Foreign CEOs: Left out of permanent residency in Quebec
Analysis by Natacha Mignon on the issues raised by the Skilled Worker Selection Program (SWSP) for French‑speaking executives.
After five rounds of invitations across the four streams of the Skilled Worker Selection Program (Programme de sélection des travailleurs qualifiés – PSTQ) in 2025, Natacha Mignon draws a major conclusion: executives — even those who are francophone, highly qualified, and already well integrated into Quebec — are no longer among the profiles favored for obtaining permanent residence.
In his statement of December 19, 2025, the Minister of Immigration, Francisation and Integration announced that, in 2026, the PSTQ invitation plan will prioritize:
- Graduates of Quebec
- Priority sectors, namely health care, education, early childhood, construction, and engineering
- People residing outside Montréal and Laval
- And also, individuals living in Montréal and Laval, as well as those working in other sectors such as food service, hospitality, and manual trades
Yet these managers and executives play an essential role in Quebec’s economic development.
To learn more, read Natacha Mignon’s opinion piece published in Les Affaires (en français) : Les cadres francophones, grands absents des nouvelles priorités en immigration