In 2016, the Government of Canada introduced the Mobilité Francophone work-permit program to allow Canadian employers located outside of Québec to recruit foreign nationals proficient in French for highly-skilled jobs. Although this program is only available to individuals who can demonstrate a high degree of French proficiency, it is important to note that French is not required to be spoken in the job in Canada. In fact, in Western Canada, many of the employers who have used this program have workplaces where little or no French is spoken.
The intent of the Mobilité Francophone program is not for French-speaking foreign nationals to fill only bilingual or French-speaking jobs outside of Québec, but to build up minority French-speaking communities outside of Québec. By recruiting habitual French speakers to work in Canada, the hope is that these communities will be able to grow and thrive.
What is the main advantage of the Mobilité Francophone program?
The main advantage of this program is that non-Québec employers can hire native French speakers without having to advertise and recruit for Canadians or Canadian permanent residents. This is a distinct advantage as it allows for employers to avoid the complicated, costly and time consuming Labour Market Impact Assessment (“LMIA”) process which requires extensive advertising and recruitment before a foreign national can be hired. Further, where a positive LMIA is required to hire a foreign worker, the LMIA would need to confirm that there is a need for a foreign worker to fill the job and that no Canadian worker or permanent resident is available to fill the job. The foreign worker could only apply for a work permit upon receipt of a positive LMIA.
How does the Mobilité Francophone program work?
In order to qualify for this program, the following criteria must be met:
- The occupation must be within what is called National Occupational Classification (NOC) code 0, A or B. NOC code 0 is for managerial or executive level employees in almost any industry or sector. NOC code A is for professional occupations while NOC code B is for technical and trade occupations as well as occupations where some post-secondary education is required.
Occupations considered “low-skilled” by the Government of Canada will not qualify for this program.
- The prospective employee must establish that their habitual language is French. For individuals who have lived and worked in a French-speaking country, this can normally be established by providing diplomas and transcripts from schools in which the language of instruction is French and by providing reference letters from employers where the language of work is French.
However, if an individual is coming from a non-French speaking country or may not have sufficient documentation to establish an ability to communicate in French, it may be necessary for the individual to take one of two language tests approved by the Government of Canada to prove French proficiency.
Does the Mobilité Francophone program allow individuals to live in Canada permanently?
This program only allows an individual to be in Canada for a finite period of time. If an individual wants to live in Canada permanently, they should look at the process of becoming a Canadian permanent resident.
How does the Mobilité Francophone program help a person get permanent residency?
While this program does not automatically lead to Canadian permanent residency, individuals who meet the criteria for a Mobilité francophone work permit (i.e., they will be working in a highly-skilled job and are proficient in French), will normally be qualified for Canadian permanent residency.
Francophone immigration through the federal Express Entry system
For individuals looking to settle outside of Québec, the fastest route to permanent residency is through the Federal Government's Express Entry system. The Express Entry system awards individuals a number of “points” for various personal characteristics, such as:
- age;
- level of education;
- Canadian education;
- foreign work experience;
- Canadian work experience;
- English language proficiency;
- French language proficiency; and
- the presence of siblings in Canada, among other factors.
While the Express Entry system is not a dedicated immigration system for French speaking applicants, if an individual is able to demonstrate high proficiency in both French and English, the likelihood of acceptance under this program is much higher than for individuals who are proficient in only English or French.
The advantage of the Express Entry system is its relative speed when compared to other Canadian permanent residency programs. Upon being invited to apply for permanent residency, an individual can submit an electronic application for permanent residence. The processing standard for these types of applications is six (6) months from receipt.
Francophone immigration through Provincial and Territorial Nominee Programs
In some cases, an individual may not be eligible for permanent residency through the Express Entry system, and should consider whether they are eligible through one of the Western Canada provincial or territorial nominee programs.
While each program has different criteria, for the most part, individuals who have worked on a full-time basis in a particular Western Canadian province or territory for a number of months as prescribed by that particular jurisdiction will qualify for permanent residency. A careful review of each provincial and territorial nominee program's criteria is necessary before submitting an application.
In some provinces, the probability of acceptance under a provincial or territorial nominee program is greater for bilingual applicants than for individuals who are proficient in only English or French.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.
