Archives des L'ANCRE - Infotetquebec

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC / Information session for TFWs

Alejandra Salas — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 22:30:00 +0000

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC / Information session for TFWs

📍 300 Rue Georges-Phaneuf, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada. Centre la Relance.
📅 March 17, 2026
🕐 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM

L’ANCRE invites you to a friendly moment at the heart of your learning environment, at La Relance, to get information, exchange ideas, and learn more about the free services available.

👉 This activity is intended for temporary foreign workers.

Please follow the instructions on the poster and contact the organizer.

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Mont-Saint-Grégoire, QC / Sugar Shack for TFWs.

Alejandra Salas — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 15:00:00 +0000

Mont-Saint-Grégoire, QC / Sugar Shack for TFWs.

📍 45 Chemin du Sous-Bois, Mont-Saint-Grégoire, QC, Canada

📅 March 22, 2026
🕐 11:00 AM–2:00 PM

This activity is for temporary foreign workers registered with L’ANCRE. A great opportunity to connect with others and experience local culture 🍁

👉 This activity is intended for temporary foreign workers (with a closed work permit).

Please follow the instructions on the poster and contact the organizer.

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Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC / Information session for TFWs

Alejandra Salas — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 16:40:00 +0000

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC / Information session for TFWs

📍 300 Rue Georges-Phaneuf, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada. Centre La Relance.
📅 February 10, 2026
🕐 11:40 AM – 12:40 PM

L’ANCRE invites you to a friendly moment in the heart of your learning environment at La Relance, to get informed, exchange ideas, and learn more about the free services offered.

👉 This activity is intended for temporary foreign workers.

Please follow the instructions on the poster and contact the organizer.

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Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC/ Christmas party for TFWs.

Alejandra Salas — Sat, 29 Nov 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, QC/ Christmas party for TFWs.

📍190 Avenue Lareau, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC.

📅 29-november-2025
🕐 15h00-17h00

👉 This activity is intended for temporary foreign workers (with a closed work permit).

Please follow the instructions shown on the event poster and contact the organizer.

A Christmas party to celebrate the TFWs who have just arrived in town, with food, music, and some gifts.

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Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC/The Altar of the Dead – Immersive Experience for the TFWs

Alejandra Salas — Thu, 06 Nov 2025 22:00:00 +0000

Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC/The Altar of the Dead – Immersive Experience for the TFWs

📍 215 Rue Longueuil, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada
📅 06-november-2025
🕐 17h00-21h00

👉 This activity is intended for temporary foreign workers (with a closed work permit).

Please follow the instructions shown on the event poster and contact the organizer.

A cultural activity held inside one of the city’s heritage buildings to break the isolation of workers.

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French, a necessity for TET

Francisco Salazar — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 18:05:34 +0000

There are many reasons for temporary foreign workers to learn French: to meet Quebec’s new requirements for renewing their work permits, to communicate with colleagues and employers, to socialize and to obtain permanent residency, for example. InfoTET and the team from L’ANCRE visited a francization class to find out more about the students’ background and the services available to them.

Text and photos: Marie-Anne Dayé

At the Centre d’éducation des adultes La Relance, in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, demand for French courses is growing by leaps and bounds, up 150% in two years, points out liaison officer Joannie Giroux. “In the evenings, we used to have two groups; now we have six. During the day, we used to have three classes, now we have seven,” she adds. Students include asylum seekers, visitors, temporary foreign workers, permanent residents and non-French-speaking citizens.

French language skills

While temporary foreign workers were previously under no obligation to learn French, they will now have no choice but to do so. A new measure introduced by the Quebec government requires temporary foreign workers, with the exception of agricultural workers, to prove that they have at least a level 4 oral proficiency in French when renewing their work permits, after having been in Quebec for more than three years. Employers, meanwhile, will have to meet requirements to support their employees’ learning of French, but the details are not yet known.

As for permanent residency, level 7 (out of a total of 8) must be completed in order to apply. To obtain level 7, it takes a good two years, two and a half years of full-time study,” explains Joannie Giroux. In one year, we estimate that you’ll be able to achieve level 4, but after that, as the levels increase, so does the number of hours you have to devote to each level.

