The province of Quebec administers a program of selection for those seeking permanent residence in the province. They have now announced that they will introduce pilot programs vis-à-vis ‘enhanced’ opportunities for up to 550 applicants (and their families) per year, for approximately five years, in each of three categories where Quebec has identified skills shortages:
- Workers in Food Processing (effective March 24)
- Orderlies [including Nurse Aides and Patient Service Associates] (effective March 31), and
- Workers in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Information Technologies and Visual Effects (IT-VE) (effective April 22)
In this article, we will focus on the third category – those in AI/IT-VE.
In the AI/IT-VE category, there are two distinct classifications:
- Foreign workers or Quebec graduates in Artificial Intelligence (275 slots/year), and
- Foreign Workers in Information Technologies and Visual Effects (275 slots/year)
Eligible applicants may submit an application for a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ), and must show, among other matters:
- Generally:
- Proficiency in French (if submitting under the Francophone profile)
- Economic Self-Sufficiency (in accordance with relevant factors otherwise established under Quebec regulations)
- In the case of an AI application:
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- For foreign workers:
- A minimum educational equivalence to a Quebec bachelor’s degree
- A minimum of 24 months’ full-time experience (in the preceding 60 months) in a NOC 0, A or B occupation (unless the person hold’s a Quebec equivalent Master’s degree obtained within the preceding 12 months from the date of application)
- A Quebec job or job offer in the AI field, paying at least $75,000/year or $100,000/year in Montreal
- For Quebec graduates:
- Completion, within the preceding 24 months, of a Quebec post-graduate diploma (or higher) with at least ½ of the program having been completed in Quebec
- Where the education is a post-graduate diploma, 6 months’ work in Quebec within the 12 months following the completion of the program
- A Quebec job or job offer in the AI field
- Completion, within the preceding 24 months, of a Quebec post-graduate diploma (or higher) with at least ½ of the program having been completed in Quebec
- For foreign workers:
- In the case of an IT-VE application:
- Minimum educational equivalence to a Quebec diploma (at a college level)
- A minimum of 24 months’ full-time experience (in the preceding 60 months)
- A Quebec job or job offer paying an appropriate wage at a 3-year experience level
- Acceptable Job/Job Offer NOCs are:
- 2171- Information systems analysts and consultants
- 5241 – Graphic designers and illustrators (in the visual effects sector)
- 0213 – Computer and information systems managers
- 2173 – Software engineers and designers
- 2133 – Electrical and electronics engineers
- 5131 – Producers, directors, choreographers and related occupations (in the visual effects sector)
- 2174 – Computer programmers and interactive media developers
- 5225 – Audio and video recording technicians (in the visual effects sector)
- 2281 – Computer network technicians
- 2241 – Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians
There are certainly further details, and those seeking to take advantage of the program (employer or employee) should consult appropriate counsel, but this does allow for enhanced possibilities for employers seeking to fill positions in these areas (and for the employees seeking to fill them). In many cases, temporary work permits would also be available to those who had been selected for the program, while the permanent residence applications are in process.
The information in this article is for general purposes only, and not intended as legal advice for any particular situation.