Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot

The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) is a temporary-residence-to-permanent-residence pathway for certain French-speaking international students who are seeking to study in French at select post-secondary designated learning institutions (DLI) located outside Quebec. FMCSP participants and accompanying family members will have access to IRCC-funded settlement services during their studies.

This pilot supports Canada’s Policy on Francophone Immigration and improves equitable access to Canada’s International Student Program by reducing barriers for French-speaking international students from regions with lower study permit approval rates and by fostering their integration and settlement in Francophone minority communities.

On this page

• Eligibility criteria
• Exemptions from the Regulations for FMCSP participants
• FMCSP application financial requirements
• Letter of acceptance (LOA) verification
• Provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) exception
• Approving and issuing a study permit for eligible FMCSP applications
• Port of entry and in-Canada applicants
• Students changing participating DLIs within Canada under FMCSP

Eligibility criteria

As articulated in the Public policy for French-speaking foreign nationals applying for study permits under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot, the following criteria must be met:

Principal

1. They have submitted an application for a study permit under section 213 of the Regulations
2. They are a citizen of one of the following countries (:
   • Africa: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, , Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tomé et Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Tunisia
   • Middle East: Egypt, Lebanon
   • Americas: Dominica, Haiti, Saint Lucia
3. They have a letter of acceptance (LOA) that
   1. has been issued by a participating DLI
   2. has the code “PPECFSM ,” indicating that they have been selected by the DLI to participate under the FMCSP
   3. indicates that the applicant will pursue a post-secondary level program that
      1. is full-time
      2. is 2 years in length or more
      3. leads to a degree or diploma
      4. the main official language of instruction is French (over 50% of the classes are taught in French)
4. They have provided results of an evaluation from a designated language-testing organization using a French language proficiency test approved pursuant to subsection 74(3) with a score of at least 5 for each of the four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) according to the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC)
   • Test results must not be dated more than 2 years from the date of issuance.
   • IRCC will only accept the following valid French language test results (available internally only ):
     • TCF Canada: a score that is equivalent to a CLB score of at least 5 for each ability;
     • TEF Canada: a score that is equivalent to a CLB score of at least 5 for each ability.

   Note (available internally only): Information on the test centre location should be indicated on all test results.

5. They have submitted proof of sufficient and available financial resources
   1. In addition to their first year of tuition and travel costs, applicants must demonstrate sufficient and available financial resources totaling 75% of the low income cut-off (LICO) associated with the size of the community in which the main campus of a participating DLI is located. See FMCSP application financial requirements below.
6. Their family members, whether accompanying or not, are not inadmissible [A42(1)].

Family member

1. They are a family member of a foreign national who has a valid study permit with User Remarks indicating participation in the FMCSP
2. They have submitted
   1. an application for an open work permit under subparagraph 200(1)(c)(ii) of the Regulations for work described in paragraph 205(c)(ii) of the Regulations
   2. an application for a study permit under section 213 or 215(2) of the Regulations or
   3. an application for a temporary resident visa pursuant to section 179 of the Regulations

In addition to the above criteria, FMCSP applicants must include as part of their electronic application (e-application) the following documents if they apply through the IRCC portal:

• Application for Study Permit Made Outside Canada form [IMM 1294] (PDF) (overseas )
• Family Information form [IMM 5645] (PDF) (if applicable)
• Schedule 1 – Application for a Temporary Resident Visa form [IMM 5257] (PDF) (if applicable)
• marriage licence or certificate or Statutory Declaration of Common-Law Union form [IMM 5409] (PDF) (if applicable)
• Use of a Representative form [IMM 5476] (PDF) (if applicable)
• application processing fee payment and biometric processing fee payment (if applicable)
• proof of identity
• photocopy of the information and biographical data page of the applicant’s passport
• any additional documents specified by the visa office instructions for the applicant’s region

Exemptions from the Act and Regulations for FMCSP participants

Foreign nationals eligible under this public policy are subject to all applicable eligibility and admissibility requirements (including A40) not exempted under this, or other, public policies.  Officers should follow standard procedures regarding the authenticity of documents or verification of information provided in support of the application.

