For years, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has spearheaded policies and programs to increase the French-speaking population in Canada. The 2025 Annual Report to Parliament on Immigration which sets out the Immigration Levels plan for 2026-2028, made clear that the Government remains committed to setting and exceeding ambitious targets of French-speaking newcomers.
Hiring a French-speaking worker can benefit employers by creating new opportunities for market entry, networking and client service. If you are a Canadian employer located outside of Quebec seeking to hire a French-speaking worker or if you are a French-speaker that is interested in working and living in Canada, there are ample opportunities available in Canada to meet your goals.
Temporary Pathways
Francophone Mobility (Mobilité Francophone) Work Permit
This work permit category is highly facilitative to hire a worker with an intermediate French language ability. The only eligibility requirements are that the worker has a minimum French language ability and an offer of employment from a Canadian company located outside of Quebec.
Although Canadian language tests have four skill categories which include, speaking, listening, reading and writing, for the Francophone Mobility Work Permit, eligible applicants only need to demonstrate adequate skills in speaking and listening.
To prove language ability, the applicant can:
- Complete an approved French language test (TEF or TCF)
- Provide written confirmation from a college or university for a program in French
- Provide any other documents that show education in French
If the applicant opts to complete an approved French language test, the minimum score to show the required French language ability is a level 5 or higher in the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) scale.
It is important to note that there are no requirements for the foreign worker to have any previous experience with the company and the job itself does not need to require French language skills. The purpose of the program is to encourage employers to hire Francophone workers in Canada for locations outside of Quebec, thereby increasing the Francophone population across Canada.
Moreover, the job can be classified under any Training, Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) category of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system unless the offer is for a job in a primary agricultural occupation under TEERs 4 and 5. Examples of jobs that are excluded from the permit would include harvesting and livestock labourers and other similar agricultural jobs that require little to no education or previous training. Other than these specific exclusions, the Francophone Mobility Work Permit is accessible to most employees and employers, making it a great option for many.
International Experience Canada (IEC)
The International Experience Class (IEC), Working Holiday work permit, is available to French citizens meeting the eligibility criteria below. This is an open work permit with a maximum duration of 24 months. An employer seeking to hire a French citizen does not need to support the application in any way. Since it is an open work permit, it is not tied to the company or a specific occupation and can be completed independently by the worker.
The program requirements include:
- Aged 18-35 (inclusive)
- Hold a valid French passport
- Have minimum CDN $2500 in funds
- Have health insurance for duration of stay – this can be presented at the border upon entry to Canada
- demonstrate that you have the financial resources to purchase a departure ticket at the end of your stay
- Not be accompanied by dependents (spouse/children)
The IEC also has a Young Professionals work permit category, which like the Francophone Mobility work permit, does require the employer to support an offer of employment. In contrast to Working Holiday, some employers prefer to support a candidate under the Young Professionals category as in doing so the worker is issued a closed work permit tying them to the company and job listed on the application.
Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot
The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot is a temporary initiative launched to attract and retain French-speaking international students in Francophone minority communities outside Quebec. The program provides an avenue to apply for a study permit and offers an exclusive pathway to permanent residence for graduates. Under the pilot, eligible applicants must be citizens of designated Francophone countries (including but not limited to Lebanon, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, and Egypt), reside outside Canada at the time of application, demonstrate French proficiency at a minimum NCLC 5 level, and obtain a letter of acceptance from a participating designated learning institution (DLI) confirming that the application is being made under the pilot. The program of study must be full-time, at least two years in length, primarily taught in French, and lead to a diploma or degree.
For further information on the applicable pathway to permanent residence for graduates that participated in the pilot, please refer to the public policy which is in place until 2031.
Permanent Residence Pathways
In addition to the temporary pathways detailed above, Canada offers numerous programs and advantages to French speakers in the various pathways for permanent residence.
Francophone Community Immigration Pilot
In 2025, the federal government launched the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot which offers permanent residence to skilled workers who want to work and live in specific rural and remote Francophone-minority communities.
To be eligible for this pathway, the applicant will require:
- a valid job offer from a designated employer in the community,
- at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of relevant work experience in the past three years
- a minimum NCLC 5 score in all four abilities
- a Canadian secondary school educational credential or a foreign equivalent; and
- sufficient funds to support themselves.
The current participating communities include:
- Acadian Peninsula, New Brunswick
- Sudbury, Ontario
- Timmins, Ontario
- Superior East Region, Ontario
- Pierre Jolys, Manitoba
- Kelowna, British Columbia
Express Entry for French-Speaking Workers
In the Express Entry system, eligible candidates are ranked based upon a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Points are allocated based on the candidate’s skills, education, language ability, work experience and other factors. French language skills offer candidates a competitive advantage in two ways – adding CRS points and allowing them to be considered not just in the Express Entry general category draws but also in the French-language category. For the last few years, CRS scores required for the French-language category have been significantly lower than the general and other categories, reflecting the government’s continued prioritization of increasing Francophone presence across Canada.
Provincial Nomination Programs
Additionally, an applicant may also be eligible to apply through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) of the province that they wish to relocate to. PNPs for Francophones may be directly tied to Express Entry, be standalone initiatives, or a combination of both.
Ontario
Under the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP), there is an option to apply through Ontario’s Express Entry French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream. To do this, the applicant must have a valid profile in IRCC’s Express Entry system, meet the requirements of stream which include minimum scores in English and French, and have received a Notification of Interest from Ontario. If the applicant receives a nomination, they will receive additional points that will contribute to how quickly they may be invited to apply for permanent residence. It is important to note that this specific stream only assesses applicants who apply through Canadian Experience Class and the Federal Skilled Worker Program. This stream was not used by the OINP in 2025 or 2026.
The applicant can also apply for the OINP without Express Entry and still have their language skills give them an advantage. The OINP offers its applicants in various streams additional points for speaking French or being bilingual in both French and English. Specifically, a score of 7 in one language and 6 in the second language can grant the applicant an additional 10 points. Most recently, 146 invitations were issued to Francophone applicants on April 8, 2026, in the Foreign Worker, International Student, and In-Demand Skills streams.
Ontario has indicated that they will be making changes to their streams. It will be interesting to see in the coming months how this will impact French-speaking candidates.
New Brunswick
The New Brunswick Strategic Initiative has three streams dedicated to retaining skilled Francophone foreign nationals.
The Francophone Workers in New Brunswick stream is meant for foreign workers who are working in a permanent and full-time position for an eligible New Brunswick employer and either have been living in New Brunswick for at least 6 months or have received a job offer through a recruitment mission led by the Government of New Brunswick. The New Brunswick Francophone Priorities stream allows for Francophones to gain permanent residence if they are living in the province and have completed at least one year of study at the Universite de Moncton or College Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) and have received a letter of interest from Immigration New Brunswick. Lastly, the Francophones Working Remotely in New Brunswick stream may be eligible for those who have been living in the province for 12 months and have been working remotely for a Canadian employer located outside of Quebec during this entire period.
Contact Us
If you or your organization are looking to hire French-speaking workers or you are a Francophone interested in living and working in Canada, please feel free to contact us.
