Canada Introduces Law to Support Francophone Immigration

The Canadian Society is a community of bilingual speakers dominating the nation’s cultural, social, and economic spheres. Since the Official Languages Act was passed in 1969, the country has made French and English her accepted language.

However, recently, there has been a significant drop in the number of French speakers in francophone communities. Also, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenships Canada (IRCC) has seen more English speakers immigrating into Canada’s different provinces and territories than French speakers.

Apart from Quebec, where French speakers predominate, other minority francophone communities have experienced this significant drop. This was seen in the 2021 population census, where the population of French speakers moved from 3.6% in 2016 to 3.3%.

To preserve the domination of the French speakers and extinguish the gradual extinction of francophone societies outside Quebec, IRCC formulated a law that can also guide the immigration choice of newcomers into the country and support francophone immigration.

The Amendment of Bill C-13: Official Languages Act

This Bill C-13 is an Act with a special interest in advocating for the enactment of the French language in the various government-controlled business sectors of the country. IRCC is a government-owned institution; hence, it falls under this directorate, too.

Before the amendment of the Act, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada operated under an administration that, though it cared for the francophone communities, did not hold it with a strong or special interest.

Through Bill C-13 of the Official Languages Act, francophone communities outside Quebec have experienced a significant turnaround. This is evident in the result achieved in 2022 when the country reached the 4.4% targeted goal of welcoming French-speaking newcomers and exceeded it.

What Does this Amendment Aim to Achieve?

This amendment aims to:

• Expand the population of French speakers in the country.
• See organizations governed by an individual with a bilingual speaking ability.
• Grow the francophone communities of the country.
• Encourage French-speaking immigrants into the country.
• Create increased awareness for the francophone communities outside the borders of Canada.

To this end, individuals proficient in listening, speaking, writing, and reading in French are highly advantaged. An additional 15 points will be given to any immigration applicant who reaches an NCLC benchmark of 7.

Although the law is to support francophone immigration, the government still shows unbiased support for the Anglophonic communities, too. This is seen in the government’s action to provide an additional 30 points to any immigration applicant who reaches an NCLC benchmark of 7 and CLB of 5 in the accepted Language Assessment Test.

The goal is to have a community with vibrant bilingual speakers.

The Government’s Approach to Achieve this Objective

To achieve this objective, the federal government has implemented the Francophone Immigration Strategy. This strategy targets newcomers who wish to live and work in Canada.

After the Bill was passed into law and received the Royal Seal, the nation’s Immigration Agency, IRCC, has been mandated to carry out the following:

1. French Proficiency as a Criteria to obtain Permanent Residence

This is for international students and temporary workers living, studying, or working in Canada. Along with the other requirements, you must have a minimum of 1 year of Canadian experience to obtain permanent residence as a temporary resident. Within this duration, you are now expected (as a non-french speaker) to learn to write, speak, listen, and read in French.

This was not a requirement before, especially for provinces outside Quebec (which is predominated by French speakers). Encouraging temporary residents to become proficient in French before obtaining Permanent Residence has increased the population of French speakers in the country.

From 2022 to 2024, over 36,000 French-speaking temporary residents have obtained Permanent Residence, which also represents the record of success of this initiative.

2. Additional Points Under the Express Entry Program

There are three pathways under the Express Entry program. They are the:

• Canadian Experience Class
• Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Federal Skilled Trades Program

These programs are economic pathways through which you can immigrate to Canada. For each of these pathways, a CRS score is assigned to each candidate. This score is determined by age, educational history, work experience, and language proficiency.

If you are a French speaker or skilled in both languages, you may be awarded additional points and invited to apply for permanent residence.

In 2023, over 10,000 French speakers immigrated to Canada using this Class, with 7,685 and 1,445 Immigrants attributed to the Federal Skilled Worker Program and Canadian Experience Class, respectively.

3. Easy Access to Francophone Settlement

Due to the current language barrier between French speakers and non-french-speakers, the government has initiated measures to ensure the easy location of a francophone service provider for newcomers, especially for French-speaking newcomers.

This commitment led the government to invest C$40.8 million over five years (2018–2023) in supporting francophone communities outside Quebec and aiding French speakers’ integration.

Conclusion

What is good news if it is not that you are a French speaker or skilled at both English and French and you desire to immigrate to Canada?

With the law introduced to support francophone immigration, you can potentially become a resident of Canada because of the additional points you get to be awarded, which can heighten your chances of being invited to apply and the easy access you enjoy when you settle in a francophone community.

Frequently Asked Questions