Free courses will be available to temporary workers, foreign students, and their spouses, as well as to foreigners who have lived in Quebec for more than five years.
Quebec is investing more than C$70 million in teaching French new immigrants to improve their integration into the local community. The Coalition for Quebec’s Future, the province’s ruling party, will increase the number of immigrants with access to French courses and raise the amount of allowances for studying.
The Quebec Ministry of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion claims that this initiative is part of a reform of the provincial immigration system initiated by the government.
Most of the funding (C$40 million) will be spent on providing access to French courses and manuals to as many immigrants as possible. Full-time and part-time courses will be available to foreigners who have been in Quebec for more than five years, as well as to temporary workers, foreign students, and their spouses.
The remaining sum — almost C$30 million — will be used to increase allowances to pay for courses. Those studying full-time will get C$185 per week (instead of C$141 previously paid), and part-time students will receive C$15 per day.
Moreover, C$500,000 will be spent on covering childcare costs for students who attend part-time courses. Childcare benefit will increase from C$7 to C$9 per day.
A total of 80 new teachers will be hired to work full-time, providing capacity for 300 new French classes.
“Knowledge of French is an essential factor for the successful integration of immigrants,” said Immigration Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette.