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.

• 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 and to attracting the best talent in the world.
• We continue to increase French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec over time in the new Immigration Levels Plan.

If pressed
• The Francophone Immigration Support Program is investing approximately $3.6 million to support four new projects aimed at reducing barriers to Francophone and bilingual immigration.
• The projects address labour market needs in health, education and early childhood, support overseas promotion initiatives and help with the recruitment and integration of Francophones.

If pressed on previous and current targets:
• In 2024, Canada exceeded its target for French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec for the second year in a row: 7.21% of admissions outside Quebec were of French-speaking permanent residents (the target was 6%), following up on 4.7% reached in 2023 (when the target was 4.4%).
• We are on track to meet our 2025 target of 8.5%.
• The new Immigration Levels Plan includes targets of 9% (2026), 9.5% (2027) and 10.5% (2028), and the Government is committed to establishing a 12% target by 2029.

• 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 is committed to establishing a 12% target for Francophone immigration 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 October 2025 (when the most recent French-proficient round was conducted), over 61,700 candidates were invited to apply for permanent residency through the French-proficiency category in Express Entry.

• The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is a key driver to support increased French-speaking permanent resident admissions, among other regional economic immigration programs. All jurisdictions, with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, use the 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 operate dedicated streams that target Francophone immigrants and many prioritize the selection of French-speakers.

• 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 that was launched on August 26, 2024 will help attract and retain Francophone international students in communities outside Quebec.

• The addition of ten new Welcoming Francophone Communities in 2024 for a total of 24 communities across Canada that will support the integration process of French-speaking newcomers.

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 Francophone immigration 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.

• Our 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.

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. A French proficient category selects French speakers who are also 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 Levels Plan:

• The 2025-2027 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 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 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 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.

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