French citizens considering Canada – question about Québec vs federal immigration

[pxmme]

Hi everyone,


My girlfriend and I are French citizens from France, and we’re considering moving to Canada. Our plan would be to start with IEC or a closed work permit, and ideally settle permanently later on.


We noticed that at the federal level, Express Entry seems quite accessible for French speakers, especially with the French-language draws.


Naturally, we looked into Québec, since we’re French and very attached to the language and culture. We’d genuinely love to live there and contribute to its francization efforts.
But from what we’ve read, immigrating long-term to Québec as French nationals seems surprisingly difficult, and we’ve seen many recent cases of French citizens having to leave the province.


We’re a bit confused: we expected Québec to be the easiest place in Canada for French people, but it seems to be the opposite. Are we missing something?


Because of this, we’re also considering Vancouver, Calgary, or possibly Toronto, especially places where my girlfriend’s background (Master’s in French literature) could be valued.


Thanks a lot for your insights !

 

[steaky]

Hi everyone,


My girlfriend and I are French citizens from France, and we’re considering moving to Canada. Our plan would be to start with IEC or a closed work permit, and ideally settle permanently later on.


We noticed that at the federal level, Express Entry seems quite accessible for French speakers, especially with the French-language draws.


Naturally, we looked into Québec, since we’re French and very attached to the language and culture. We’d genuinely love to live there and contribute to its francization efforts.
But from what we’ve read, immigrating long-term to Québec as French nationals seems surprisingly difficult, and we’ve seen many recent cases of French citizens having to leave the province.


We’re a bit confused: we expected Québec to be the easiest place in Canada for French people, but it seems to be the opposite. Are we missing something?


Because of this, we’re also considering Vancouver, Calgary, or possibly Toronto, especially places where my girlfriend’s background (Master’s in French literature) could be valued.


Thanks a lot for your insights !

Canada is primarily in recession. That's one reason why you seen people leaving.

 

[pxmme]

Canada is primarily in recession. That's one reason why you seen people leaving.

Thanks for your reply.

Sorry if my original post wasn’t clear enough. What I was specifically referring to are French citizens who wanted to stay in Québec but couldn’t, because their work permits weren’t renewed or because they were unable to obtain Québec permanent residency, despite having worked there legally.

I remember reading on Reddit about a French couple in a situation very similar to ours. They obtained federal permanent residency through Express Entry (French-language draw), which allowed them to stay in Canada, but after two years working in Québec under IEC, they had to leave the province. Québec’s own permanent residency program (I believe it’s the PSTQ, though I might be mistaken) didn’t give them enough points to realistically ever be selected.

That’s the kind of situation we’re trying to understand and avoid.

 

[CanGoldDigger]

You can get a PR via Express Entry (French draw) and live anywhere you want, including Quebec.

 

[armoured]

You can get a PR via Express Entry (French draw) and live anywhere you want, including Quebec.

I'm not an expert on this but I think there are some potential issues which need to be looked at carefully, i.e. can cause some problems - albeit temporary usually - with Quebec. That said, you're right in the main that at minimum, settling/trying in some other province for some relatively minimal period of time (eg six months) before returning to Quebec should resolve even those.

I'd be happy to just be wrong on this - overall agree it is not a problem.

 

[armoured]

I remember reading on Reddit about a French couple in a situation very similar to ours. They obtained federal permanent residency through Express Entry (French-language draw), which allowed them to stay in Canada, but after two years working in Québec under IEC, they had to leave the province. Québec’s own permanent residency program (I believe it’s the PSTQ, though I might be mistaken) didn’t give them enough points to realistically ever be selected.

It can be highly specific to circumstances and specific programs, so don't want to generalize too much.

But in case you describe above, once you get the federal PR, you will have the right to live anywhere in Canada, i.e. do not need to be selected by Quebec to remain in Canada.

As I alluded to in other post: there are /potentially/ some issues with simply remaining in Quebec. Mostly to the point that you may need to specify you are /not/ going to settle in Quebec (immediately anyway). While enforcement is limited and there are few mechanisms to even attempt to enforce it, obviously need to avoid blatantly ignoring that. (I've heard comments that some things like registering for health insurance in Quebec can be a problem, for example, in some specific cases).