As stipulated by the Minister’s public policy, the following exemptions apply to foreign nationals who meet the conditions under the FMCSP:

For principal applicants:

• the requirement in paragraph 20(1)(b) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay (referring to “obligation on entry”)
• the requirement in subsection 22(2) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay (referring to “dual intent”)
• paragraph 216(1)(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 3 of Part 12 (referring to “issuance of Study Permits”)
• paragraph 179(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 1 of Part 9 (referring to “Temporary Resident Visa issuance”)

For family members (dependants) :

• the requirement in paragraph 20(1)(b) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period of authorized for their stay (referring to “obligation on entry”)
• the requirement in subsection 22(2) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay (referring to “dual intent”)
• paragraph 200(1)(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 3 Part 11 (referring to “issuance of Work Permits”)
• paragraph 216(1)(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 3 of Part 12 (referring to “issuance of Study Permits”)
• paragraph 179(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 1 of Part 9 (referring to “Temporary Resident Visa issuance”)

FMCSP application financial requirements

Please note that, for FMCSP eligibility purposes, there are different financial thresholds depending on the community where the DLI’s main campus is located. Ensure that you are assessing the application against the applicable threshold for the DLI and group in the “Funds required” column of the DLI table linked here: Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot: Participating designated learning institutions and financial requirements – Canada.ca.

In addition to these amounts, applicants must also demonstrate they have the financial capacity to cover the first year of tuition and travel costs for themselves and any accompanying family members.

Current FMCSP financial requirements (per year, not including tuition or travel costs)

Amounts below are in Canadian dollars

Letter of acceptance (LOA) verification

DLIs must verify the letter of acceptance for all post-secondary study permit applications.

For further information about the LOA verification, please refer to the following : Study permits: Letters of acceptance (LOAs) .

Most participating DLIs will put an expiration date on the LOA for tracking purposes. If an LOA expires before or during the application stages, the LOA must be accepted for processing as long as it was valid when it was received by IRCC.

In the event that the “PPECFSM” reference is not included on the LOA, officers are instructed to assess the application under the regular study permit stream.

Provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) exception

FMCSP applicants are excepted (under the PAL/TAL Ministerial Instructions) from the requirement to submit a PAL/TAL with their study permit application.

Officers are instructed to add the ORG ID below for principal applicants and their dependants.

For further instructions on ORG IDs and SPC please refer to the PAL/TAL PDI.

Approving and issuing permits for FMCSP applicants

Important: Applicants who meet the FMCSP requirements, and their dependants, will be issued a study and/or open work permit with user remarks that identify them as part of this cohort. This allows the applicant and dependants to access settlement services in Canada and qualify for PR once the applicant has completed their studies.

Principal applicants

Officers must ensure that “FMCSP/PPECFSM” is properly indicated in the GCMS notes , and the correct User Remarks are entered on the study permit, as follows:

• In the “User Remarks” section of the Study Permit, add “FMCSP / PPECFSM.”

Family members of FMCSP applicants

Eligible family members of FMCSP applicants who are requesting a study permit, work permit or visitor record must have the following entered on their permit:

• In the “User Remarks” section of the TR document, add “Dependant FMCSP / Personne à charge PPECFSM.”

Family members entering Canada as visitors will require a visitor record at the POE.

Port of entry and in-Canada applicants

CBSA officers will apply standard procedures to conduct an examination at the port of entry.

• ENF 4: Port of entry examinations (PDF)

However, upon entry to Canada, foreign nationals eligible under this public policy are exempted from the requirement to establish that they will leave Canada after the period authorized for their stay. The exemption continues to apply for every entry to Canada while the foreign national’s status remains valid.

Issuance of visitor records for dependants of FMCSP applicants

CBSA officers must issue a visitor record for dependants of FMCSP applicants entering Canada as a visitor and must add the following:

• In the “User Remarks” section of the TR document, add“Dependant FMCSP / Personne à charge PPECFSM”.
• The user remark will allow dependants of FMCSP applicants to benefit from settlement services.

Students changing participating DLIs within Canada under FMCSP

Students participating under the FMCSP may change to another participating DLI if they wish to remain in the pilot. However, they will still need to meet the program requirements, including applying for a new study permit with a new FMCSP LOA from a participating DLI: Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot : who can apply