By Synthia Lateu
Cameroon topped the list of countries with record numbers applying for permanent residence (PR) in Quebec. This is according to the 2025 demographic report released by the Institut de la Statistique du Québec (ISQ).
The ISQ report reveals that 9,127 Cameroonians left the country in 2024 to settle permanently in Quebec. This figure represents a 42% increase from 2023 and places Cameroon ahead of France with just 7,327 immigrants, followed by China (4,630), Tunisia ( 4,045), Algeria ( 3,650), and Morocco ( 3,095) as the leading country of origin for permanent immigrants.
Over the last three years, the number of Cameroonian permanent residents in Canada has grown by an average of 3,000 per year. Between 2019 and 2024, a total of 23,262 individuals of Cameroonian origin immigrated to Quebec.
In response to what is being described as a “massive migration” of Cameroonians—particularly to Canada—the Union of Cameroonian Enterprises (GECAM) has raised concerns about the long-term impact on the country’s skilled labor force and economic development.
Célestin Tawamba, president of GECAM, noted last September that nearly 6,000 Cameroonians immigrated to Canada in the first four months of 2024 alone. He cited a 2020 report by Cameroon’s Ministry of Economy, based on figures from the International Labour Organization (ILO), which stated that Cameroon lost approximately 23,000 skilled professionals that year—representing 2.2% of its qualified workforce.
“This phenomenon, marked by the departure of the most skilled talents to developed countries, deprives the Cameroonian economy of valuable human resources,” the ILO report emphasized
