Québec Application Backlogs | Processing Will Continue Until New Bill Becomes Law

Québec Application Backlogs | Processing Will Continue Until New Bill Becomes Law

Samuel Francis Gills Published:
March 16, 2019

Quebec’s minister of immigration Simon Jolin-Barrette had ordered his ministry to stop processing all pending applications that were awaiting a Quebec Selection Certificate.

Simon Jolin-Barrette had ordered his ministry to stop processing all pending applications that were awaiting a Quebec Selection Certificate, though the new bill has not yet become law. This move from Simon’s had sparked protest from RCICs, Lawyers, Employer groups and Unions. The general opinion unilaterally stated that this move could thrusts into a state of limbo as many as 50,000 people, including family members.

Following the protest, a Quebec Superior Court judge issued a 10-day injunction, forcing immigration officials to continue processing the applications from prospective immigrants hoping to secure skilled-worker status in Quebec. Following this, the government made a joint submission to the court with the association of immigration lawyers that sought the initial injunction. They seek the court to approve an injunction that would remain in place until the reforms become law, or, until the court can consider the legal validity of the bill. This could take at least for 6 months’ time.

The Coalition Avenir Québec has a large majority in the National Assembly. Experts say it is very likely that the bill will be passed before the legislature breaks for the summer.

“The application is … filed by consent between the parties,” Ho Sung Kim, a member of the Quebec Immigration Lawyers Association, said in a statement. “Its renewal is not contested at all.”

There are over 18,000 skilled worker applications pending, and of that, almost 3,500 applications are from skilled workers who are currently residing within Quebec. Many fear being forced to leave the country if their applications are tossed out without a decision.

The government has now decided to continue processing Quebec immigration applications until such time the new bill becomes law.

 

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