Need a Canadian Immigration Lawyer to help you process your Québec permit? Here’s what you need to know.

If you’re planning to work in Québec, there are some crucial steps you need to follow to secure a work permit. Whether you’re an employer in Québec hiring a foreign worker or a foreign worker seeking to work in the province, understanding the unique process that Québec follows is essential. As a Canadian immigration lawyer and the Founding Lawyer of Zohil-Morton Law, Cristina Zohil-Morton has the expertise to guide you through the Québec specific requirements and federal processes, ensuring that your work permit application is smooth and compliant.

The Québec Work Permit Process: Key Differences

Québec has specific procedures in place that differ from the rest of Canada when it comes to hiring foreign workers. Here’s a breakdown of what you need to know.

1. Québec Employer Requirements:

If you’re an employer located in Québec, you must follow both federal and provincial immigration requirements before you can hire a foreign worker. While the federal process is largely consistent across Canada, Québec has some distinct variations, these include:

• Québec’s Salary Standards: Québec has its own salary standards for determining prevailing wages, which may differ from the national standards set by the federal government. Employers must meet these standards to ensure compliance.
• Québec’s Job Bank Requirement: Instead of using the federally administered job bank, most employers in Québec must post the job for a mandatory four-week period on the Québec provincial job bank, known as Emploi-Québec. This extra step ensures that Québec residents have the opportunity to apply before the employer can hire a foreign worker.
• Québec-licensed immigration Consultant: The immigration consultant representing either the employer or the employee must hold a Québec license. This ensures that the consultant is authorized to manage immigration applications in Québec.

2. Québec Employee Requirements:

For foreign workers, the process is slightly more involved. To meet Québec employee requirements, the foreign worker must obtain two key approvals before applying for a work permit:

• Québec’s Approval: The Certificat d’Acceptation du Québec (CAQ) is a provincial approval issued by the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI). This is required before the worker can proceed with their work permit application.
• Federal Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA): In most cases, a LMIA application will need to be made to assess the Canadian labour market, in addition to the CAQ. The federal government must approve the worker’s application by issuing a LMIA, which ensures that hiring a foreign worker will not negatively affect the Canadian labor market.

Both MIFI (provincial) and ESDC (federal) must approve the employee’s application before a prospective foreign worker can submit their application for a work permit.

3. The Joint Québec-Federal Approval Process

Upon approval by MIFI and ESDC, a joint positive opinion is issued. This leads to the issuance of:

• The Certificat d’Acceptation du Québec (CAQ) by the provincial government; and,
• A positive LMIA issued by ESDC.

Only after receiving the approved CAQ and LMIA can the worker apply for a work permit.

Our Services for Employers and Foreign Workers in Québec

At Zohil-Morton Law, we provide comprehensive services for both employers and foreign workers. Our services include:

1. Local Research: We will help you determine the prevailing wage for the job position in Québec, ensuring that the salary meets the province’s standards.
2. Job Posting Campaign: We will draft a compliant advertising campaign and manage the mandatory 4-week posting on Emploi-Québec, ensuring that all federal and provincial requirements are met.
3. Offer Letter: We’ll assist you in drafting a compliant offer letter to submit with the application.
4. Québec and Federal Forms: We will handle all Québec and federal forms, submitting them on the employer’s behalf to ensure compliance with both levels of government.
5. Work Permit Application: Our team will prepare and file the employee’s work permit application with the visa post or inland processing office.

Securing a work permit in Québec requires careful navigation of both provincial and federal immigration processes. With the help of an experienced Canadian immigration lawyer like Cristina Zohil-Morton, Founding Lawyer at Zohil-Morton Law, you can be assured that all your paperwork is filed correctly, minimizing delays and ensuring compliance with both Québec’s and the federal government’s requirements.

Why Choose Zohil-Morton Law for Your Québec Work Permit Process?

Navigating both the Québec-specific and federal processes to work in Québec can be challenging. However, with Cristina Zohil-Morton, an experienced Canadian immigration lawyer, you can feel confident that your application will be handled professionally and efficiently. Our team speaks both English and French, making us uniquely qualified to handle Québec-based immigration cases.

Whether you’re an employer looking to hire a foreign worker in Québec or a foreign worker seeking a work permit, don’t navigate the complex Québec work permit alone. Contact us today to learn how Cristina can help you succeed in securing your work permit in Québec.