The Legault government has finally opted for a moderate reduction in immigration, lowering the thresholds to 45,000 new permanent residents per year for the period from 2026 to 2029.
Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge was juggling three reduction scenarios: 25,000, 35,000, and 45,000 immigrants per year.
This is still a significant decrease, considering that the government plans to welcome a maximum of approximately 61,000 permanent immigrants in 2025.
These latest figures were explained by the fact that individuals from the Quebec Experience Program (PEQ) were continuously being accepted. However, Quebec is ending this program as of November 19, 2025. Applications submitted before that date will still be processed.
The government is leaving itself some leeway, however, and is forecasting a range of between 43,000 and 47,000 permanent admissions.
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Minister Roberge wants to increase the proportion of permanent immigrants who are already in Quebec. The target is 54 per cent in 2026 and 65 per cent by 2029.
The government also wants more than 77 per cent of these immigrants to have intermediate French language skills—i.e., be able to hold a sustained conversation—by 2029. This percentage was 50 per cent for 2018-2019.
The government may reassess the target of 45,000 based on the federal government’s reduction in temporary immigration. Quebec insists that Ottawa must reduce the number of temporary immigrants present in Quebec.
According to Statistics Canada, there are approximately 562,000 temporary immigrants in Quebec.
For the first time, Quebec has taken temporary immigration into account in its planning. The goal is to reduce their number by 13 per cent by 2029 compared to 2024. The aim is to concentrate this reduction in Montreal and Laval in order to protect businesses in the regions that depend on this workforce.
