For 2026, Quebec plans to permanently admit 45,000 immigrants. At the same time, and for the first time, it sets specific targets for temporary immigration under the two temporary programs that require the province’s consent: the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Student Program (ISP). Together, these programs are expected to bring between 84,900 and 124,200 temporary residents to Quebec in 2026.

Let’s break down what these targets mean, starting with how Quebec’s plan fits within Canada’s broader federal framework and the key objectives guiding its new immigration levels.

How Quebec’s Plan Fits Within the Federal Framework

Quebec runs immigration a little differently than the rest of Canada. Thanks to the 1991 Canada–Quebec Accord, the province has special authority to shape who comes to live, work, or study here. While Ottawa sets overall immigration targets and controls visas and permits, Quebec decides how many people it wants to welcome permanently, selects its own economic immigrants, and gives consent for certain temporary admissions, like foreign workers and international students.

It’s a shared system, but one that lets Quebec tailor immigration to its labour needs, linguistic priorities, and regional goals.

And while the new plan comes right on the heels of Ottawa’s federal levels announcement, Quebec is taking a different tack. Its focus is on managing growth, protecting French, and keeping immigration aligned with the province’s real capacity to integrate newcomers.

Key Objectives of Quebec’s 2026–2029 Immigration Plan

At its core, Quebec’s new plan is about finding balance, matching immigration levels with the province’s ability to welcome, integrate, and support newcomers in Quebec society, with a heavy emphasis on French. The government’s 2026–2029 framework outlines several guiding goals:

• Gradually reduce the number of non-permanent residents, particularly in Montréal and Laval, to ease pressure on housing, schools, and health services.
• Protect French as the common language by reinforcing language requirements and expanding francization programs for both permanent and temporary residents.
• Align immigration with labour-market realities, ensuring that new arrivals meet real economic needs without overwhelming public systems.
• Ask the federal government to tighten controls over the International Mobility Program and asylum claims directed to Quebec, especially in Montréal and Laval, to help the province better manage intake and integration.
• Maintain regional vitality, keeping temporary-worker levels stable outside the major urban centres where labour shortages remain high.
• Promote permanent residency for those already in Quebec, aiming for at least 65 % of new permanent residents to come from people already working or studying here by 2029.
• Keep annual permanent admissions around 45,000, with 64 % in economic categories to support key industries.
• Prioritize refugees already living in Quebec, focusing resources on integration rather than expansion.

Permanent Residence Levels

For 2026, Quebec plans to welcome about 45,000 new permanent residents, maintaining levels similar to recent years. The focus remains on sustainable growth, protecting French, and prioritizing candidates already living and working in Quebec.

Here’s how those numbers break down by category:

• Economic immigration: 27,500 to 30,100 people — mostly skilled workers, with a small number of business immigrants.
• Family reunification: 9,600 to 10,400 people joining close family members already in Quebec.
• Refugees and similar status: 5,500 to 6,000 people — mainly those already in Quebec, with about 700 to 900 selected abroad through government or private sponsorship.
• Other categories: roughly 400 to 500 admissions for special or humanitarian cases.

Quebec’s plan keeps economic immigration at the centre, accounting for about 64% of all new admissions,  while aiming for over 77% of newcomers to know French. The government also wants at least 65% of new permanent residents to come from people already established in the province by 2029.

Other Measures Confirmed in the Levels Plan:

To streamline its programs, Quebec is consolidating how it selects skilled workers:

• The Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ) will become the only permanent selection pathway for skilled workers. It’s designed to be more flexible and better aligned with Quebec’s labour and integration priorities.
• The Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) — both the Graduate and Temporary Foreign Worker streams, will officially end on November 19, 2025.
• The three pilot programs (for food processing workers, orderlies, and AI/IT/VFX professionals) will close on January 1, 2026, as planned.

Temporary Residence Levels

Alongside its permanent immigration plan, Quebec is introducing for the first time clear targets for temporary immigration under the two federal programs that require provincial consent, the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP) and the International Student Program (ISP).

For 2026, Quebec expects the temporary admission of between 84,900 and 124,200 people, including both new arrivals and those extending their stay. This includes:

• Temporary Foreign Worker Program: 40,400 to 55,700 people
• International Student Program: 44,500 to 68,500 people

Most people coming to Quebec temporarily must first obtain a Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ), the province’s official authorization confirming that their stay aligns with Quebec’s economic, linguistic, and integration priorities.

The CAQ is required for:

• Workers applying under the TFWP, and
• Students applying under the ISP.

It’s issued by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI) and is not required for people entering under the International Mobility Program (IMP), which is managed by the federal government, although the plans also call for greater authority over temporary residence in Quebec through the International Mobility Program. This makes sense considering most foreign workers in Canada are here through the International Mobility Program.

This shift to include temporary levels marks an important evolution in how Québec approaches immigration overall, one that looks beyond long-term targets to manage the immediate pressures on housing, public services, and integration, while still meeting real labour and education needs across the province.