I-0.2.1, r. 9 - Permanent immigration pilot program for food processing workers

Updated to 1 October 2024

This document has official status.

chapter I-0.2.1, r. 9

Permanent immigration pilot program for food processing workers

Québec Immigration Act

(chapter I-0.2.1, s. 32).

DIVISION I GENERAL

M.O. 2021-002, Div. I.

1. A Permanent immigration pilot program for food processing workers is implemented.

M.O. 2021-002, s. 1.

2. The maximum number of foreign nationals who may be selected under the program is 550 per year.

M.O. 2021-002, s. 2.

DIVISION II SELECTION

M.O. 2021-002, Div. II.

3. The Minister selects, under the program, a foreign national staying in Québec with the main purpose of working or taking part in a youth exchange program under an international agreement entered into by Québec or Canada and who meets the following conditions:

(1)  (paragraph revoked);

(2)  hold a diploma obtained at the end of a program of studies attesting to at least 1 year of full-time studies and corresponding minimally to a Québec secondary school diploma or a Québec vocational diploma;

(3)  actually hold full-time eligible employment in an eligible sector in Québec that is not for an enterprise on which the foreign national exercises control and have held such employment in an eligible sector for a period of at least 24 months in the 36 months preceding the date of filing of the application;

(4)  have an oral knowledge of French at level 7 or above according to the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français;

(5)  undertake, for 3 months from the date the foreign national obtains the status of permanent resident, to provide for his or her basic needs, those of accompanying family members and those of his or her dependent children who are Canadian citizens, and to have for that purpose financial resources at least equal to the amount required according to the scale in Schedule C to the Québec Immigration Regulation (chapter I-0.2.1, r. 3).

M.O. 2021-002, s. 3; M.O. 2023-002, s. 21.

4. The holder of a work permit issued under section 205 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (SOR/2002-227) as accompanying spouse may apply and be selected by the Minister if the holder meets the conditions provided for in paragraphs 1 to 5 of section 3.

M.O. 2021-002, s. 4.

5. For the purposes of this program,

(1)  eligible employment means any of the following professions, according to the National Occupational Classification, with the conditions that, as the case may be, are associated to it:

(a)  industrial butchers and meat cutters, poultry preparers and related workers (code 94141);

(b)  labourers in food and beverage processing (code 95106);

(c)  labourers in fish and seafood processing (code 95107);

(d)  specialized cleaners (code 65311);

(e)  process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing (code 94140);

(f)  livestock labourers (code 85100), but only where it covers the position of chicken catcher;

(g)  fish and seafood plant workers (code 94142);

(2)  an eligible sector means the subsector of food manufacturing (code 311) or the beverage manufacturing group (code 3121), according to the North American Industry Classification System published by the Government of Canada.

M.O. 2021-002, s. 5; M.O. 2023-002, s. 22.

DIVISION III REQUIRED FEES

M.O. 2021-002, Div. III.

6. The fees to be paid for the examination of an application for selection filed by a foreign national under the program are those provided for in paragraph 3 of section 74 of the Québec Immigration Act (chapter I-0.2.1).

The fees to be paid for each family member accompanying a foreign national referred to in the first paragraph are those provided for in section 75 of the Act.

M.O. 2021-002, s. 6.

DIVISION IV FINAL

M.O. 2021-002, Div. IV.

7. This program is revoked on 1 January 2026.

M.O. 2021-002, s. 7.

REFERENCES

M.O. 2021-002, 2021 G.O. 2, 769

M.O. 2023-002, 2023 G.O. 2, 2763