Question Period Note: Targets for French-Speaking Permanent Resident Admissions Outside Quebec

Annual targets for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec for 2026-2028.

• Through IRCC’s Policy on Francophone Immigration, we are actively promoting the economic development and vitality of Francophone minority communities.
• The Government of Canada is committed to restoring and increasing their demographic weight, as per the Official Languages Act, and to attracting the best talent in the world.
• IRCC has consistently met or surpassed its admissions targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec over the past four years.
• In 2025, IRCC achieved 8.9%, exceeding the 8.5% target set for that year.

• We continue to increase these targets in the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

• Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan 2026-2028 sets a target for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec of 9% in 2026 (30,267 admissions), followed by notional targets of 9.5% in 2027 (31,825 admissions), and 10.5% in 2028 (35,175 admissions).

• The Government committed to establish a 12% target for French-speaking permanent residents outside of Quebec by 2029.

Measures to Achieve Francophone Targets

• Numerous measures contribute to achieving these targets:

• Express Entry prioritizes the selection of French-proficient candidates, both by awarding points for French proficiency through its ranking system, and through a dedicated French-proficiency category.

o Express Entry is the primary lever for supporting French-speaking permanent resident admissions targets outside Quebec. From 2023 to December 2025 (when the most recent French-proficiency round was conducted), over 73,000 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency through the French-proficiency category in Express Entry.

• All jurisdictions, with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, use the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) as a core pathway for Francophone immigration to support Francophone Minority Communities (FMCs) and their labour force needs across Canada. Some provinces and territories (PTs) operate dedicated streams that target Francophone immigrants and many prioritize the selection of French-speakers.

• As part of the PNP 2026 allocation decision, IRCC is offering additional allocations to PTs to support the nomination of key priorities, including Francophone workers. To this end, IRCC has reserved federal immigration spaces for PTs to nominate up to 5,000 Francophone candidates in support of Francophone immigration targets. These spaces are in addition to their regular allocation total so PTs are able to nominate these candidates without impacting their ability to fill other labour market needs through their PNP.

• The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) was launched in January 2025 and partners with six Francophone-minority communities in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia to attract and retain skilled workers by providing a dedicated pathway to permanent residence to help fill critical labour market needs.

• The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP), launched on August 26, 2024, aims to facilitate access to the International Student Program and remove barriers for French-speaking students from regions with historically low study permit approval rates (Africa, the Middle East, the Americas). The pilot offers a permanent residence pathway once they successfully complete their studies and is expected to help attract and retain Francophone international students in Francophone minority communities.

• IRCC is making sustained efforts to strengthen the Francophone Integration Pathway, aimed at facilitating the reception, support, settlement and integration of French-speaking newcomers, as well as fostering lasting connections between newcomers and Francophone and Acadian communities. IRCC added ten new Welcoming Francophone Communities in 2024 for a total of 24 communities across Canada.

• The Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration (CIFI) aims to strengthen IRCC’s overseas promotion of FMCs. Through partnerships with FMCs, the CIFI also funds innovative projects that reduce barriers to Francophone immigration. Sixteen projects are currently supported, totalling approximately $12.9 million.

o Several of these initiatives help FMCs address labour needs in key sectors such as education, early childhood education, and health. They also enhance the promotion of immigration pathways to connect communities and employers with French speaking talent, thereby contributing to the outcomes of immigration programs such as the PNP, the FCIP, and the FMCSP.

If pressed on additional measures to increase Francophone immigration:

• The Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 includes a historic investment of $137.2M in new funds, in addition to $80.2M in existing funds from previous Action Plans, for a total of $217.4M over five years, to strengthen Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s actions to achieve ambitious Francophone objectives.
12% target outside of Quebec

If pressed on the commitment to establish a 12% target for
French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside of Quebec by 2029:

• The government has committed to establishing a 12% target for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec by 2029.

• Targets are developed according to parameters set out in the Policy on Francophone Immigration. They are expected to be ambitious, yet realistic and feasible, and informed by evidence and partner perspectives.

• The Policy calls for a gradual increase in admissions over the long term to allow for progress toward restoring and increasing the demographic weight of FMCs.

• The 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan includes adjusted yet still increasing targets that position the government on a trajectory to meet its commitment to establish a 12% target by 2029.
Migration to Quebec

If pressed that French-speaking immigrants selected through federal programs are settling in Quebec:

• Under the Canada-Québec Accord, Quebec selects economic immigrants and resettled refugees destined to that province and the federal government selects permanent residents in the family class and protected persons. Both governments jointly administer the International Student Program and the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The federal government remains responsible for determining the admissibility (i.e., health, security and criminality) of all immigrants to Quebec and for issuing permanent resident visas.
• The Government takes its commitments under the Accord seriously, and has implemented across its immigration programming clauses related to the applicant’s intention to reside outside Quebec.

• The Department assesses the intention to settle outside of Quebec during the application process, based on all the evidence provided. This includes the declared destination, ties to certain provinces, and supporting documents. If an officer is not satisfied that the applicant will settle outside of Quebec, they may refuse the application.

• However, upon obtaining permanent resident status, newcomers obtain mobility rights under s.6 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Regardless of their previously-stated intention, permanent residents can choose to reside in any province or territory.

• The Department remains committed to ensuring the integrity of the programs through a rigorous assessment of applications, and ongoing collaboration with its partners, including the Province of Quebec.

Francophone immigration and the economy

If pressed that increasing Francophone immigration compromises
economic objectives by bringing in individuals with lower skill
levels:

• Francophone immigrants bring a wide range of skills and new connections to potential trade opportunities that are vital to Canada’s long-term prosperity. A diverse, linguistically competent workforce is a competitive advantage in a global economy. Strengthening Francophone immigration aligns with Canada’s goals of sustainable growth, regional and rural economic development, and social inclusion within Francophone minority communities.

• Express Entry is the primary source of French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec. The French proficiency category selects French speakers with work experience in high skilled occupations and meet the Federal High Skilled program requirements. As such, all French-proficient candidates selected through Express Entry are well positioned to economically establish in Canada.

Decreased Francophone Targets

If pressed on the initial decrease in Francophone % targets from the 2025–2027 Immigration Levels Plan:

• The 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan included targets of 9.5% for 2026 and 10% for 2027. These were revised to 9% for 2026 and 9.5% for 2027 in the 2026-2028 Plan. These adjusted targets continue to position the government on its trajectory to meet its commitment to establish a 12% target by 2029.

• Although percentage (proportional) targets in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan have been slightly reduced for the first two years of the Plan, the number of French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec continues to increase — from 30,267 admissions in 2026 to 35,175 projected admissions in 2028.

• Annual admissions targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan were developed according to the parameters set out in the Policy on Francophone Immigration. They remain ambitious, yet realistic and feasible in a rapidly evolving immigration context. They were informed by evidence and partner perspectives, including feedback received during a roundtable with Francophone community stakeholders as part of the 2026-2028 Immigration Levels Plan consultations.

• The Policy calls for a gradual increase in admissions over the long term to allow for progress toward restoring and increasing the demographic weight of FMCs.

• Targets in the Levels Plan are firm for the first year and notional for the two outer years. All targets are re-assessed annually and subject to Cabinet approval.

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