US EditionQuebec businesses say immigration reductions in federal budget will make labour shortages worse
Quebec and federal governments reduce immigration targets for 2026, cutting permanent residents and temporary workers amid efforts to improve immigrant French-language skills.
- On Nov. 6, 2025, Quebec businesses warned the federal government of Canada’s immigration plan reduces permanent resident numbers from 61,000 expected this year, risking worsened labour shortages.
- The Quebec government has lowered its targets to 45,000 new permanent residents for coming years, amid federal considerations of cuts as low as 25,000.
- The budget offers a one-time 115,000 permanent-residency initiative, but Roy Lee warned `That little increase in the quota is obviously not enough to clear the backlogs in our pathways`, citing almost 150,000 refugees waiting.
- Statistics Canada reports roughly 562,000 temporary immigrants in Quebec, and an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada senior official said demand can exceed available spaces while humanitarian and compassionate pathway wait times range from 12 months to 50 years.
- The levels plan includes 49,000 refugee permanent residency spaces in 2026 and suggests 5,800 spots for special humanitarian programs, with 5,300 planned in 2025 per Immigration Minister Lena Diab's transition binder.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Quebec government cuts immigration targets for permanent residents
QUÉBEC — The Quebec government has lowered its immigration targets for the coming years to 45,000 new permanent residents annually. The new immigration plan published this morning marks a significant decrease from the 61,000 permanent immigrants who are expected in Quebec this year. But the government had been considering even deeper cuts
Quebec businesses say immigration reductions in federal budget will make labour shortages worse
The Carney government’s recent budget includes a drastic reduction in the number of temporary residents admitted in the coming years, something the Quebec government supports, but Quebec’s business community feels differently.
Canadian immigration policy has become a moving target
With more than 85 million people naming it their top choice, Canada has become one of the most desired migration destinations in the world over the past decade. Yet even in 2024, its highest year on record, Canada only admitted about 480,000 new permanent residents, a small fraction of global demand. Despite earlier plans to increase admissions, the intake is now set to decline in response to mounting pressures on housing and public services. Th…
Federal Government Releases Reduced Immigration Targets for Next Three Years
The federal government has released its immigration targets for 2026 though to 2028 – attempting to strike a balance between economic immigration and humanitarian needs. Ottawa has set the annual allocation to 380,000 newcomers for the next three years, with a higher percentage – 64 percent – from the economic class. The number of temporary foreign workers is being cut from more than 365,000 to 230,000 in 2026 and will drop to 220,000 in each of…
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