Expansion of Francophone Mobility Program
Published: Jun 19, 2023
On June 15, 2023 this program was expanded. It allows a Canadian employer located in any province or territory except Québec, to "sponsor" a work permit application for a French speaking worker, without going through the Labour Market Impact Assessment program. It is not necessary that the language used at work be French. The point of this program is to encourage Francophones to settle throughout Canada.
Prior to June 15, 2023 there were two limitations on the program. The job being offered must be at a high skill level. The employee had to also show proficiency at a high level in French. As of June 15, 2023, though, the job offer could be in any occupation except for jobs in primary agriculture. Further, the proficiency in French demanded by the program on the part of the employee dropped. Instead of meeting French proficiency at Canadian Language Benchmark 7, the employee only has to show that they have French proficiency at Canadian Language Benchmark 5.
Like so many Immigration programs, this is not a big one. It is not clear how many work permits are authorized under this program in 2023. In 2019, 2020, and 2021, though, only 1,900 work permits were issued each year under this program.
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