CIMM - Francophone Immigration Outside Quebec

Key messages

• This Government recognizes that immigration is key to supporting the vitality of Francophone minority communities across the country.
• Our objective is to increase Francophone immigration to reach a target of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023.
• In 2019, French-speaking immigrant admissions represented 2.8% of all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec.
• We are implementing a variety of measures to help meet that target.

Supplementary messages

• As processing is down and landings have drastically been reduced as a result of COVID-19, as all lines of business have been affected for the year 2019-20, the target for increasing Francophone immigration outside Quebec, has also been affected. However, my Department is committed to reaching the 4.4% target by 2023 as planned.
• Recent changes to selection tools, including changes in 2017 to assign additional points to candidates with strong French-language skills under Express Entry, have been increasing French-speaking admissions outside of Quebec.
• The Department is also pursuing year-round targeted promotion and recruitment support activities to attract a growing number of qualified French-speaking candidates.
• As of 2019, a more accurate and inclusive definition has been used to count French-speaking immigrants, resulting in a notable impact on admission data. The new definition moves away from the concept of “mother tongue” and focuses instead on the first Canadian official language of usage.

Supporting facts and figures

• In 2016, more than 1 million Francophones in Canada were living outside Quebec, representing 3.8% of the population. Unless actions are taken, the proportion could decrease to 3% by 2036 (Statistics Canada, 2016 Census). Immigration is one of the solutions to address the demographic decline.
• From 2003 to 2019, over 60,000 French-speaking immigrants were admitted to Canada (outside Quebec) – about 8,500 in 2019 alone.
• Despite a positive trend in admissions of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec, French-speaking immigrant admissions represented 2.8% of all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec in 2019. [redacted]
• In 2019, about 5,500 French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec were selected via the Economic Class, representing approximately two-thirds (65%) of all French-speaking admissions outside Quebec.
• The evolving COVID-19 situation may impact the Government’s ability to achieve its Francophone target commitment. The Department is closely monitoring the situation.

Background

• In March 2019, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship announced the Meeting our Objectives: Francophone Immigration Strategy with a goal of achieving a target of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023. The Strategy lies on five pillars covering the continuum of immigration, from attraction to selection and retention of French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec.
• The Government of Canada offers multiple pathways for economic migrants, including French-speaking foreign nationals, to come to Canada outside Quebec, both temporarily and permanently.
• On the temporary side, in June 2016, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada launched Mobilité Francophone that exempts employers from the Labour Market Impact Assessment process when they hire French-speaking workers from abroad to undertake skilled work outside of Quebec. Under Mobilité Francophone, French-speaking foreign nationals gain Canadian work experience, which can help them qualify for permanent residence.
• On the permanent side, French-speaking foreign nationals can apply to all economic immigration programs. As part of the Economic Class, they are selected based on human capital characteristics (e.g., Canada’s official language proficiency, education) and identified labour market needs. Economic immigration programs allow for the selection of immigrants across a range of skill levels and who meet labour market and economic needs, at both the national and provincial levels.
• As part of the Department’s Francophone Immigration Strategy, in collaboration with provinces and territories, the Department is advancing the Federal/Provincial/ Territorial Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec. The Action Plan outlines concrete actions for attracting, integrating and retaining French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec.
• In addition, Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba have targets in place to increase the number of French-speaking newcomers in their respective jurisdictions. Provinces and territories use various strategies to achieve their targets, which may include targeted Provincial Nominee Program streams for French-speaking candidates.