Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has launched a new pilot program that provides Francophone students with a direct road to permanent residence (PR), marking a significant step towards bolstering French-speaking immigration outside of Quebec.
Beginning on August 26, 2024, 2,300 students will be admitted to the pilot program in its first year. August 2025 will see a review of this cap.
This ground-breaking program is a component of Canada’s larger plan to encourage linguistic variety and foster the expansion of Francophone communities throughout the nation.
A Boost to Canada’s Immigration Goals
It is anticipated that this pilot program will be essential to Canada meeting its aggressive immigration goals, especially with regard to Francophone immigration. By 2023, the percentage of immigrants who identify as Francophone outside of Quebec is expected to rise to 4.4%, according to the government of Canada.
The government’s dedication to achieving this goal, if not beyond it, is evident in the launch of this program.
To do this, IRCC says “Students and their families will be exempted from having to demonstrate that they will leave Canada at the end of their temporary stay. In addition, the required financial threshold will be adjusted to reflect 75% of the low-income cut-off associated with the municipality where the institution’s main campus is located.”
A Strategic Move to Support Francophone Communities
By providing a streamlined pathway to PR, the IRCC aims to increase the number of French-speaking immigrants in regions where French is not the majority language. This initiative aligns with Canada’s commitment to maintaining and strengthening its bilingual identity, which is a cornerstone of the nation’s cultural fabric.
The new pilot will reduce the financial threshold and remove francophone international students and their families from having to prove that they want to depart Canada at the end of their temporary stay.
Once their studies are finished, these students will also have access to settlement services and a straight route to become permanent residents.
The maximum number of study permit applications that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will accept under the FMCSP is 2,300 for the first year. A cap for the second year of the pilot program will be set by August next year.
“This is exactly what this pilot program does. It adds to the progress we’re making under the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 to strengthen francophone immigration and integration in French-speaking minority communities.”
Eligibility Criteria for the Pilot Program
The pilot program is targeted at Francophone students who have completed post-secondary education in a designated learning institution outside of Quebec. To qualify for PR under this program, applicants must demonstrate proficiency in French, typically through a language test such as the TEF Canada or TCF Canada.
- be at the post-secondary level;
- be full-time;
- be 2 years or more of study;
- lead to a degree or diploma; and
- have French as the primary language of instruction (over 50% of the classes are taught in French).
Students must also be citizens of these eligible countries:
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Lebanon
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Saint Lucia
- São Tomé and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Togo
- Tunisia
Added Advantage
Students enrolled in the FMCSP can bring their spouses, common-law partners, or dependent children with them. The spouses and common-law partners may be eligible for a visitor visa, open work permit, or study permit.
Importantly, students in the Pilot are exempt from several recent changes to Canada’s international student program. For instance, they do not need to obtain a Provincial Attestation Letter (PAL) from their DLI, and they are not subject to IRCC’s processing cap for international student applications.
New Communities
Ten new communities are also being added to the Welcoming Francophone Communities (WFC) initiative, bringing the total of WFC communities to 24.
The 10 new communities being added to the WFC initiative are:
- Nanaimo
- Red River
- Chéticamp (including St. Joseph du Moine)
- Belle-Baie (including Bathurst and the Pabineau First Nation)
- Caraquet (including Rivière du Nord and Hautes-Terres)
- Restigouche West Region (Saint-Quentin and Kedgwick)
- Prince Albert
- Cornwall
- Cochrane District
- London
“The WFC initiative is an eloquent example of the commitment of francophone and Acadian communities to the overall success of immigrants,” says Liane Roy, president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et Acadienne du Canada (FCFA).
Through this effort, IRCC and the partnering community offer settlement services to newcomers, including community building, skill development, employment support, and more.
What does this mean for Francophone Students?
For Francophone students considering studying in Canada, this pilot program represents a significant opportunity. Not only does it offer a chance to gain a world-class education, but it also provides a clear path to becoming a permanent resident of Canada.
Earlier this year the department announced that it was targeting that 6% of all newcomers to Canada are French-speaking.
Under the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028, Ottawa is allocating $50 million to ensure the success of the Francophone Integration Pathway, including $11 million over four years to expand the WFC initiative. In 2021, only 6,950 French-speaking immigrants obtained permanent residency in Canada outside of Quebec.
The following year, that number surged to 16,380, marking a 135.7 percent increase.
By last year, Francophone immigration outside Quebec rose further to 19,635 new permanent residents.
This year, IRCC data shows that the country is on track to surpass that record, with 9,220 French-speaking permanent residents admitted in the first five months alone.
If the trend from January to May continues, Canada could welcome as many as 22,128 French-speaking new permanent residents by the end of this year.
Canada’s immigration system, managed under a shared jurisdiction between the federal government and the provinces, offers programs for skilled workers at both levels.
This initiative is a welcome addition to Canada’s immigration landscape, reinforcing the country’s commitment to diversity, inclusion, and the support of its Francophone communities. Students who are looking to make Canada their permanent home should weigh the option of learning French to boost their chances of gaining permanent residency.
