Quebec launches direct employer-immigrant recruitment portal

A new feature of the Employer Portal allows businesses to recruit immigrant job seekers in Quebec and abroad using data from the Arrima system.

Quebec's Minister of Immigration, Francization and Integration, Nadine Girault, made the announcement on November 5.

It was also on that date that the new functionality of the Employer Portal, a service offered by the Quebec Ministry of Immigration, was made available to businesses.

Designed to facilitate the selection of the people who best meet current labour market needs in the province, the new feature will allow businesses to go directly to the ministry’s website, consult the profiles of immigration candidates, offer them a job and help initiate the immigration process.

Companies registered in the Registraire des Entreprises Québec (Enterprise Register) will be able to recruit immigrants or people from ethnocultural minorities established in Quebec, international students who have graduated from Quebec with a post-graduate work permit, or temporary or permanent workers from abroad.

“By making profiles of immigration candidates available to companies, they can more quickly identify the people who best meet their labour needs,” the Ministry of Immigration, Francization and Integration (MIFI) wrote in an e-mail to CIC NEWS.

“The navigation in the Portal is ergonomic and allows the company to view results that are displayed in real-time when it selects its various search criteria. In addition, the interface allows users to save and download their search results and identify their favourites so they can quickly get in touch with them.”

When there is a match between employers and immigration candidates, companies will also be able to benefit from a personalized assistance service to help them choose the right immigration program and go through the various steps involved. This personalized support program is offered by the department's regional immigration and international recruitment advisors and is available in all administrative regions of Quebec.

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The Employers’ Portal is a free service that has been operational since June 27, 2019. “Since that time, a company can obtain personalized and local support by a Ministry advisor to access the Employers’ Portal. The new version of the Employers’ Portal, which includes an interface allowing companies to search independently, has been accessible since November 5, 2020,” the MIFI said.

To access the employers’ portal, companies must first create a profile in Arrima, Quebec's online Expression of Interest management system, after which they will be able to request online assistance. Once this request has been submitted, companies will receive a personalized response from a Ministry advisor within five working days. Once this step has been completed and access granted, companies will be able to conduct independent research, store the results and contact candidates.

While the portal will make it possible to more quickly identify the people who best meet their labour needs, it “will not speed up the immigration process under a temporary or permanent immigration program,” the MIFI wrote.

The added feature on the portal is primarily a recruitment tool designed to address the province’s long-standing labour shortages and to ensure economic recovery post-COVID-19.

“Intensifying efforts to recruit international talent is a priority for our government and is an integral part of a strong economic recovery,” said Minister Girault in a press release.

“With the launch of the Employers’ Portal’s online interface reserved for businesses, as well as the resumption of international recruitment activities, the government is acting proactively. We are supporting businesses more effectively and acting in a more targeted manner.”

On October 29th, Girault tabled the 2021 Quebec Immigration Plan before the National Assembly. Quebec plans to welcome up to 47,500 new immigrants in 2021, to which will be added 7,000 immigrants from an expected 2020 deficit. The province will not be able to reach the immigration levels it has set for itself this year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on immigration to Quebec.

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