Language as Policy: Québec Tightens Immigration Around French Proficiency
The province of Quebec now joins Australia, UK, France, and others by raising language proficiency requirements for immigrants. This week the Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration announced more limits on temporary and permanent migration to reduce immigration pressure. Some of my takeaways:
- Language as identity and policy lever
The press release says: “French, as the official language, constitutes a key pillar of its cultural and social identity. It is the vector for the integration of immigrants.” Read: you must speak French to belong. Language is more than just about fluency, it is a cultural and social symbol.
This reflects a long-term shift happening across immigration-surplus countries from large-scale migration to large-scale assimilation.
- French proficiency requirement for Temporary Foreign Workers (TFWs)
Starting December 17, 2028, TFWs who’ve been in Québec for 3+ years will need level 4 spoken French to renew their Certificat d’acceptation du Québec (CAQ). There’s a 3-year transitional period (2025–2028) to help workers reach that level, and exemptions exist for farm workers, diplomats, and NGO employees.
This is unusual globally. Very few jurisdictions condition temporary labor renewal on language proficiency, and it's a sign that even those in province for a short period of time should make a real effort to speak the language on a daily basis.
- Consolidating permanent immigration programs
The Programme de l’expérience québécoise (PEQ) is being abolished (Nov 19, 2025).
All permanent streams are merged into the new Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés (PSTQ), which of course prioritizes French-speaking, regionally distributed workers. I predict quite a few highly-skilled, english-speaking workers who scored very highly on the CRS might be miffed at this, but on the other hand they do have a generous 3 years to get to the required level, and I'm reading Level 4 is essentially equivalent to A2 / B1.