Moving Toward Digitized Immigration

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Ministerial Order 2023-006, issued by the Minister of Immigration, Francization, and Integration on 15 December 2023 under the Québec Immigration Act (chapter I-0.2.1), introduces amendments to the immigration procedure in Québec. The regulation revises the application filing processes for various immigration programs. This amendment is consistent with sections 41 and 104 of the Québec Immigration Act, which grant the Minister the authority to establish filing conditions for immigration-related applications and exempt such regulations from certain publication requirements under the Regulations Act.

Section 41 of the Québec Immigration Act authorizes the Minister to determine the conditions for submitting immigration applications through ministerial regulations. Section 104 further clarifies that regulations made under section 41 are not subject to prior publication as outlined in section 8 of the Regulations Act and become effective upon their publication in the Gazette officielle du Québec or at a date specified in the regulation itself. In the case of Ministerial Order 2023-006, the amended immigration procedures will take effect on 22 January 2024. The new regulation mandates that several types of immigration applications must now be submitted through a designated website managed by the Minister.

The Ministerial Order amends the existing Immigration Procedure Regulation (chapter I-0.2.1, r. 5), which had been previously modified by the Regulation to amend various provisions relating to immigration (M.O. 2023-002, 2023-11-08). The key changes introduced by the new regulation include revised filing requirements for immigration applications. Section 1 of the amendment replaces the second paragraph of the Immigration Procedure Regulation, stipulating that specific categories of applications must now be submitted electronically via the Minister’s designated website.

The types of applications affected by this online filing requirement include those submitted under the following programs: the International Student Program, Temporary Foreign Worker Program, Québec Experience Program, Regular Skilled Worker Program, any permanent immigration pilot program, and any program referred to in section 118.15 of the Québec Immigration Regulation (chapter I-0.2.1, r. 3). In addition, applications for undertakings under the collective sponsorship program for refugees abroad, as well as applications for assessing the impact of an employment offer on Québec’s labor market or validating an employment offer, are also subject to the new electronic submission requirement.

Ministerial Order 2023-006 is a targeted regulatory amendment under the Québec Immigration Act designed to improve the immigration application process through mandatory electronic submissions. The regulation is part of Québec’s broader efforts to modernize its immigration procedures and optimize the use of digital platforms, while also providing exemptions for specific sectors such as agriculture and home care.

Quebec (MO2023-006) January 17, 2024