Quebec's new pilot immigration program is open from Mar 24, 2021

Quebec has opened its new pilot immigration program meant for workers in the food production sector to accept applications. The pilot was opened on March 24, 2021. The pilot program is a pathway for immigration to Quebec for TFWs in eligible jobs in the food production sector.

Applications can be submitted for 2021 between March 24, 2021, and October 31, 2021. MIFI has plans to choose 550 immigration candidates per year via this pilot. The pilot will meet its closure in January 2026.

Quebec’s pilot program for food production workers

This new pilot program under Canada immigration is meant for those working in Quebec's production of food or beverages. The pilot covers the following occupations:

Occupation	NOC
Laborers in fish and seafood processing	9618
Laborers in food and beverage processing	9617
Fish and seafood plant workers	9463
Poultry preparers & related workers and industrial butchers & meat cutters	9462
Process control & machine operators, food & beverage processing	9461
General farmworkers	8431
Specialized cleaners	6732

Applicants of this pilot program must:

• Have experience of at least 2 years in the last 3 years in the food or beverage production industry.
• Currently, be at work in Canada full-time in the food/beverage production sector in Quebec.
• Possess a proficiency of level 7 in French. The proficiency will be measured by the EQNCF.
• Be qualified with at least a DES or DEP.

This pilot program is one of the three programs announced in May and July 2020. Pilot programs were also started for workers in visual effects, IT, and AI.

These pilot programs have been created to enable immigrants to employ their skills in particular areas of work and contribute fully to the development of Quebec.

The travel restrictions introduced at the Canadian border led to a sharp fall in Quebec's economic activity. The province’s GDP went down by 5.2% and employment went down by 4.6% in 2020. That trend is expected to be reversed in 2021.

A 5% growth in GDP is forecasted along with a 5.1% increase in employment in Quebec in 2021.

About Orderlies Pilot Program

The Orderlies Pilot program is scheduled to start on March 31, 2021. The pilot is meant for nurse aides, patient service associates, and orderlies. This pilot program covers the following occupations:

Occupation	NOC
Home support workers, housekeepers, and related occupations	4412
Licensed practical nurses	3233
Allied primary health practitioners	3124
Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses	3012
Nursing coordinators and supervisors	3011

Applicants under this pilot program must:

• Possess a DEP in a field of study related to any of these occupations in the 2 years before submitting the application
• Have a minimum of 2 years of experience in this job type
• Be at present working in any one of the above-stated jobs
• Have proficiency in French of level 7 as measured by EQNCF

Pilot Program for Workers in AI, IT, and Visual Effects

This pilot program is divided into 2 streams. One of them is for individuals working in AI and the other is for specialists in visual effects and IT workers.

The AI stream will accept up to 275 candidates. The people in this stream will already be working or will have accepted full-time employment in Quebec in AI. They will have:

• A minimum Level 7 proficiency in French as measured by EQNCF or
• Enrolled in a training program for the French language

This stream makes a distinction between the ones who graduated from Quebec and those who graduated outside Quebec.

Candidates who graduated outside Quebec must have:

• A university degree that’s equivalent to Quebec’s bachelor’s degree
• At least $100,000 as salary within the limits of the MUC or a minimum of $75,000 outside the MUC
• One of the following:
  • A full-time work experience of 2 years in occupations with NOC codes O, A, or B within the last 5 years
  • A university degree equivalent to masters/doctoral degree from a university in Quebec issued within the period of a year

Those who graduated from Quebec must have:

• DESS, masters/doctoral degree, from Quebec under the last 2 years and have stayed in the province for at least half the period of that study program
• Work experience. (Those with a DESS must have completed a minimum of 6 months of full-time work in a NOC category O, A, or B occupation within a year following graduation

The visual effects stream will also accept 275 candidates at the most. This stream is open to those in the following jobs:

Occupation	NOC
Graphic designers and illustrators	5241
Audio and video recording technicians	5225
Producers, directors, choreographers, and related occupations	5131
Computer network technicians	2281
Electrical and electronics engineering technologists and technicians	2241
Computer programmers and interactive media developers	2174
Software engineers and designers	2173
Information systems analysts and consultants	2171
Electrical and electronics engineers	2133
Computer and information systems managers	0213

Candidates for this stream must have:

• A minimum proficiency level of 7 in French as measured by EQNCF or
• be enrolled in a training program for the French language

They also must:

• have a DEC from Quebec or a bachelor’s degree from a Quebec university
• have completed a minimum of 2 years in a full-time job in an eligible occupation within the last 5 years
• either presently be employed or have accepted an offer for employment in one of the acceptable categories of occupation with a salary offered that's more than 90% of the average wage over the past 3 years for this job in Quebec as measured by MTESS.

If you are looking to Study, Work, Visit, Invest or Migrate to Canada, talk to Y-Axis, the World’s No.1 Immigration & Visa Company.

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Note:

EQNCF - Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes

DES -  High school diploma

DEP - diploma of vocational studies

MUC - Montreal Urban Community

MTESS - Ministry of employment, the Travail, de l’Emploi et de la Solidarité sociale