You can register for French courses on the Francisation Québec website, an initiative of the Quebec government’s Ministère de l’Immigration, de l’Intégration et de la Francisation, and choose between full-time, part-time or distance learning. At Centre La Relance, all three options are available, with a preference for face-to-face courses. “We’re aware that someone who works all day will find it harder to be consistent or on time. Still, we’re open and flexible. We have our distance learning courses for Level 3 students and above, who don’t need to travel,” explains Joannie Giroux. In her opinion, distance learning for level 1, 2 and 3 students does not position them for success. Some companies have opted to offer francization courses in the workplace, a way of limiting the obstacles associated with transportation and schedules. For example, since March 2023, La Relance teachers have been able to travel to workplaces to offer courses.

Settling in Quebec, a goal for many TFWs

For many temporary foreign workers, the aim of learning French, in addition to facilitating day-to-day communications, is to be able to settle permanently in Quebec. InfoTET met three TFWs during their francization course at La Relance, to find out what motivates them.

Nicolas Cedillo, Guatemala

Nicolas Cedillo is an artisan who makes bags and clothing from colorful traditional Guatemalan fabrics. He had his own boutique in Antigua and even opened a second one in Costa Rica before the pandemic disrupted his plans. Since September 2022, he has been working as a janitor at Complexe 360 in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu and learning French at La Relance. When asked “How is your French learning going?” he replies “Not worse, but it’s complicated to speak it”. Clearly, he has already integrated Quebec expressions into his vocabulary! Despite the difficulties, he is pursuing his goal of moving up the levels to obtain permanent residency. “When you learn another language, it opens a lot of doors, including for work.

David Cortes, Colombia

David Cortes arrived in Quebec in April 2023. Trained as a carossier in his homeland, he now works in Iberville for the Procolor company. “For me, it was a bit difficult with French,” he says. He is currently at level 3 and hopes to reach level 7 within a year. “But working and studying at the same time, I don’t have much time,” he notes. “It’s very important to learn the language. I love French. Permanent residency is a project for me.”

Andres Baquiro, Colombia

Andres Baquiro arrived from Colombia in August 2022 to work as an industrial mechanic at Frondémy in Chambly. He’s been studying French for a year and is currently at level 4: “I understand what I’m told and what’s written, but speaking is more difficult. I want to learn French to speak with my colleagues at work, to integrate better with the people here and also to obtain permanent residency. I’d like to settle here,” he says. His wife arrived at the beginning of the year with an open permit and has started the process of taking courses herself.

The paths of immigration and francization are rich and varied. In fact, the Quebec media team Rad recently aired its documentary 6 mois pour apprendre le français 6 mois pour apprendre le français, which takes viewers inside a francization class to witness the difficulties and successes experienced by students.

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The project was funded by the Government of Canada.

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Holiday celebrations are underway!

Francisco Salazar — Fri, 22 Dec 2023 15:38:25 +0000

The Corporation de développement de Victoriaville et sa région (CDEVR), Service L’ancre and Intégration Compétences organized Christmas parties especially for temporary foreign workers, where dancing and fun were the order of the day.

Text Marie-Anne Dayé / Photos CDEVR Marie-Anne Dayé / Photos Service L’ancre Pascal Laberge

The CDEVR pulled out all the stops for this evening, which brought together some 80 workers on December 15, 2023 at the Hôtel Le Victorin. The DJ and host warmed up the atmosphere with mostly Latin rhythms, encouraging the more timid to get their groove on.

According to Viviana Sanchez, advisor and project manager for TFWs at CDEVR, these activities are important for breaking down isolation. “For workers, during the holiday season, it’s very difficult because the majority don’t have their family here. It was an opportunity to get the workers out, to break the isolation, to enable them to share with others in the same situation as them,” she maintains.

Having previously worked in human resources at Olymel in Plessisville, she is well aware of the needs and problems of temporary foreign workers. “They are often uninformed about their responsibilities and rights,” she insists.

Heart-warming baskets

After the meal, participants were invited to dance by the energetic host. Throughout the evening, the organizers raffled off gift baskets containing products from Quebec, but also Latino and African products “to bring them closer to their culture”, explains Viviana. Since the CDEVR project began in September, an ice-skating activity, which introduced 45 workers to this very popular Quebec pastime, and the Christmas party have been a real success. In 2024, Viviana Sanchez hopes to focus on information sessions on workers’ rights and health, alongside recreational and cultural activities.

