SIMINCA - Live in Canada - Quebec: America in French

With over 7.5 million inhabitants, Quebec is mostly a French speaking province of Canada:

It has the largest French speaking population in North-America
French is its official language
83 % of its inhabitants speak French at home. These are mainly the descendants of the first settlers who arrived from France in the 17th and 18th century and the many immigrants who came from other countries that have adopted the language of the majority.

Knowledge of the French language is essential for the successful social, cultural and professional integration of immigrants in Quebec:

it is the main language of the labour market;
candidates for immigration to Canada and setllement in this province are encouraged to learn or improve their knowledge of French before their immigration and during the time it takes for Canadian immigration services to process their application;
Furthermore, knowledge of the language will help immigration applicants gather precious additional points during the selection process and improve their chances of being granted permanent resident status in Canada.

Generally, some knowledge of at least one of Canada's official languages (English and French), is part of the selection criteria of immigration candidates, whether their final destination is Quebec or another province.

The children of immigrants who setlle in the province of Quebec must attend schools where French is the language of education.

Improve your knowledge of French

You may improve your knowledge of French before immigrating either outside our within Canada. Courses are also available after your immigration.

Outside as well as within Canada, several institutions offer such courses and will help its clients find the right institution for their needs so that they may increase their chances of being selected as permanent residents.
After your immigration to Quebec, you may also be able enroll in government subsidized French language courses.

An important English speaking minority

An important anglophone minority lives in Quebec:

English is the language spoken at home by about 11% of the province's population (6% speak another language)
The 600 000 English speaking persons living in Québec are, for a significant portion, descendants of immigrants who arrived from the British Isles or who came from the US after that country's independance;
Anglophones may if they so wish, do their schooling in English in the public sector education system, from kindergarden to University; health care services are also provided in that language in several institutions
There also is a large network of English language cultural institutions..

First nations represent 1% of the population

Approximately 1% (83000 persons) of the population belong to one of the 11 first nations present in Quebec. These are the descendants of the first inhabitants of the North American continent. There are 10 amerindian nations and 1 inuit nation. Each of these has its own culture and traditions as well as a language still spoken today.

Pluralism in Quebec

Quebec is a pluralistic society where each person is free to belong to and associate with communities of differing interests, and to choose their lifestyle and beliefs.

About one in five persons belongs to a cultural community whose origin is neither English nor French .

Canada's and Quebec's openness to a multiplicity of cultures :

Contributes to enrich all facets of the society: cultural, social, econonic, scientific and technological;
Allows citizens from diverse backgrounds to express their specificity and identity, while at the same time sharing common democratic values, principles, laws and institutions.

This diversity is reflected in the language spoken by several important segments of the population and is particularly evident in large urban areas. For instance in the Greater Montréal area, where about half of Quebec's population resides:

French is the language spoken by 67 %
English by 14%
but 19% speak another language such as Italian, Spanish and Greek
There are also significant communities of persons whos origin is German, Portuguese, Polish, Lebanese, Haitian, Latino-American, Chinese or Vietnamese, among others.