Canada-Quebec Accord

The Canada-Quebec Accord is a legal agreement concerning immigration issues between the federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Quebec. The broad accord signed in 1991 preceded similar agreements with other provinces including British Columbia and Manitoba. The arrangement gives Quebec the exclusive responsibility of choosing immigrants and refugees still living in their foreign countries but wishing to relocate to the province. Selected applicants are issued “certificat de sélection du Québec”. Citizenship and Immigration Canada issues the actual visa after background and health verifications.

New immigrants are entitled to settlement assistance such as free language training under provincial government administered programs usually called Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC), for which the federal government has budgeted about $350 million to give to the provinces for the fiscal year 2006-2007. [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/press/06/0620-e.html Canada’s New Government Delivers on $307 Million in Settlement Funding] , Citizenship and Immigration Canada, 10 November 2006, URL accessed 25 November 2006] The majority of the $350 million is allocated to Quebec under the Canada-Quebec Accord, at $196 million per year, [http://www.pwgsc.gc.ca/recgen/pdf/v1pa06-e.pdf Public Accounts of Canada, 2006, Volume I] , Summary Reports and Financial Statements, Public Works and Government Services Canada, 19 September 2006, URL accessed 12 March 2007] even though immigration to Quebec represented only 16.5% of all immigration to Canada in 2005. [http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pub/facts2005/permanent/18.html Annual Immigration by Province] , Citizenship and Immigration Canada, URL accessed 2 July 2006] The $350 million is budgeted to increase by an additional $90 million by 2009. [http://www.budget.gc.ca/2007/pdf/bp2007e.pdf The Budget Plan 2007] , Page 219, Department of Finance (Canada), URL accessed 24 March 2007]

External links

* [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/library/PRBpubs/bp252-e.htm Library of Parliament: Immigration - the Canada-Québec Accord]
* [http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/fr/immigrer-installer/refugies-autres/refugie-reconnu/obtention-csq.html Immigration-Québec - Obtenir un certificat de sélection du Québec]

Footnotes