01/05/2025
FRANCOPHONE IMMIGRATION OUTSIDE QUEBEC
Canada has created various initiatives to attract and retain French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec, including:
• Express Entry for French-speaking skilled workers
• Francophone Mobility Work Permit
• Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP)
Express Entry for French-Speaking Skilled Workers
To be eligible for the Express Entry for French-speaking skilled workers, you must meet the following requirements:
Express Entry Profile
• You must have an active profile in the Express Entry pool.
• You must be eligible for one of the federal economic immigration programs managed through Express Entry:
o Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
o Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
o Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
Language Proficiency
You must achieve a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) on the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens (NCLC).
For more information, please visit Express Entry for French-speaking skilled workers - Canada.ca and Express Entry rounds of invitations: Category-based selection - Canada.ca
Francophone Mobility Work Permit
The Francophone Mobility Work Permit is a special type of work permit that makes it easier for French-speaking foreign nationals to work in Canada outside Quebec:
LMIA-exempt Work Permit
The Francophone Mobility Work Permit exempts employers from the requirement to get a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) to hire foreign workers (exemption code C16).
Eligibility
To be eligible to apply for the Francophone Mobility Work Permit, you must:
• Have a valid job offer for a skilled occupation under any Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system unless the offer of employment is for a job in a primary agriculture occupation under TEER 4 and 5.
• Demonstrate that your French speaking and listening skills are equivalent to a level 5 or higher in the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens (NCLC) Scale).
For more information, please visit Francophone Mobility work permit: How to apply - Canada.ca
Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP)
The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) is a special program to encourage international students to study in French in communities outside Quebec.
Benefits for Students
• A provincial attestation letter (PAL) or a territorial attestation letter (TAL) is not required when applying for a study permit through this pilot.
• The FMCSP provides a pathway for students and their families to apply for permanent residence after graduation.
• Students can access settlement services to help them integrate into their new communities.
• Students’ spouse/common law partner and dependent children may be eligible for a temporary resident visa, study permit or open work permit.
Program Criteria
• The program must be at the post-secondary level.
• The program must be full-time.
• The program must be at least two years long.
• The program must lead to a degree or diploma.
• French must be the primary language of instruction (over 50% of classes taught in French).
Eligibility Requirements
• You must be a citizen of one of the following eligible countries:
1) Bénin
2) Burkina Faso
3) Burundi
4) Cabo Verde
5) Cameroon
6) Central African Republic
7) Chad
8) Comoros
9) Côte d'Ivoire
10) Democratic Republic of the Congo
11) Dominica
12) Republic of the Congo
13) Djibouti
14) Egypt
15) Equatorial Guinea
16) Gabon
17) Guinea
18) Guinea-Bissau
19) Haïti
20) Lebanon
21) Madagascar
22) Mali
23) Mauritania
24) Mauritius
25) Morocco
26) Niger
27) Rwanda
28) Saint Lucia
29) São Tomé and Principe
30) Senegal
31) Seychelles
32) Togo
33) Tunisia
• You must achieve a minimum score of 5 in all 4 language abilities (speaking, reading, writing, and listening) on the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens (NCLC) scale.
• You must have a letter of acceptance from a participating designated learning institution (DLI) that says you’re applying under the FMCSP.
• You must receive a letter of acceptance from one of the following schools:
1) Collège Boréal, Multiple Campuses, Ontario
2) Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, Multiple Campuses, New Brunswick
3) Collège Éducacentre, Surrey, British Columbia
4) Collège La Cité, Ottawa, Ontario
5) Collège Mathieu, Gravelbourg, Saskatchewan
6) Université Laurentienne, Sudbury, Ontario
7) Université de Hearst, Hearst, Ontario
8) Université de Moncton, Multiple Campuses, New Brunswick
9) Université de l’Ontario français, Toronto, Ontario
10) University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta
11) University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario
12) University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan
13) York University, Toronto, Ontario
• You must demonstrate you have enough money to pay the tuition fees and support yourself and your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children, if they come with you to Canada, during your studies.
Note, the amount of money you need to prove depends on the city where the main campus of your school is located.
• You must live outside of Canada when you apply.
For more information on this program, please visit Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot - Canada.ca
Disclaimer: The content of this blog is provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as immigration/legal advice. It is recommended that you consult with a qualified immigration professional for advice regarding your individual situation.
