College Immigration Changes in Quebec
To protect the integrity of Quebec’s international student program, Jean Boulet, the Quebec Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Solidarity, Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration and Minister Responsible for the Maurice Region; and the Honorable Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada made an important announcement on June 7, 2022.
According to them, a new stricter measure in acquiring post-graduation work permits (PGWP) for graduates of unsubsidized private schools in Quebec will be imposed and come into effect on September 1, 2023. Once imposed, only graduates of publicly subsidized private and public colleges and universities in Quebec can access the post-graduation work permits. This ensures that Quebec will not be an easy gateway for permanently settling in Canada.
“It is important to take action to protect the integrity of our immigration programs, which must promote sustainable integration into Quebec society. These adjustments will help attract international students to come study in all regions of Quebec and ensure that Quebec is not used as a gateway for settling in other provinces,” according to Jean Boulet.
Data shows that from 2016 to 2018, around 4,900 international students got their study permits from unsubsidized private colleges and universities. From 2019 to 2021, these figures rose to 11,500. If not for the new college immigration changes in Canada, the numbers will go higher.
Most unsubsidized colleges in Quebec use the post-graduation work permit as their major selling point for attracting international students each year. They charge as much as $25,000 per year for tuition fees. Sadly, some of these colleges have poor management, and when some of them suddenly shut down in 2021, many students, including international students, were not able to reimburse their tuition fees. Most of them were left without a word or explanation.
Until August 31, 2023, your program must be 8 months or 900 hours or longer and lead to one of the following for you to be eligible for a PGWP aside from meeting other PGWP criteria:
Diplôme d’ éstudes professionnelles (DEP) (diploma of vocational studies (DVS) in English)
Attestation de spécialisation professionnelle (ASP) (attention of vocational specialization (AVS) in English)
Diplôme d’ éstudes collégiales (DEC) (diploma of college studies (DCS) in English)
Attestation d’ études collégiales (AEC) (attestation of collegial studies (ACS) in English)
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