes the right of permanent residence fee ($515). An amount of $230 is added per dependent child under 22 years of age.
$869
Amount that the candidate must pay to apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ), under the Regular Skilled Worker Program. An additional sum of $186 is required for the spouse and for each of the dependent children. Amount payable only for applicants wishing to settle in Quebec
$340
Approximate cost of the French level test which can give points for the application for permanent residence.
$280
Approximate cost of the test to assess English, reading, listening and writing skills.
$250
Average cost of mandatory medical examination for immigration purposes.
$85
Fees charged for biometric data collection services. The family rate is $170.
Source: IRCC
Original article: La Presse
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