Camaraderie and solidarity

In Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, the atmosphere was just as electrifying at the Christmas party organized by Service L’ancre on December 16, 2023. Karaoke in several languages, a salsa class for beginners, a buffet and gift distribution delighted just over 50 temporary foreign workers. “It was an evening full of nostalgia, but enveloped in camaraderie and solidarity, regardless of origin or language,” describes Karla Dueñas, project manager for Soutien aux travailleurs temporaires at Service L’ancre. As a result, workers from Madagascar, Morocco, Cameroon, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and Bolivia were able to enjoy a little holiday magic, even though they were far from their families. “It’s the dream of a better life that drives these workers to leave their countries and families for months, even years,” Karla Dueñas points out.

Passing on Christmas greetings

Intégration Compétences celebrated Christmas in turn on December 7, 2023, with some forty temporary foreign workers from Mexico, Colombia, Tunisia, Mauritius and Brazil, who filled the hall of the Saint-Paul-d’Abbotsford recreation center with color and warmth. The Intégration Compétences team set up a photo station with Christmas themes. “We wanted participants to take home a souvenir at the end of the evening,” says project manager Kana Yoko. Liliana Salgado, mobilization officer, invited workers to write a note on a greetings card for their families or loved ones.

Even more festivities

Several other Christmas activities took place during the month of December. Complexe X Immigration invited some 100 workers to a Christmas dinner in Sainte-Clothilde-de-Châteauguay, and the Société de développement économique de Drummundville (SDED) introduced local TFWs to the Village québécois d’antan. Click on the links to see the photos!

The project was funded by the Government of Canada.

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Montérégie’s TFW celebrate death

Francisco Salazar — Wed, 22 Nov 2023 16:57:18 +0000

On November 3, 2023, the lights of the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist lit up to welcome a hundred temporary foreign workers (TFW) to celebrate death. A celebration that originated in Mexico, it underscores that “life is alive”, as the popular Mexican saying goes.

Text and photos Francisco Salazar

Orchestrated by L’ANCRE, this commemoration aimed to bring together TFW from the region to provide them with information on their rights and responsibilities, and to link them with the support services and resources offered by partner organizations in the Migrant Worker Support Program, coordinated by Immigrant Québec.

Tribute to deceased loved ones

On one side of the presbytery, an altar has been installed thanks to the participation of several TETs. “Water, offered to the soul to relieve its thirst; candles, the light that guides souls towards us; papel picado, a pierced paper representing the wind and joy that surround the return of souls; flowers, a beautiful decoration that allows souls to guide themselves; sugar skulls that allude to death, always present ; the death bread, with its circular shape representing the cycle of life and death, allows souls to nourish themselves; and finally the photographs, like the one I’ve put up of my grandfather, which pay tribute to deceased loved ones”, explains Andrea Vasquez, a Mexican-born TET working in a manufacturing company, between tears and a big smile.

Not only did the community of Mexican temporary workers take part in this activity, but Colombian, Tunisian, Moroccan and Madagascan TFW also helped build the altar. They also sang along to mariachi music and shared death bread, a brioche sprinkled with sugar and scented with orange blossom or sesame seeds, and hot chocolate.

Activities, traditions and information to discover

In a musical atmosphere, the Justice Pro Bono team met with workers to promote the free legal information hotline. The Service d’interprète, d’aide et de référence aux immigrants (SIARI) was also on hand to inform workers about its free translation and interpretation service, available in over 52 languages. Finally, members of the Centre d’aide aux familles latino-américaines (CAFLA) took the opportunity to present their 24-hour hotline, which offers psychosocial and medical support.

The Day of the Dead came to a festive close. Gradually, the lights of St. John’s Cathedral faded. As if on parade, the TFW left the sanctuary in anticipation of the Feast of the Dead taking place again next year.

The project was funded by the Government of Canada.

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Rougemont – Apple picking

Agnès Merlin — Sat, 16 Sep 2023 14:00:00 +0000

Information: karladuenas@lancre.ca or 438 390-2132

Registration before September 14, 2023

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