CIMM - Quebec Key Facts - December 4, 2025

Key Facts and Figures

Quebec’s annual compensation for settlement/integration services (Accord payment)

Asylum claimants in Quebec (as of September 30, 2025)

Initial work permits issued for asylum claims made in Quebec

Number of work permits (including extensions) issued under the Temporary Foreign Worker Program and destined to work in Quebec^{Footnote *}

Please note that values in the tables above are rounded. This is done to prevent individuals from being identified when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data is compiled and compared to other publicly available statistics. As a result of rounding, data may not sum to the totals indicated.

Key Messages

Canada-Quebec Accord: Roles and Responsibilities

• The objectives of the 1991 Canada-Quebec Accord (the Accord) are to preserve Quebec’s demographic weight within Canada and support the integration of immigrants in the province, while respecting its distinct identity.
• Quebec selects economic immigrants and resettled refugees destined to that province and the federal government selects permanent residents in the family class and protected persons.
• Both governments jointly administer the International Student Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
• The federal government remains responsible for determining the admissibility (i.e., health, security and criminality) of all immigrants to Quebec and for issuing temporary and permanent resident visas, as well as work and study permits.
• Under the Accord, Quebec provides settlement and integration services, with financial compensation from the federal government (i.e., an annual grant). For 2024-2025, Quebec received $867.3M.

Immigration Levels

• As established in the Accord, Quebec sets its own immigration levels, which the Government of Canada takes into account for the overall federal Immigration Levels Plan.
• Quebec’s 2025 Immigration Levels Plan sets a target of approximately 50,000 regular permanent resident admissions per year plus ongoing (uncapped) admissions of people selected under a “Quebec Graduates” stream, estimated to reach as many as 15,000 admissions.
• Quebec’s Plan for 2026 was released on November 6, 2025, and includes temporary resident targets (up to 55,700 workers, and up to 68,500 students), just like Canada’s national Immigration Levels Plan. It also plans for up to 45,000 permanent resident admissions in 2026, of which approximately 28,800 are economic immigrants. Quebec conducted public consultations on its levels plan and these consultations concluded at the end of October 2025.

Asylum Claimants

• Quebec welcomed a large number of asylum claimants during the height of irregular border crossings at Roxham Road from 2021 to 2023. Since the implementation of the Safe Third Country Agreement Additional Protocol on March 25, 2023, the number of claimants arriving between ports of entry has significantly decreased.
• Through the Interim Housing Assistance Program (IHAP), the Government of Canada has provided Quebec with $542.7M to support the province with emergency housing costs incurred since 2017, the first payment being made in 2019.
• The federal government also announced $750M to the Government of Quebec in recognition of the temporary housing and asylum-related challenges caused by irregular border crossings between 2021 and 2024. Of that, $168.7M was paid from IHAP (included in the $542.7M above).
• IRCC works with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Canada Border Services Agency to monitor irregular crossings into Canada, notably those that result in asylum claims. Recent actions under Canada’s Border Plan have strengthened RCMP presence along the border, increasing their capacity to undertake such interceptions.
• Through the investments made under Canada’s Border Plan, law enforcement officials are now better prepared to address any changes in irregular migration volumes. We will continue to work closely with our United States counterparts to investigate, as well as monitor volumes of irregular migration in both directions.

Francophone Immigration to Quebec

• Quebec seeks to prioritize Francophone immigration, with a stated objective of 100% Francophone economic immigration.
• To support their objectives, Quebec has asked that French language proficiency requirements be added to select temporary worker applicants where they do not have authority to do so themselves. The Department intends to propose regulatory changes to its International Mobility Program in fall 2025 to implement this requirement by 2028 (aligned with Quebec’s planned implementation timeline).