But there are lots of perfectly legitimate ways: for example, residing in another province while working in Quebec is fine (eg Ottawa/Gatineau) - it's 'residence' not place of employment. Or move somewhere else for six months or (better) a year and back to Quebec. Obviously for some families esp with kids this is not realistic and far from perfect.

Hopefully this nonsense (on the part of Quebec) will be changed sooner or later, but I don't hold out great hopes that eg the pending election will do so.

 

[canuck78]

Hi everyone,


My girlfriend and I are French citizens from France, and we’re considering moving to Canada. Our plan would be to start with IEC or a closed work permit, and ideally settle permanently later on.


We noticed that at the federal level, Express Entry seems quite accessible for French speakers, especially with the French-language draws.


Naturally, we looked into Québec, since we’re French and very attached to the language and culture. We’d genuinely love to live there and contribute to its francization efforts.
But from what we’ve read, immigrating long-term to Québec as French nationals seems surprisingly difficult, and we’ve seen many recent cases of French citizens having to leave the province.


We’re a bit confused: we expected Québec to be the easiest place in Canada for French people, but it seems to be the opposite. Are we missing something?


Because of this, we’re also considering Vancouver, Calgary, or possibly Toronto, especially places where my girlfriend’s background (Master’s in French literature) could be valued.


Thanks a lot for your insights !

Not sure a masters degree in French literature will help secure a job anywhere in Canada unless you can get a job/work as a teacher. Certainly a need in most of Canada for French elementary and secondary school teachers.

 

[willhono]

Bonjour à tous,

Je viens d’obtenir ma résidence permanente via Express Entry et je prévois d’entrer au Canada dans les prochaines semaines.

Après analyse, je souhaite m’établir au Québec, qui me semble la province la plus adaptée à mon profil : francophone avec un anglais encore approximatif, et dont les ambitions professionnelles (maîtrise en géomatique / SIG) sont plus faciles à réaliser au Québec.

Cependant, dans ma demande, j’avais indiqué Ottawa comme ville de destination. J’aimerais savoir si le fait d’atterrir à Montréal et de m’installer directement au Québec pourrait me causer des problèmes avec les agents de l’ASFC à l’aéroport lors du landing.

J’ai également des craintes pour la suite (ouverture du NAS à Service Canada et inscription à l’assurance maladie).

Je sais que la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés (article 6) garantit la liberté de circulation et d’établissement sur tout le territoire canadien pour les résidents permanents. Néanmoins, j’ai lu plusieurs témoignages sur les réseaux qui parlent de refus ou de difficultés à l’arrivée à cause d’une incohérence entre la ville déclarée et le lieu d’atterrissage réel.

J’aimerais avoir des conseils avisés de personnes ayant vécu une situation similaire (Express Entry + changement de province), ou de ceux qui ont une bonne connaissance du processus.

Merci d’avance pour vos retours et vos expériences !

 

[canuck78]

Bonjour à tous,

Je viens d’obtenir ma résidence permanente via Express Entry et je prévois d’entrer au Canada dans les prochaines semaines.

Après analyse, je souhaite m’établir au Québec, qui me semble la province la plus adaptée à mon profil : francophone avec un anglais encore approximatif, et dont les ambitions professionnelles (maîtrise en géomatique / SIG) sont plus faciles à réaliser au Québec.

Cependant, dans ma demande, j’avais indiqué Ottawa comme ville de destination. J’aimerais savoir si le fait d’atterrir à Montréal et de m’installer directement au Québec pourrait me causer des problèmes avec les agents de l’ASFC à l’aéroport lors du landing.

J’ai également des craintes pour la suite (ouverture du NAS à Service Canada et inscription à l’assurance maladie).

Je sais que la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés (article 6) garantit la liberté de circulation et d’établissement sur tout le territoire canadien pour les résidents permanents. Néanmoins, j’ai lu plusieurs témoignages sur les réseaux qui parlent de refus ou de difficultés à l’arrivée à cause d’une incohérence entre la ville déclarée et le lieu d’atterrissage réel.

J’aimerais avoir des conseils avisés de personnes ayant vécu une situation similaire (Express Entry + changement de province), ou de ceux qui ont une bonne connaissance du processus.

Merci d’avance pour vos retours et vos expériences !

