Canada unveils new permanent residence pathway for French speakers

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has released eligibility criteria and details on a new francophone immigration pathway to Canada opening in 2025.

The Francophone Community Immigration Class (FCIC) is a new immigration pathway designed to help French-speaking newcomers settle permanently in Canada.

The FCIC is for newcomers who wish to settle in francophone communities outside Quebec. Candidates will require a job offer and recommendations in order to be eligible.

This new pathway is currently expected to last for five years.

This article will

Cover applicant eligibility for the program; and
Provide a broad overview of the new immigration class.

Discover if You Are Eligible for Canadian Immigration

Who is eligible to apply under this new pathway?

Newcomers wishing to apply under this new immigration pathway must meet several kinds of eligibility criteria:

Eligibility criteria	Description
Certificate of recommendation	An applicant must have a valid certificate of recommendation from an economic development organization at the time of making their application.
Genuine offer of employment	An applicant must show that they have a genuine offer of employment from a designated employer that meets specific conditions.
Work experience	An applicant must have work experience that meets specific conditions. This requirement can also be waived for international graduates who meet certain conditions*.
Language proficiency	The applicant must display French language ability equivalent to a Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 5 in all language abilities.
Education	The applicant must have obtained at least a secondary school level credential.
Intent to reside	The applicant must demonstrate that they intend to reside in the designated community they will work in.
Necessary funds	Applicants must show that they have funds equivalent to one-half of the most recent Low-Income Cut-off (LICO) criteria relevant to their designated community, for one year.

Applicants applying to this program from within Canada must ensure that they have valid temporary status at the time of their application and maintain this status until they receive PR.

Further details

Certificate of recommendation

To receive a certificate of recommendation applicants must

Have the required work experience relevant to the Training Education, Experience, and Responsibilities (TEER) level of the offered employment;
Have a genuine offer of employment in a designated occupation (as established by a designated organization), with wages within acceptable levels (as prescribed by Canada’s Job Bank, or the designated organization itself), and supported by supplementary documentation;
Possess the required French language proficiency;
Meet the education requirements; and
Intend to reside in the designated community they will be working in.

Certificates of recommendation are valid for six months from the date of issue.

Genuine offer of employment

An applicant must show that they have a genuine offer of employment from a designated employer for a role that

Is for non-seasonal, full-time work of an indeterminate period;
Will entail at least 75% of the employment responsibilities completed in the designated community;
Involves work that the candidate is qualified to perform, as indicated by their past work experience and/or education; and
The applicant meets the work experience criteria for (detailed below).

Work experience

To be eligible for this pathway, applicants must have work experience that

Was acquired over a continuous one-year period of full-time work, or the equivalent part-time work, in an occupation listed in the National Occupation Classification (NOC);
Was acquired no earlier than three years prior to the day the applicant applied for permanent residence (PR);
Involved the performance of duties of the role, as described in the NOC system (both in the lead statement and the occupation descriptions); and
Was performed under the employ of a third party (unless acquired as a legally licensed medical practitioner).

If the applicant's work experience was gained in Canada, then the applicant must have been legally authorized to work in Canada.

The required level of an applicant’s work experience is also determined by the level of the occupation they are being hired for, as described in Canada’s TEER criteria:

TEER of Job Offer	Work Experience Requirements
TEER Category 0	Work experience in TEER Category 0, 1, 2, or 3.
TEER Category 1	Work experience in TEER Category 0, 1, 2, or 3.
TEER Category 2	Work experience in TEER Category 1, 2, 3, or 4.
TEER Category 3	Work experience in TEER Category 2, 3, or 4.
TEER Category 4	Work experience in TEER Category 2, 3, or 4.
TEER Category 5	Work experience in the same NOC unit group as the job offer.

*International graduates may be exempt from the work experience requirement for the FCIC, provided that

They maintained their full-time status throughout the duration of their program;
They obtained their credential within 18 months of their application for PR through the FCIC;
For those in master’s or doctoral degree programs that were less than two years in length, the applicant was physically present in the designated community where they will be applying to settle in, for the duration of the program;
For other kinds of degrees that were less than two years in length, the applicant was physically present for 16 of the 24 months preceding the day they received their credential, in the designated community where they will be applying to settle in.

Language Proficiency

Applicants must take an IRCC-approved language test to prove their French proficiency.

Education

Education must be proven by either providing a Canadian credential, or the international credential with an Education Credential Assessment (ECA). The ECA must be less than five years old at the time of application.

Necessary funds

Applicants will require funds based on the size of their family. Family members are counted toward this number regardless of whether they are accompanying the applicant to Canada.

What is the FCIC?

The FCIC is an initiative under Canada’s Francophone immigration policy, that allows French-speaking newcomers who have professional experience in in-demand occupations in a community outside of Quebec, to settle permanently in that community.

Newcomers admitted through this pathway must intend to reside in the community that nominates them.

The program involves three key stakeholders:

Designated communities: A Canadian community outside of Quebec that includes a minority Francophone population and that is included in the list of communities designated by the Immigration Minister as eligible to participate in the FCIC;
Economic development organizations: An organization that is invested in the local economy of the designated community, and chosen by the Immigration Minister to issue certificates of recommendation to eligible applicants; and
Designated employers: Employers that have been chosen by the economic development organization to participate in this program through the hiring of eligible applicants.

Candidates who receive an offer of employment for a priority occupation from a designated employer who operates in a designated community may be eligible to receive permanent residence (PR) under this new pathway.

Under the FCIC, economic development organizations must publish a list of priority occupations by March 31 of every year.