Recently, IRCC Minister Mr. Marc Miller released Canada’s new francophone immigration policies and targets to expand the French language outside Quebec. Read on to learn about the new policies for Francophone immigration. 

Canada’s New Francophone Immigration Policies

The new measures, announced by Minister Miller, include a series of initiatives such as: 

• A new Francophone immigration policy.
• The renewal and development of the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiatives.
• A new program to help Francophone immigration.
• The enactment of the Action Plan for Official Languages.

As per Minister Miller, the implementation of a new Francophone immigration policy will encourage the expansion of Francophone minority communities while also raising their status.

In order to alleviate the labor shortages, the new policy includes measures concerning the advancement and recruitment support efforts.

Also, 14 communities in Canada will keep receiving grants to assist in the integration of Francophone immigrants under the renewal of the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiatives.  

Notably, this effort will be broadened further to enable the Canadian Government to choose at least ten additional communities to help integrate French-proficient immigrants. 

Moreover, the new Francophone Immigration Support Program is going to finance projects designed to remove barriers to francophone immigration. 

Finally, Minister Miller discussed the immigration target for Francophone immigration for the coming years. He stated that the French-based immigration target for 2023 was surpassed in December 2023. It hiked from 4.4% to 4.7%. 

Previously, the immigration department revealed its immigration target in its immigration levels plan. For 2024, Canada plans to admit 6% of francophone immigrants, 7% for 2025, and 8% for 2026. 

The minister said that French-based immigration will significantly help in strengthening the country’s identity. He further added that the various measures the department is enforcing will enable Canada to attract French-skilled workers who will assist the communities developing culturally and economically. 

The minister also noted that all these measures to support the admission and integration of French-proficient immigrants complement their commitment to the restoration and expansion of the demographic weight of French-proficient immigrants’ minority communities across Canada.

Canada’s Efforts for Francophone Immigration 

Last year, the IRCC department revealed the new selection criteria for those applying through the Canadian Express Entry system. The system includes the Federal Skilled Trades Programme (FSTP), Federal Skilled Worker Programme (FSWP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

The new selection criteria mainly consider candidates with professional experience in in-demand occupations in Canada. Notably, among these criteria, candidates with French language proficiency were also considered. 

Candidates who are proficient in this category have to prove their French language abilities. This should be comparable to a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 7 or higher in reading, listening, writing, and speaking.

The inclusion of this special French-based category for immigration was done as a part of IRCC’s strategy introduced in 2019 for Francophone immigration. Under this, IRCC aimed to expand the Francophone population across Canada, especially outside of Quebec. By the end of 2023, the aim was to attain 4.4% French proficient immigrants. Additionally, the plan intends to facilitate the integration and retention of Francophone immigrants into the nation and enhance their capabilities across Canada. 

Canada’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 further supports these initiatives. As per the plan, the government will allot $80 million CAD over five years to several French-based immigration and retention activities. These include

• Combining Francophone integration pathways, 
• Hiring primary and secondary-level French and French-speaking teachers; and 
• enhancing Frech-based immigration initiatives under existing frameworks.

Why is Francophone immigration crucial in Canada? 

Canada’s new francophone immigration policies are vital for the nation for several reasons. 

The federal government of Canada has a mandate to protect the status and promote both official languages of Canada ( English and French) per the Official Languages Act.

Among these measures, the government has to guarantee respect for and allow the development of both languages in Canada. This includes:

• Promoting the equality status of both languages in Canada’s official institutions and society and
• Promoting the growth of minority linguistic communities, either English or French, in Canada.

Because of these goals, IRCC holds the responsibility of accepting and retaining French-proficient immigrants to Canada as well as further strengthening these communities within the nation. 

This is the primary reason why the IRCC department has launched several initiatives to attract additional French-proficient immigrants.