MONTREAL -- The federal government has agreed to Quebec's demand to extend temporary work permits for skilled workers while the province processes their permanent residency applications.
Joel Lightbound, federal minister and the prime minister's Quebec lieutenant, said today Ottawa will extend the permits for up to 12 months.
Despite the extension, however, Lightbound said temporary foreign workers are not a sustainable solution to the country's labour shortages.
Lightbound, minister of government transformation, public works and procurement, says extensions are only available to people who have already applied to be permanent residents in Quebec.
Quebec Immigration Minister Jean-Francois Roberge said on social media that the federal government has only responded partially to Quebec's requests.
Roberge says Quebec has called on Ottawa to extend temporary permits for all foreign workers in the province outside Montreal and its northern suburb Laval.
Business groups in Quebec say Ottawa's move is a step in the right direction but not enough to address the province's labour needs.
This report by was first published March 13, 2026.