Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative

The Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative is a flagship measure of the Policy on Francophone Immigration. This initiative aims to support the reception and settlement of French-speaking newcomers across 24 Francophone and Acadian communities in Canada. It fosters connections and promotes a sense of belonging among newcomers into their host communities.

This initiative follows a “by and for Francophones” approach, whereby members of Francophone communities have been mandated to identify and recommend participating communities to the department, under the leadership of the Réseaux en immigration francophone (Francophone immigration networks).

This initiative is co-led by:

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)
• Francophone and Acadian communities:
  • the 13 Réseaux en immigration francophone (opens in a new tab) ,
  • the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (opens in a new tab) 
  • the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick(opens in a new tab) 

The 24 Welcoming Francophone Communities provide support to French-speaking newcomers in their plans to build their lives in Canada.

The initiative is based on collaborative, partnership and community approaches in order to:

• support the integration and retention of newcomers in the 24 Francophone communities
• create ties between newcomers and the host communities, and
• raise awareness and create a welcoming environment, where newcomers can develop a sense of belonging

This initiative is funded by the 2023–2028 Action Plan for Official Languages: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration, and the 2018–2023 Action Plan for Official Languages: Investing in Our Future.

Co-planning phase

Planning for the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative began in June 2018 and spanned two years. During this time, IRCC collaborated with the Réseaux en immigration francophone and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada to establish the initiative’s parameters and select participating communities.

Following the selection, each community formed a community advisory board with representatives to develop and submit a community plan to IRCC detailing the activities it wished to implement to support the initiative’s objectives and foster the five characteristics of a welcoming community.

These five characteristics were selected by IRCC in consultation with the communities:

1. Inclusive leadership
2. Equitable access to reception and settlement services
3. Economic development, entrepreneurship and employment
4. Welcoming public spaces
5. Civic engagement and participation

Pilot phase

The pilot phase of the initiative began in 2020 and ended in March 2024.

In anticipation of the end of this phase, IRCC held a series of targeted conversations with stakeholders across the country in 2023 to gather insight on the future of the project. Nearly 160 people took part in these conversations.

Renewal and expansion phase

Given the success of the pilot and the contribution of the initial 14 communities to the settlement and integration of French-speaking newcomers, in January 2024, the department announced the renewal and expansion of the initiative as a flagship measure of IRCC’s Policy on Francophone Immigration.

In August 2024, the department announced the selection of 10 additional communities.

The renewal of the initiative and the addition of new communities will allow many French-speaking newcomers to continue receiving the support they need in various areas to build their lives in Canada.

• How to immigrate to a Francophone community outside Quebec
• How to hire French-speaking and bilingual workers