Francophone Immigration Action Plan in Canada

Canada has ambitious plans for supporting the francophone minorities by integrating French-speaking, bilingual skilled workers to retain the vitality of such depreciating communities. Also, the move is aimed at meeting the increased skilled worker demand throughout the country. On January 16th immigration minister Marc Miller announced a series of initiatives to support French-speaking minorities in Caraquet, New Brunswick. These initiatives cumulatively laid a framework to renew and expand the existing welcoming francophone communities outside Quebec.

The new Framework

With this framework, 14 Canadian communities will be receiving funding to help integrate French-speaking newcomers. The framework will be further expanded and it will allow the Canadian government to even welcome 10 more communities. The minister also added that the program is right on track; the target of 4.4% of admission of speaking residents outside Quebec has been surpassed in 2023 December, and it crossed the 4.7% mark. IRCC earlier announced that the plan for 2024 is 6%, 7% in 2025, and 8% in 2026.

“Francophone immigration plays a crucial role in strengthening our national identity,” he added. “The numerous measures we are implementing will attract skilled Francophone workers who will support the economic and cultural development of these communities. Our efforts to ensure the successful reception and integration of French-speaking newcomers support our unwavering commitment to restoring and increasing the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities.”

–The Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship

“The measures announced today aimed at promoting Francophone immigration are fundamental for the future and sustainability of Francophone communities in minority situations across the country. With the modernized Official Languages Act and the Action Plan 2023–2028, which has been in effect since this autumn, our government is implementing the necessary mechanisms and investments to achieve targets that are both ambitious and essential.”

– The Honourable Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages

How you can benefit as a French speaker

While creating your profile, you will need to prove knowledge in any of Canada’s official languages; English and French. By selecting the strongest language as your first official language you will earn more points. You can earn up to 50 extra points even with strong French language skills; even though French is your second language. If you score 7 or higher in NCLC or higher on all 4 French language skills, you can get:

1) 25 points if you scored Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) level 4 or lower in English.

2) 50 points if you scored CLB 5 or above in all four skills.

The whole Francophone community nourishment Canada’s, Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 initiative is supported by govt funding of more than CAD 137 Million between 2023-2028. This funding will be spent on recruiting, immigration, and integrating newcomers into the existing Francophone communities.

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