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Quebec Premier Francois Legault is holding firm on his plan to scrap thousands of pending immigration applications, meaning 18,000 people would have to restart the application process from scratch.

Legault’s statement came shortly before the Coalition Avenir Quebec government’s immigration reform bill was expected to pass on Saturday, despite pleas from the opposition.

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“The old (selection) criteria do not meet the needs of the labour market,” Legault said, speaking with reporters ahead of a rare weekend session of the National Assembly to fast-track Bill 9.

“Everything that had to be said has been said,” he added, stressing employers’ concerns over a labour shortage.

The legislation would give the immigration minister more authority over who receives permanent residency in Quebec. It would also allow the government to cancel roughly 18,000 immigration applications, some from people who waited in limbo for years as their files languished in the old system.