About Francophone Mobility Program
Canada’s Francophone Mobility Program issues work permits to French-speaking foreign citizens who want to live and work in a Francophone community outside of Quebec. To qualify, you must have a job offer from an employer in any Canadian province except Quebec. The job offer must be with a National Occupation Code skill level of 0, A, or B. (NOC). This program is open to people of any nationality.
Employers are not required to conduct a labour market impact assessment for this type of work permit. Employers find this alternative attractive since it speeds up the immigration procedure and reduces expenses. Employer-specific permits are issued for the term of a job offer and can be renewed at the end of that period. This program has no limit on the number of candidates who may apply, and no prevailing salary is necessary. Similarly, employment does not have to be advertised ahead of time.
According to the Canadian Government, “facilitating entry for these workers under the International Mobility Program (IMP) serves to support paragraph 3(1)(b.1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) by encouraging the development of minority official language communities in Canada. Promoting the use of French outside Quebec strengthens and supports the social and cultural fabric of Canadian society while respecting the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada.”
Qualification requirements
The following requirements must be met to be eligible for this program:
- The occupation must fall under National Occupational Classification (NOC) code 0, A, or B. NOC code 0 is for managers and executives in practically any company or area. Professional jobs are classified as NOC code A, whereas technical and trade occupations, as well as those requiring some post-secondary education, are classified as NOC code B.
This program does not apply to occupations classified as “low-skilled” by the Canadian government:
- The potential employee must demonstrate that French is their habitual language. Individuals who have lived and worked in a French-speaking nation may usually demonstrate this by presenting diplomas and transcripts from schools where the language of education is French, as well as reference letters from businesses where the language of employment is French.
Language requirements
If a person is coming from a non-French speaking nation or does not have adequate documents to confirm their ability to communicate in French, one of two language exams certified by the Government of Canada may be required to demonstrate French proficiency. To examine your language ability, you should take the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) or the Test de connaissance du français (TCF). For each of the four abilities: hearing, speaking, reading, and writing, you’ll need a CLB score of 7.
Advantages for applicants
If you meet the minimal conditions, you will be granted this work permit. Any competent professional who is fluent in French and has made it a practice of speaking it regularly may apply. So, if you’re willing to put in the effort and learn the language, you’ll be able to secure a job and a work visa in Canada without any problems.
Advantages for employers
For non-Québec firms, the key benefit of this program is that they do not have to market and recruit Canadians or Canadian citizens. Because of this, employers do not have to go through the lengthy, expensive, and time-consuming process of conducting a Labour Market Impact Assessment (“LMIA”) before being able to hire a foreign worker.
An LMIA is a time-consuming and complex procedure that many businesses would rather avoid. Applicants for the Francophone Mobility Program (Mobilité Francophone Canada) are not needed to have a positive Labor Market Impact Assessment before being hired (LMIA).
Employers that participate in the program may enjoy the following advantages:
- There is no need for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
- Employer costs are $230 per worker, vs $1000 per worker under the LMIA.
- There’s no need to promote the vacancy ahead of time.
- French doesn’t need to be the language of employment.
- Francophone Mobility employees are given a work permit that is specific to their employer.
- There is no need for a prevailing wage.
- There is no limit on how many people may apply for this program.
- Work permits for Francophone Mobility may be renewed.
Will Francophone Mobility Program allow you to live in Canada permanently?
Individuals are only permitted to remain in Canada for a limited length of time under this program. Anyone interested in having a permanent residence in Canada should explore the requirements for becoming a Canadian permanent resident.
How Francophone Mobility Program can help you to get a PR card?
Individuals who fulfil the requirements for a Mobilité francophone work permit (i.e., who will be working in highly-skilled employment and who are fluent in French) would typically be eligible for Canadian permanent residence. As you can see, there are no specific conditions to get this work permit.
Any skilled worker may apply as long as he or she is fluent in French and can use it as a second language regularly. In other words, if you are prepared to put up the effort to learn French, you may be able to skip the queue and get a job offer as well as a work permit in Canada without difficulty.
Becoming permanent resident through the federal Express Entry system
Individuals who want to relocate outside of Québec may get permanent residence via the Federal Government’s Express Entry system, which is the quickest path available. Express Entry is a program that offers a fast track to permanent residency for highly skilled workers in Canada and abroad.
For potential skilled foreign workers, Express Entry will result in fast processing times of six months or less. Express Entry is in control of handling applications for permanent residency under several federal economic immigration programs:
Becoming permanent resident through Provincial and Territorial Nominee Programs
In certain circumstances, a person may not be qualified for permanent residence via the Express Entry system, so they should look into one of Canada’s provincial or territorial nominee programs.
While each program has its own set of requirements, in general, individuals who have worked on a full-time basis in a particular Western Canadian province or territory for a specified number of months (as determined by that particular jurisdiction) will be eligible for permanent residency in that province or territory.
Before applying, it is important to do a thorough assessment of the eligibility requirements of each provincial and territorial nominee program.
Do I Have to be from a French Speaking Country?
No, even if you live in a country where French is not widely spoken and your first language is not French, you may apply. To examine your language ability, you should take the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) or the Test de connaissance du français (TCF).