Feb 15, 2018 – The most recent statistics show Quebec’s population growth rate is increasing, buoyed by healthy immigration figures.
The provincial population stood at 8.4 million in 2016, up by 68,500 over the course of the year, the Institut de la statistique du Québec recently reported.
This makes the growth rate 0.82 per cent, up from 0.6 per cent in 2015. Early analysis also suggests the growth continued to increase in 2017.
Although the current numbers are still lower than the 2009 population increase of 1.1 per cent, the increase in growth rate represents a positive trend.
The French=speaking province welcomed 53,250 immigrants in 2016, up from 49,000 in 2015, the Institut de la statistique du Québec figures also show. The 2016 numbers were spearheaded by the influx of Syrian refugees.
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The province still suffers from high losses to inter-provincial migration, although the statistics suggest the numbers are falling.
Quebec saw an estimated 86,400 births in 2016, slightly fewer than the estimate for 2015. This gives the province a birthrate of 1.59 babies per woman, down from 1.73 in 2009, although slightly above the Canada-wide average.
The province saw 63,600 deaths in 2016, down 800 from 2015 and going against the province’s aging population. The drop was put down to a flu season that saw fewer deaths in 2016 than 2015.
Quebec plans to welcome between 49,000 and 53,000 new permanent residents under all programs in 2018.
The numbers are within the same range as the 2017 Quebec immigration targets.
The figures show a slight increase in the number of economic immigrants offset by a slight decline in family reunification and refugee immigration numbers.
Quebec Immigration Categories
Quebec Skilled Worker
Quebec Business Immigration
Quebec Experience Program
Quebec Immigration Admission Targets 2018
Category | Minimum | Maximum |
Economic immigration | 28,700 | 31,300 |
|
24,200 | 26,300 |
|
4,000 | 4,300 |
|
500 | 700 |
Family reunification | 11,600 | 12,100 |
Refugees and people in similar situations | 8,100 | 8,800 |
|
5,600 | 6,000 |
|
1,550 | 1,600 |
|
4,050 | 4,400 |
|
2,500 | 2,800 |
Other immigrants** | 600 | 800 |
Total | 49,000 | 53,000 |
* Includes caregivers and other economic class immigrants
** Includes various special categories of immigrants admitted on humanitarian or public interest grounds
Quebec Selection Certificate Plan
In the same immigration plan, Quebec also set out the numbers of selection certificates it expects to issue in 2018.
In the Skilled Worker category, selection certificate numbers are expected to decrease significantly, to a maximum of 29,000. This compares to a projected 33,000 certificates issued in 2017 and the real number of 39,986 certificates that were issued in 2017.
Overall, Quebec expects to issue a maximum of 43,000 certificates in 2018, compared with 46,700 in 2017 and 56,083 in 2016.
Issuing an invitation certificate does not guarantee the candidate will arrive in Quebec the same year, as the application process can take a number of months after the certificate has been issued. Fewer certificates also indicates a backlog of applications, meaning candidates already issued with certificates will arrive in 2018.
Quebec Immigration Selection Targets 2018
Category/program | Minimum | Maximum |
Skilled worker | 26,000 | 29,000 |
Business | 4,000 | 6,000 |
Other economic* | 600 | 800 |
Refugees | 5,600 | 6,500 |
Others** | 500 | 700 |
Total | 36,700 | 43,000 |
* Includes caregivers and other economic class immigrants
** Includes various special categories of immigrants admitted on humanitarian or public interest grounds
The Quebec government has exclusive jurisdiction to manage its own comprehensive immigration programs, under a series of agreements dating back to 1981. It has the largest allocations of immigrants to Canada, among the 10 provinces and 3 territories accounting for approximately 17 per cent of Canada’s planned overall annual immigration levels for 2018.