Maple News reports that Quebec has updated its immigration plan for 2021, aiming to welcome between 44,500 and 47,500 new immigrants. These targets were revealed in the province’s 2021 Immigration Plan, issued by Quebec’s Ministry of Immigration on October 29. This announcement aligns with the federal government’s upcoming multi-year plan, which outlines Canada’s broader immigration strategy for 2021 to 2023.
The new immigration levels represent a modest but significant increase from the 2020 goals, which were capped at 44,500. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related travel restrictions, Quebec estimates that only 30,500 newcomers will be admitted in 2020 — a shortfall of up to 14,000 immigrants.
To address this gap, the province has built a “rebalancing” component into its 2021 targets. The Ministry of Immigration confirmed that approximately 7,000 additional spots in 2021 will be allocated to account for postponed admissions from 2020. The province plans to resolve the remainder of this backlog gradually over the following two years.
In 2021, Quebec expects 62% of newcomers to arrive through economic immigration pathways. Specifically, between 27,500 and 29,300 admissions are designated for economic immigrants, including a maximum of 24,200 through the Skilled Worker Program.
Business immigration streams, including Quebec’s Entrepreneur and Self-Employed Worker programs, have a combined cap of up to 4,300 admissions. An additional 800 places are allocated under other economic categories such as caregivers and specialized categories.
This renewed immigration plan reaffirms Quebec’s commitment to boosting economic recovery and addressing labor shortages through skilled immigration, while also compensating for the disruptions caused by the global health crisis. As the only province in Canada with full control over its immigration selection process, Quebec continues to tailor its strategy in line with both demographic needs and economic priorities.
Maple News will continue to monitor developments as Quebec and Canada implement these policies and tackle post-pandemic immigration challenges.