Francophone immigration: how Ottawa wants to bring in more French speakers

Immigration

The federal government wants to welcome more French-speaking immigrants — and it is backing that goal with hard targets, dedicated invitation rounds and millions of dollars. The official aim: by 2029, 12% of new permanent residents settling outside Quebec should be francophone. Here is how Ottawa is going about it, what it changes for applicants, and the point many people in Quebec miss.

Why Ottawa is betting on French

The Official Languages Act commits the federal government to restoring and increasing the demographic weight of francophone minority communities: Acadia, Northern Ontario, Saint-Boniface in Manitoba, French speakers in the West. For almost two decades the old 4.4% target was missed, a failure the Commissioner of Official Languages linked to the decline of French outside Quebec.

IRCC counts as francophone anyone whose only official language is French, or whose dominant official language is French if they are bilingual.

The targets: from 8.9% in 2025 to 12% by 2029

• 2024: 7.2% of permanent resident admissions outside Quebec
• 2025: 8.9%, more than 29,500 people, against an 8.5% target — the fourth year in a row the goal was met or beaten
• 2026: 9%, or 30,267 admissions (firm target)
• 2027: 9.5%, or 31,825 admissions (notional target)
• 2028: 10.5%, or 35,175 admissions (notional target)

One nuance matters: the previous plan had set 9.5% for 2026 and 10% for 2027. The percentages were trimmed slightly, even though the number of people keeps rising. The government still says it is committed to setting a 12% target by 2029.

The five concrete levers

1. Express Entry: the French-language proficiency category

This is the main engine. Since 2023, IRCC has held invitation rounds reserved for candidates with at least NCLC 7 in all four abilities in French, on the TEF Canada or TCF Canada. More than 81,000 candidates were invited through this category between 2023 and February 2026.

The score gap is striking. In 2026, French rounds were held at cut-offs between 382 and 435 points, compared with 507 to 523 for the Canadian Experience Class. The latest, on October 16, invited 5,000 candidates from 435 points: the eleventh French round of the year, for 55,500 invitations since January.

On top of that come additional points in the Comprehensive Ranking System: 25 points for NCLC 7 in French, and 50 points if your English also reaches level 5 in all four abilities.

2. Provincial programs: 5,000 reserved spaces

For 2026, Ottawa reserved 5,000 federal spaces that provinces and territories can use to nominate French-speaking candidates, on top of their usual Provincial Nominee Program allocations. Several provinces also run streams that are reserved for, or favour, French speakers.

3. Francophone Mobility: a work permit without an LMIA

An employer outside Quebec can hire a French-speaking worker without a labour market impact assessment. The worker must show NCLC 5 in oral comprehension and oral expression, and the job can fall in almost any TEER category, except some primary agriculture jobs. The employer submits the offer in IRCC’s Employer Portal under exemption code C16.

4. Two pilot programs

The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, launched in January 2025, offers a path to permanent residence in six communities in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia, based on a job offer from a local employer.

The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot makes it easier for French-speaking students from Africa, the Middle East and the Americas to get a study permit, with a path to permanent residence after graduation. Its approval rate is around 65%, compared with 34% in 2023 for students from Africa and the Middle East overall. It has been extended to August 2027.

5. Settlement and funding

Ottawa funds 24 Welcoming Francophone Communities, and the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 puts $217.4 million over five years into francophone immigration. On September 29, 2026, Minister Lena Metlege Diab announced about $1.2 million more for three projects: recruitment in health care, education and early childhood in Newfoundland and Labrador, employer-candidate matching in Saskatchewan, and the “Osez le Nord” campaign for Northern Ontario.

Living in Quebec? Read this before you apply

All of these targets concern admissions outside Quebec. Under the Canada–Quebec Accord, Quebec selects its own economic immigrants. A federal Express Entry application therefore assumes a genuine intention to settle in another province.

IRCC checks that intention: your declared destination, your ties to the province, your supporting documents. An officer who is not satisfied can refuse the application. Declaring an intention you do not have is not a trick: it is misrepresentation, which can lead to a five-year inadmissibility.

Once you are a permanent resident, the Charter guarantees your right to live anywhere in Canada. But the choice must be sincere when you apply. If you want to stay in Quebec, your route is Quebec selection: the PSTQ through Arrima, or the PEQ, open until October 31, 2026. The new Parti Québécois government has also promised tougher French requirements: see what its win changes.

Who stands to gain the most

• Skilled French-speaking workers abroad, especially in francophone Africa and Haiti, who are aiming for New Brunswick, Ontario or Western Canada.
• Temporary residents in Quebec who are ready to move to a francophone community in another province for a job.
• Bilingual people: with 50 extra points, English becomes a multiplier.
• French-speaking students considering a francophone college or university outside Quebec.

In every case, the first step is the same: take the TEF Canada or the TCF Canada. Without a valid test result, none of these advantages apply.

What to watch: the 2027–2029 levels plan

The next federal immigration levels plan is expected by November 1, 2026. Prime Minister Mark Carney has talked about a future “controlled increase” in immigration, without giving numbers. For French speakers the question is simple: will Ottawa confirm 9.5% for 2027 and 10.5% for 2028, and finally set the 12% target it promised for 2029? We will break it down as soon as it is published.

On the same subject: Express Entry 2026: the new categories · Four changes to know about this month

This article provides general information and is not legal advice.