Employment Integration Program for Immigrants and Visible Minorities

Who is eligible?

• Private companies
• Employee and employer associations
• Professional groups
• Cooperatives
• Social economy enterprises
• Educational institutions (including school service centres, vocational training centres, CEGEPs, and universities)
• Municipal administrations (cities and regional county municipalities)
• Band councils
• Non-profit organizations (including early childhood centres)
• Community organizations active within communities

Who is not eligible

• Political parties or political associations.
• Organizations registered with the Registraire des entreprises that are not eligible for public contracts (RENA).
• Ministries and organizations of the Quebec government whose staff are appointed and paid under the Quebec Public Service Act.
• Federal government ministries and agencies.
• Organizations that have not finished repaying a debt to the Ministry, unless they comply with a repayment agreement.
• Organizations whose activities are controversial or inappropriate to associate with the Ministry.
• Organizations whose activities are suspended due to a labour conflict (strike or lock-out).
• Staffing agencies (personnel leasing agencies).
• Applicants who have failed to meet obligations with the Ministry of Employment and Social Solidarity following a prior grant.
• Employers benefiting from the Self-Employment Support measure (STA).
• Employers who are part of the immediate family of the candidate or where the candidate or a close family member sits on the board of directors, unless favoritism did not occur.

Eligible expenses

• Reimbursement of up to 60% of the gross salary (up to the minimum wage equivalent) for the newly hired employee; up to 70% for persons with disabilities.
• Payment for sick leave days, statutory holidays, and recognized paid leave as per the employer's practices (excluding overtime and vacation pay).
• Covers up to 100% of the salary or fees paid to an internal or external mentor/accompanist, up to a maximum of $2,000, to support professional integration.
• Reimbursement of up to 100% of direct costs for adapting or implementing human resource management tools and practices to promote workplace integration, up to a maximum of $5,000.
• Up to 100% of direct costs for upgrading or complementary training (maximum 80 hours or $5,000), including training fees and teaching materials (excluding wages of regular employees providing the training).
• General expenses related to the integration of an employee with a disability, up to $10,000 per person.

Eligible geographic areas

• Quebec

• A letter of eligibility must be issued by an employment assistance officer after evaluating the individual candidate, and its validity is limited to a maximum of three months, with possible renewal after assessment.
• The subsidy may be authorized both for positions identified by the candidate's job search or directly by the employer through Services Québec offices.
• Employers should generally not have more than 20% of regular positions subsidized, except in specific circumstances such as mass integration or particular employment difficulties.
• Subsidies are subject to an evaluation based on integration difficulty, supervision needs, and retention prospects beyond the subsidy period.