Contradicting processes of migranticisation and citizenisation: analysing the extent of nationality privilege in the context of French migration in Quebec, Canada

Most literature on processes of migranticisation and citizenisation focuses on how people are migranticised. This article proposes examining a case of migration facilitation, in which state policies aim at facilitating rather than restricting the migration and settlement of specific categories of people, to empirically examine to what extent it citizenises them. It takes the case of French temporary migration to Quebec, the only province in which French is the sole official language. Since the 1960s, France and Quebec have signed numerous agreements, many of which provide advantageous conditions to migrate and settle in the province. Based on qualitative longitudinal research, the article examines how the regime of immigration facilitation works and how it is experienced by French temporary migrants in Quebec. Results show that while the regime of immigration facilitation does contribute to citizenisation, French migrants are still subjected to various technologies of migranticisation which vary depending on the permit type and multiply as time spent with a temporary residence status increases. The article provides a frame to study such regimes and their effect on individuals, offers additional notions to understand processes of migranticisation and citizenisation, and contributes to the knowledge of experiences of migration from former metropolises to colonial settler countries.