The Minister of Immigration, Refugees, & Citizenship, Marc Miller, has given recent updates on Francophone immigration policies & targets. The recent measures include a new Francophone immigration policy/ initiative & expansion of the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiatives. This is a new program to support Francophone immigration, & the implementation of the Action Plan for Official Languages.
Moreover, Marc Miller asserted that the new Francophone immigration initiative will promote the growth of Francophone minority communities & increase the weight of these communities. The policy includes measures like promotion & recruitment support efforts to address acute labor shortages.
Through the renewal of Welcoming Francophone Communities initiatives, 14 Canadian communities will continue to obtain funding to help integrate French-speaking newcomers. The initiative will be expanded so that the government can select up to ten more Canadian communities that will be able to support French-speaking newcomer integration.
The Francophone Immigration Support Program will fund projects that will help eliminate obstacles/ barriers to Francophone immigration.
Lastly, in addition to the recent updates on Francophone immigration policies & targets, the Minister highlighted that the target of 4.4% French-speaking residents admissions outside of Quebec was surpassed in December 2023, thus reaching about 4.7%. In addition, IRCC has previously declared that this target is 6% for 2024, 7% in 2025, & 8% for 2026.
Francophone immigration plays an integral role in strengthening the national identity. This is why various measures are being implemented to attract skilled Francophone workers who will support these communities’ cultural & economic development.
Francophone Immigration Targets Initiatives
In 2023, IRCC declared new selection criteria for applicants applying through Canada’s Express Entry system of programs, i.e., Federal Skilled Trades Program, Federal Skilled Worker Program, & Federal Experience Class.
Among these new selection criteria were candidates who held proficiency in French. Individuals eligible for this category needed to prove their proficiency in French equivalent to a CLB of 7 or higher in reading, writing, speaking, & listening.
The creation of this special category for immigration comes via IRCC’s plan for Francophone Immigration, released in 2019. Among its objectives, the immigration plan looked to increase the proportion of Francophone immigrants outside of Quebec to 4.4% by the end of 2023. Moreover, the plan seeks to support the successful integration & retention of French-speaking newcomers, thus strengthening the capacity of Francophone communities across Canada.
These initiatives are further supported by the Canadian government’s Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028, which commits more than CAD 80 million over five years to numerous francophone immigration & retention activities, including consolidating Francophone integration pathways, recruiting primary & secondary-level French as well as French-speaking teachers & improving Francophone immigration initiatives under current frameworks.
Why Francophone Immigration?
In addition to the recent updates on Francophone immigration policies & targets, Canada’s federal government has a mandate to promote & protect the status of both official languages, as per the Official Languages Act. Among these objectives, the government must ensure respect & development of both languages in Canada. It includes advancing the equality of status of French & English in official Canadian institutions & society and sporting the development of minority linguistic communities in the nation.
Due to these objectives, the responsibility of welcoming & retaining Francophone newcomers to Canada falls with IRCC. Well, this is a key reason why IRCC has undertaken these initiatives to welcome more French-speaking newcomers.