Every year, thousands of French-speaking immigrants come to Canada to settle in Francophone communities outside of Quebec. In 2019, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) put in place the Francophone Immigration Strategy, which aims to support the vitality of Francophone minority communities across the country. The Francophone Immigration Strategy aims to achieve 3 main objectives:

1. Increase Francophone immigration to reach a target of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023.

2. Support the successful integration and retention of French-speaking newcomers.

3. Strengthen the capacity of Francophone communities outside of Quebec.

To achieve these objectives, Canada’s Department of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees (IRCC) has taken the following actions:

1. IRCC focused on adjusting immigration selection mechanisms for French-speaking candidates, including: (1) Additional points in the Express Entry system to assign additional points to candidates for strong French-language skills, with even more points for candidates who also have good English-language skills. (2) Better access to French tests. (3) In 2021, IRCC introduced temporary dedicated streams for French-speaking and bilingual candidates as part of the temporary residence to permanent residence pathway for essential workers and recent international graduates already in Canada.

2. Targeted expansion of promotion and recruitment support - Since 2003, IRCC’s office at the Embassy of Canada in France has organized an annual Destination Canada mobility forum, where participants from various countries can learn about the diversity of Canada, Francophone communities and Canadian immigration programs.

3. Joint action with key partners - IRCC recognizes the vital role played by many partners and stakeholders in the success of Francophone immigration. As part of mobilizing partners, in 2018, federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for immigration and those responsible for Canadian Francophonie adopted a Federal/Provincial/Territorial Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec.

4. Enhanced resettlement and settlement pathways - In 2021-2022, IRCC provided $61 million in funding to more than 80 Francophone organizations to deliver a range of direct and indirect settlement services. The Francophone integration pathway is a consolidation of services, spanning from pre-arrival to citizenship, to facilitate linkages between French-speaking and bilingual newcomers and Francophone communities.

5. Coherent policies supported by data and outcomes - In January 2017, IRCC amended its immigration application forms to collect data under a new measure of the definition of “French-speaking immigrant”.