How IRCC Is Prioritizing French Speakers For Canada Immigration

On This Page, You Will Find:

• IRCC’s Policy on Francophone Immigration
• Francophone targets in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan
• Express Entry’s French-language proficiency category
• Extra CRS points for French-language skills
• The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot and Student Pilot
• Mobilité Francophone: an LMIA-exempt work permit
• Frequently asked questions

IRCC is treating French-speaking immigration as a permanent, structural priority rather than a one-year push. Under the Policy on Francophone Immigration and the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan, Canada continues to raise the share of permanent residents settling outside Quebec who speak French, using Express Entry category-based draws, dedicated economic and student pilots, and a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) exempt work permit to get there.

The federal target for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec rises to 9% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027 and 10.5% in 2028, on the way to a longer-term goal of 12% by 2029. Canada exceeded its 2025 target for the fourth year running, reaching about 8.9% of admissions outside Quebec.

For skilled workers, students and employers, this priority translates into real, practical advantages: lower Express Entry cut-off scores in French-language category draws, extra Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, dedicated permanent residence pilots, and an easier path to a Canadian work permit.

A Permanent Priority: IRCC’s Policy on Francophone Immigration

IRCC’s Policy on Francophone Immigration, in place since January 2024, makes Francophone immigration a permanent feature of the department’s work rather than a temporary campaign. The policy sets out five action areas covering promotion and recruitment, francization and settlement support, and retention, with the stated goal of restoring and increasing the demographic weight of Francophone and Acadian minority communities outside Quebec.

Francophone Targets in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan

The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan sets specific, growing targets for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec:

• 2026: 9% of admissions outside Quebec (a target of roughly 30,267 admissions)
• 2027: 9.5% of admissions outside Quebec (roughly 31,825 admissions)
• 2028: 10.5% of admissions outside Quebec (roughly 35,175 admissions)
• Longer-term goal: 12% of admissions outside Quebec by 2029

These targets build on a track record: Canada reached 7.2% in 2024 and about 8.9% in 2025, exceeding its stated goal for the fourth consecutive year. Starting in 2026, the federal government is also reserving 5,000 federal selection spaces so provinces and territories can designate French-speaking immigrants, on top of their regular Provincial Nominee Program allocations.

Express Entry’s French-Language Proficiency Category

Since 2023, French-language proficiency has been one of the categories used in Express Entry category-based rounds of invitations, and it remains a category for 2026. Other current categories include healthcare and social services occupations, STEM occupations, trade occupations, education occupations, transport occupations, and dedicated categories for physicians, senior managers and researchers with Canadian work experience, and skilled military recruits.

To be eligible for a French-language proficiency round, you must:

• be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class
• have valid French-language test results (TEF Canada or TCF Canada) showing at least level 7 in all four abilities (reading, writing, listening and speaking) on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)
• meet all other requirements set out in the ministerial instructions for that round

Category-based rounds supplement, rather than replace, general and program-specific draws. Because the pool of eligible candidates is narrower, French-language draws have historically had lower CRS cut-off scores than general rounds – but cut-offs shift with every round, so check the latest Express Entry results before you rely on a specific number.

Extra CRS Points for French-Language Skills

You do not need to be applying through a French-language category round to benefit from strong French skills. Express Entry candidates can earn extra CRS points for French ability even if French is their second language:

• 25 additional points if you score NCLC 7 or higher on all four French-language abilities and Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 or lower in English (or did not take an English test)
• 50 additional points if you score NCLC 7 or higher on all four French-language abilities and CLB 5 or higher on all four English-language abilities

These points apply whether you are eligible through the Express Entry for Skilled Immigration stream, the Canadian Experience Class, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.

The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot

The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) is a federal economic pilot that offers a direct route to permanent residence for skilled workers destined to selected Francophone minority communities outside Quebec. To qualify, you generally need:

• a valid job offer from a designated employer in a participating community
• at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience within the past 3 years
• an approved French-language test result showing at least NCLC 5 in speaking, listening, reading and writing
• a Canadian educational credential, or a foreign credential assessed as equivalent
• proof you have enough money to support yourself and your family, unless you are already working in Canada on a valid work permit

Some recent graduates of eligible community post-secondary institutions may be exempt from the work-experience requirement. The FCIP is one of the pilot programs included in the pilot immigration programs IRCC uses to fill regional labour gaps.

The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot

The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) is a study-permit-to-permanent-residence pathway for French-speaking international students from world regions with historically high study-permit refusal rates. It is reserved for citizens of member countries of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas who plan to study in French at a designated learning institution outside Quebec.

Applicants need a French-language test result of at least NCLC 5 across all four abilities, and IRCC caps the number of study-permit applications it accepts each year under the pilot. Students who complete an eligible credential can access a public policy pathway to an open work permit and, eventually, permanent residence, without leaving Canada.

Mobilité Francophone: an LMIA-Exempt Work Permit

The Francophone Mobility work permit lets employers outside Quebec hire French-speaking or bilingual foreign workers without going through the Labour Market Impact Assessment process, using LMIA exemption code C16. To be eligible, you generally need:

• an offer of employment for a job located outside Quebec, in any occupation Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category except primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5
• French-language speaking and listening skills at an intermediate level, equivalent to NCLC 5 or higher
• to meet the general eligibility requirements for a Canadian work permit

Before you apply, your employer must submit the offer of employment through the Employer Portal and pay a $230 employer compliance fee. The work permit application fee is $155. If your employment contract runs 6 months or longer, your spouse or common-law partner may be eligible for an open work permit, and your dependent children may be eligible for study permits. Time spent working in Canada on a Francophone Mobility permit can also strengthen a later Express Entry profile, including eligibility for the Canadian Experience Class.

Quebec’s Rules Versus Federal Opportunities Outside Quebec

Quebec selects its own economic immigrants under the Canada-Quebec Accord and sets its own intake levels and French-language requirements, separate from the federal programs described above. All of the Francophone immigration measures on this page – the Express Entry category, the CRS bonus points, the FCIP, the FMCSP and Mobilité Francophone – apply to destinations outside Quebec.

It is worth remembering that permanent residence gives you the right to live anywhere in Canada, including Quebec, even if you were selected through a federal program aimed at Francophone communities outside the province.

Why French-Language Skills Give You an Edge

Strong French-language skills can help you in several concrete ways:

• qualify for French-language category-based Express Entry rounds, which have historically had lower CRS cut-offs than general rounds
• add up to 50 extra CRS points to a federal Express Entry profile
• access dedicated pilots, such as the FCIP and FMCSP, that are not open to other applicants
• qualify for the LMIA-exempt Mobilité Francophone work permit, and later convert that Canadian work experience into permanent residence
• integrate more easily into one of the growing Francophone minority communities outside Quebec

Because federal targets for French-speaking admissions outside Quebec are set to keep rising through 2029, these advantages are likely to remain in place for the next several immigration cycles. Check the current Invitations to Apply results and the latest ministerial instructions before you rely on any specific cut-off score or fee.

Frequently Asked Questions