Montreal is a bustling city full of French culture, low-cost living, and several amazing cultural festivals. Montreal is considered one of the best places to live in North America, so it’s no wonder that many Haitian immigrants choose to settle in Montreal.
How many Haitian immigrants live in Quebec?
Canada has a long history of welcoming immigrants and embracing multiculturalism as part of its national identity. Specifically, many Haitian immigrants have chosen to live in Montreal for decades, making Montreal the third largest Haitian city outside of Haiti.
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, Haitian immigrants moved to Quebec to flee François Duvalier’s dictatorship. Since the Quebec province is the only majority French-speaking area in North America, it was an easier transition for French speakers.
Also, after the devastating Haiti earthquake of 2010, many Haitians took advantage of Canada’s “Haiti special measures program.” The program sped up the visa process to permanent residency for Haitian immigrants. Close to 20,000 Haitians migrated to Quebec within the five years following the earthquake.
As of 2022, there were more than 140,000 Quebecers of Haitian descent living in the province.
Why do Haitian immigrants move to Montreal, Canada?
French-speaking city
French is the official language of Montreal, and it’s common for residents to speak both English and French. Both European and Francophone culture is embraced in Montreal, making it the Cultural Capital of Canada. Since the official language of Haiti is French and Haitian Creole, it’s an easy transition for Haitians to move to Montreal.
Affordable living
In 2018, Montreal was named the most affordable city in Canada. It has incredibly affordable housing, with housing prices 20% to 40% lower than in similar-sized Canadian cities. Montreal is also a very walkable city, so it keeps transportation costs down and places an emphasis on community living.
Gorgeous natural setting
Montreal is nicknamed “plus belle ville au monde” (“the world’s most beautiful city”) because like the province it sits in, the city has plenty of natural beauty. With more than 1 million lakes surrounding Quebec, its Great Lakes Basin actually holds 20% of the world’s freshwater supply. Plus, with 23 national parks in the area, there are many opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors.
Amazing Haitian food
Montreal has some incredible Haitian restaurants that serve authentic and delicious Haitian food. Kamúy is a popular restaurant serving Haitian dishes like gratin lambi, pikliz, and djondjon risotto. When you enter the restaurant, it’s common to hear a mix of French, English, and Creole spoken there.
Plus, there are quite a few food markets that carry Haitian products, such as Meli-Melo Market and the Marché d’Alimentation des Caraïbes, supplying ingredients for traditional Haitian dishes.
Cultural festivals
Montreal hosts several festivals throughout the year, including the Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal en Lumiere, and First Peoples Festival, to name a few. Haïti en Folie celebrates and promotes Haitian culture in the city. This week-long festival is in the middle of the summer and features musical events, literary readings, artisan crafts, and more. At the festival, you can enjoy some rich, authentic Haitian cuisine and dance to the rhythms of some Caribbean tunes.
Welcoming immigrants
Canada continues to lead the way in welcoming immigrants from all over the world. In 1988, the country passed the Canadian Multiculturalism Act into law, which requires the federal government to protect and foster a diverse society. Montreal is very welcoming to immigrants and accepted over 45,000 newcomers in 2022.
Haitian immigrants have a few different visa programs to choose from when moving to Montreal. The Quebec Experience Program is available to temporary foreign workers and recent grads looking to settle permanently in Montreal. Applicants must demonstrate advanced-intermediate knowledge of the French language.
The Regular Skilled Worker Program is another possibility for Haitian immigrants looking to move to Canada from Haiti. It’s for foreign skilled workers who want to become permanent residents of Canada and live in Quebec.
If you live in Montreal and need to send money to Haiti, you can do so through the Western Union app. Western Union makes it easy to send money overseas to friends and loved ones. Download the Western Union app and upload your personal information along with the recipient’s information, then watch your transfer get delivered in real-time.
