Quebec’s Minister of Immigration, Diversity, and Inclusion (MIDI), Simon Jolin-Barrette, announced a new personalized immigration support program for newcomers to Quebec, Parcours d’accompagnement personnalisé, on August 8. The new program will provide support for immigrants moving to Quebec from before they arrive and throughout their resettlement to help them adapt to their new community.
Quebec is investing $20 million a year in the personalized support immigration program to help integrate newcomers to the province, and hiring 84 new government workers: 78 Integration Support Officers and 6 Coordinators. Jolin-Barrette said in the press release,
“The Personalized Support program takes into account the fact that there is not only one integration trajectory, but each person also has unique needs and experience. The [new] program allows us to take this into account and direct people to the appropriate resources where they will find adapted and individualized services and support.”
Custom Services For Each Immigrant
A key feature of the new program is that it will use tools and resources to provide personalized immigration support for each newcomer with "accessible, flexible and adapted coaching throughout the integration process:
Before an immigrant arrives in Quebec, the newcomer will be told about the integration services and a customized program
After their arrival in Quebec, within the first 5 days, they will meet with an Integration Support Officer who will create an integration action plan including:
1. Installation2. Francization3. Integration into the job market4. Community integration
The new program is key to Quebec's new immigration system. The Quebec government passed immigration law reforms in June 2019. The Quebec Ministère de l’immigration, de la diversité et de l’inclusion (MIDI) has a special immigration agreement with the Government of Canada and has separate rules and qualifications to select foreign nationals who have the skills needed and can integrate into French-speaking Quebec society. To immigrate to Quebec as a skilled worker, foreign nationals must first apply for a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ). The new program will work with Quebec's new Arrima system, which is intended to match immigration with the needs of the local job market.
