Quebec is implementing a six-month freeze on the intake of new temporary foreign workers for low-wage jobs in Montreal starting in September, the province’s premier said Tuesday.
François Legault’s announcement comes as his government has been calling for a “significant and rapid” reduction in the number of temporary immigrants in Quebec. The province is welcoming to newcomers, he said, but has “clearly surpassed its capacity of integration.”
“It puts an enormous pressure on public services,” Legault said, referring to education, health and housing in particular.
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The temporary suspension will also apply to application renewals by current temporary foreign workers in the city, provincial officials said.
Legault also announced that his government plans to table a bill in the fall to cap the number of foreign students in the province.
Federal Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said he approved the province’s proposal to freeze applications in Montreal for a short period.
“With the exception of the construction, agriculture, food processing, education and social services sectors, new applications for Temporary Foreign Workers in the low wage stream will not be considered,” he wrote in a statement posted on social media.
“Our government will closely monitor this policy change as it makes its own determinations about future changes to the TFWP.”
More to come
— with files from The Canadian Press
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