In late March, The Canadian province of Quebec announced three pilot programs aimed at attracting immigrant workers to the region. They include a Food Production Workers Pilot; Orderlies Pilot; and an AI, IT, and Visual Effects Workers Pilot. The first two have already begun accepting applicants.

Now, the province has now opened up the AI/IT/ Visual Workers pilot to applicants. The initial application window runs from April 22 to October 31, 2021.The five-year program plans to include up to 550 candidates per year selected for Quebec immigration. Candidates can come directly from a foreign country, or already be in Quebec as a temporary foreign worker.

“With the launch of this new pilot program, our government wants to equip companies to recruit the best talent internationally, to support and accelerate innovation in new technologies,” said Quebec Immigration Minister Nadine Girault. “More than ever, Quebec’s economic recovery needs innovative and promising tools for wealth creation.”

This pilot program is split into two streams, one for those working in AI, and the other for IT workers and those specializing in visual effects. Each stream will accept up to 275 candidates. For both streams, candidates must have either:

• At least a level 7 proficiency in French as measured by the Échelle québécoise des niveaux de compétence en français des personnes immigrantes adultes, or;
• Are enrolled in a French-language training program.

They visual effects/ IT stream also requires applicants:

• Hold a college diploma (DEC) issued in Quebec, or a bachelor’s degree granted by a Quebec university
• Have completed at least two years of full-time work experience in an admissible occupation within the last five years
• Either currently hold a job or have accepted a job offer in one of the acceptable occupational categories where the salary being offered is above 90 per cent of the average wage over the past three years for this occupation in Quebec as measured by the province’s ministry of employment

For the AI stream, the program has a distinction between those who graduated outside of Quebec and those who graduated within the province:

Those who graduated outside the province have to have:

• A university degree equivalent to a bachelor’s in Quebec
• An annual salary of at least $100,000 within the boundaries of the Montreal Urban Community (MUC) or at least $75,000 outside the MUC
• Either: two years of full-time work experience in related jobs, or; a university degree equivalent to masters or doctoral degree from a Quebec university issued within the last year.

Those who are Quebec grads have to have:

• A specialized graduate diploma (DESS), a masters, or doctoral degree, issued in Quebec within the last two years, and to have lived in the province for at least half the time of that academic program
• Work experience. While no work experience is required for grads with masters or doctoral degrees, those with a DESS need to have completed at least six months of full-time work experience in a related job with the year after graduation.

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