When the Quebec government announced this month it had reached its cap for family reunification sponsorships, and that the province was suspending new applications until June 25, 2026, the faces of all the in-limbo couples I’ve interviewed over the past few years flashed before my eyes.

My heart sank for them. I thought of Evgeny and his wife, Anastasiia. Jean-Sébastien and his husband, Paolo. Léa and her husband, Ilkay. The Quebecer-half of these couples are now paying the price for having fallen in love and married a foreigner and wanting to start a life with them here.

I thought of all the other unknown couples still separated, not to mention those who have left the province, unwilling to put their lives on hold because of unreasonable delays.

The Immigration Ministry’s suspension of applications didn’t come as a surprise. The Coalition Avenir Québec government had already announced it was slashing applications by half until June 2026 and would process a maximum of 13,000 applications on a first come, first served basis,

© Montreal Gazette