Hopefully you can understand my response in English since my written French is rusty. Yes there could be huge issues if you don’t have onward plans to settle outside of Quebec. You did not apply to move to Quebec and, although there is freedom of movement after obtaining PR, if you can’t show proof that you tried to settle in Ottawa or other city outside of Quebec that could be considered misrepresentation on your PR application when you land. The consequences may only show up years down the road. The other big issue that you may run into is obtaining things like RAMQ when you didn’t apply for immigration to Quebec and don’t have CSQ. You should also be giving IRCC your address for your PR card which would be outside Quebec if you applied to immigrate outside Quebec. Giving IRCC an address outside Quebec for your PR card while actually residing in Quebec could also be considered misrepresentation. If you changed your mind and decided that you wanted to immigrate to Quebec you should cancel your express entry application and reapply.

 

[willhono]

Hopefully you can understand my response in English since my written French is rusty. Yes there could be huge issues if you don’t have onward plans to settle outside of Quebec. You did not apply to move to Quebec and, although there is freedom of movement after obtaining PR, if you can’t show proof that you tried to settle in Ottawa or other city outside of Quebec that could be considered misrepresentation on your PR application when you land. The consequences may only show up years down the road. The other big issue that you may run into is obtaining things like RAMQ when you didn’t apply for immigration to Quebec and don’t have CSQ. You should also be giving IRCC your address for your PR card which would be outside Quebec if you applied to immigrate outside Quebec. Giving IRCC an address outside Quebec for your PR card while actually residing in Quebec could also be considered misrepresentation. If you changed your mind and decided that you wanted to immigrate to Quebec you should cancel your express entry application and reapply.

let's take it easy lol. I haven't done anything concrete yet, neither to rent a place nor to find a job; Nothing is final yet. I'm still considering it. thank!

 

[armoured]

Bonjour à tous,

Je viens d’obtenir ma résidence permanente via Express Entry et je prévois d’entrer au Canada dans les prochaines semaines.

Après analyse, je souhaite m’établir au Québec, qui me semble la province la plus adaptée à mon profil : francophone avec un anglais encore approximatif, et dont les ambitions professionnelles (maîtrise en géomatique / SIG) sont plus faciles à réaliser au Québec.

Cependant, dans ma demande, j’avais indiqué Ottawa comme ville de destination. J’aimerais savoir si le fait d’atterrir à Montréal et de m’installer directement au Québec pourrait me causer des problèmes avec les agents de l’ASFC à l’aéroport lors du landing.

J’ai également des craintes pour la suite (ouverture du NAS à Service Canada et inscription à l’assurance maladie).

Je sais que la Charte canadienne des droits et libertés (article 6) garantit la liberté de circulation et d’établissement sur tout le territoire canadien pour les résidents permanents. Néanmoins, j’ai lu plusieurs témoignages sur les réseaux qui parlent de refus ou de difficultés à l’arrivée à cause d’une incohérence entre la ville déclarée et le lieu d’atterrissage réel.

J’aimerais avoir des conseils avisés de personnes ayant vécu une situation similaire (Express Entry + changement de province), ou de ceux qui ont une bonne connaissance du processus.

Merci d’avance pour vos retours et vos expériences !

I wrote in your other thread. If you are indeed planning to move to Canada in the coming weeks, I think you would be far better to consider moving first to a province other than Quebec first and getting the lay of the land. Ottawa is good in your case because you can work across the river in Gatineau area* - working in a different province than living does NOT trigger any issues, it's residing in Quebec that's an issue in the first while. Living in Ottawa for a bit and looking for work there and elsewhere will give you evidence you may need in future (that you did honour the terms of your application and not misrepresent your intentions).

Arriving to/residing in Ottawa (for example) first will give you time to explore the issue of whether resettling in Quebec will have specific requirements and what they are.

There's no doubt that you can - eventually - move, and probably after a not-long period. But there are potential issues and better to be informed first. And you will greatly serve your own interests if you arrive and go to Ottawa (or elsewhere in the rest of Canada) for a while first.

As @canuck78 noted, if it does get to be a problem in future, the issues may only arise much later in future.

*There are of course other areas that border and may be viable, but they're further afield and (much) less populated than the Ottawa/Gatineau area. Along the New Brunswick border for example (Campbellton), or anywhere along the Ontario/Quebec border, etc. Parts of Ontario and New Brunswick are predominantly francophone - but again, not as large population wise. Some hardy souls have commuted to Montreal from Ontario.