Maple News reports that Quebec has revised its wage guidelines for employers hiring temporary foreign workers, with the changes set to take effect on December 1, 2020. The Ministry of Immigration, Francisation and Integration (MIFI) announced that employers must now reference the 2020 edition of the ‘Guide des salaires par professions présentés par intervalle, selon les quartiles au Québec.’
This new wage guide replaces the 2018 edition and introduces updated wage brackets for various occupations in Quebec. These adjustments are expected to align compensation for foreign hires more closely with current local standards. Employers risk having their applications rejected if they submit job offers based on outdated wage data.
Even applications that were submitted before December 1 but remain under review after that date will be subject to the new wage requirements. MIFI emphasized that this ensures fairness and alignment with evolving labor market trends.
Under Quebec’s system, when reviewing a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), the government verifies that the wage offered to a temporary foreign worker is equivalent to what a Canadian or permanent resident would earn in a comparable role with similar experience.
If the position is governed by a collective agreement or labor decree, the employer must adhere to the stipulated wages in those agreements. For roles not covered by such agreements, MIFI applies the relevant hourly wage based on intervals defined in Emploi-Québec’s wage guide. These are divided into quartiles depending on years of experience required.
In cases where the wage information is absent from the provincial guide, federal data from Canada’s Job Bank will be used as reference.
Importantly, the wage used in immigration assessments must reflect guaranteed base salary only. Additional compensation such as tips, bonuses, commissions, or overtime cannot be included in the wage calculation.
Job classification for temporary foreign workers continues to follow the National Occupation Classification (NOC) 2016 system, which remains the standard across Canada for categorizing jobs in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program.
These updates are part of Quebec’s ongoing efforts to maintain a fair labor market and to ensure that foreign workers are compensated in line with local standards.