Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative

The Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative is a project launched in 2018 by IRCC in 14 Francophone and Acadian communities (outside Quebec). The initiative was expanded to include 10 new communities in 2024. The initiative aims to support the reception and settlement of French-speaking newcomers in these communities. It fosters the creation of ties and the development of a sense of belonging among newcomers to their host community.

Since this is an initiative “by and for Francophones”, the members of the 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)  (Federation of Francophone and Acadian communities of Canada)
  • the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick(opens in a new tab)  (Francophone association of the municipalities of New Brunswick)

The 24 Welcoming Francophone Communities aim to support French-speaking newcomers in their plans to live in Canada.

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

Planning for this initiative began in June 2018 and took place over 2 years.

During this time, each community established an advisory board with representatives to

• set goals
• develop proposals for activities
• make recommendations on what activities should be done with the available budgets

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 across the country in 2023 to consult sector stakeholders on the key findings of the pilot and discuss the future of the project. Nearly 160 people took part in these conversations.

Based on the success of the pilot and the contribution of the 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.

Ten new communities have been added to the initiative. IRCC worked with the Réseaux en immigration francophone in these provinces, the Association francophone des municipalités du Nouveau-Brunswick and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada to select these communities.

Thanks to the renewal of the initiative and the addition of new communities, many French-speaking newcomers will continue to receive the support they need in various aspects of building their life in Canada.

Each community has been granted funding to continue or adapt its existing activities (amounts as of April 1, 2024).

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