Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has recently announced the eligibility criteria and details for a new francophone immigration pathway to Canada, set to open in 2025 and expected to run for five years.
The Francophone Community Immigration Class (FCIC) is a new immigration pathway designed to help French-speaking newcomers settle permanently in Canada.
The FCIC is for newcomers who wish to settle in francophone communities outside Quebec. Candidates will require a job offer and recommendations in order to be eligible.
According to the new initiative, newcomers wishing to apply under this new immigration pathway must meet several eligibility criteria, including a certificate of recommendation, a genuine offer of employment, relevant work experience, proficiency in the French language, a specific level of education, intent to reside in the designated community, and proof of necessary funds.
Those criteria are elaborated below:
- Applicants must possess a valid certificate of recommendation from an economic development organization at the time of application.
- Applicants must provide proof of a genuine job offer from a designated employer that meets specific conditions.
- Applicants must have work experience that meets specific requirements. This condition may be waived for international graduates who fulfill certain criteria*.
- Applicants must demonstrate French language proficiency equivalent to Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 5 across all language abilities.
- Applicants must have at least a secondary school diploma.
- Applicants must show an intention to reside in the designated community where they will work.
- Applicants must prove they have funds equivalent to half of the most recent Low-Income Cut-Off (LICO) criteria for their designated community, sufficient for one year.
Applicants applying for this program from within Canada must ensure they have valid temporary status at the time of application and maintain it until they receive permanent residency.