Rabat – The government of Quebec, Canada, has launched a new test for foreigners applying to live in the region. The new procedure will become official at the start of 2020, according to Radio-Canada.
As of January 1, 2020, all applicants for permanent residency in Quebec will have to take a “values test,” in order to receive “proof of learning Quebec’s democratic values.”
The document will be necessary for applying to the Ministry of Migration to receive a Quebec Selection Certificate (CSQ).
To pass the test, applicants must achieve a minimum of 75% correct answers. In case of failure, the applicants can take the test a second or third time. They can also take part in a preparation course.
The test is free, according to the Canadian radio. Immigrants who are already in Canada will have to take the test at the Canadian administration, while applicants who are applying from outside can take the test online.
“If you want to come live in Quebec, you should know the values of Quebec. You should know that, in Quebec, women are equal to men, that the principle of secularism is important, that there is a separation between state and religion,” said Francois Legault, Quebec’s First Minister.
Quebec’s Minister of Migration, Simon Jolin-Barette, added that “no immigrant will be selected if they don’t succeed in the Quebec values’ knowledge test.”
The announcement of the new measure caused varying reactions within Quebec’s government, especially among the opposition.
The opposition’s spokesperson, Moncef Derraji, said that passing the test “does not necessarily mean that you believe in Quebec values,” denouncing the arbitrary nature of the test.
