Protracted wait times persist for immigrant applications in Quebec
Long Ass Waits for Immigrants in Quebec, Critics Ain't Happy
Outrage is brewing in Quebec as immigration bottlenecks have officially reached a boiling point. In a recent parliamentary commission, Immigration Minister Jean-François Roberge admitted to astronomical delays in processing multiple immigration cases.
Family reunification and refugee cases, in particular, have seen a significant increase in wait times. As of January 2025, some 42,000 family reunification files were piled up, compared to around 38,500 back in April 2024. It looks like the picture ain't much different for refugees waiting for permanent residency; there were 35,000 in January 2024, and now that number has ballooned to 45,600.
The waitlist for humanitarian immigration ain't looking too peachy either, jumping from 10,100 to 12,700 over the same period.
When asked about the controversy, Quebec solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard denounced Minister Roberge's double standards regarding immigration delays. Cliche-Rivard criticized the Minister for pointing out negligence in federal asylum processing times while also overseeing the growth of waitlists in Quebec.
"The Minister argued that a 37-month average delay for asylum applications at the federal level is 'negligence,' but fails to address the growing waitlists happening under his watch," lamented Cliche-Rivard.
Amid the backlash, a Léger opinion poll published on Saturday highlighted that 67% of Quebecers stand by the notion that family reunification delays should not surpass the 12-month mark. An astounding 64% of poll respondents also identified family reunifications as a high priority in immigration.
Meanwhile, Minister Roberge continues to zero in on foreign students. During the commission, he called on the federal government to work towards reducing temporary immigrants in Quebec by half. The Minister is worried about an increasing trend of students arriving in Quebec on study permits who later seek asylum.
According to government data, nearly a quarter of asylum applications in Quebec during 2025 were submitted by study permit holders. This number rose from 2,800 in 2023 (representing 15% of asylum applications) to almost 6,000 in 2024.
"We're seeing more and more individuals arriving in Quebec with dishonest intentions, then applying for asylum," said Minister Roberge. He added that the situation underscores the need to restore control over foreign student applications in Quebec.
In February, Quebec's Minister of Higher Education Pascale Déry adopted a ministerial decree to lower the number of accepted international student applications in 2025 by nearly 32,000, compared to 2024.
A previous version stated that the waiting time for family reunification with a spouse from abroad is 26 months. The correct figure is 36 months.
Suggested Reading
Trump Unleashes Conservative Austerity Budget, Focusing on Defense
Trump wants to beef up the Defense budget by 13% and Interior Security by a whopping 65%.
The Info Challenge of May 2: Elections, Civic Duty, and Power Outages
Test your current events knowledge with 10 questions!
Frustrated Ahuntsic-Cartierville Residents Sick of Repeated Flooding
Residents in the Gouin Est sector are begging for measures to combat the effects of heavy rainfall. To watch in video.
- According to government data, nearly a quarter of asylum applications in Quebec during 2025 were submitted by students with study permits, an increase from 15% in 2023.
- The waitlist for humanitarian immigration jumped from 10,100 to 12,700 over the same period, adding to the long ass waits for immigrants in Quebec.
- In a recent parliamentary commission, Immigration Minister Jean- François Roberge admitted to astronomical delays in processing multiple immigration cases, including family reunification and refugee cases.
- As of January 2025, there were around 42,000 family reunification files piled up, an increase from around 38,500 back in April 2024.
