CIMM – Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot – November 25, 2024

Key Facts and Figures

The Francophone Minority Community Student Pilot (FMCSP) is reserved for Francophone foreign nationals who are citizens of l’Organisation internationale de la francophonie member countries in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
While FMCSP participants are not included in the overall cap, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will accept a maximum of 2,300 study permits under this pilot project for the first year.
To date, 12 of the 18 designated learning institutions (DLIs) eligible to participate in this pilot project have committed to doing so.

On August 26, we launched the FMCSP Program, in partnership with designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary DLIs outside Quebec.
The goal is to make Canada’s International Student Program fairer for French-speaking international students from regions where the study permit approval rate is generally lower, namely Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
This Program helps fulfill our commitment set out in the Policy on Francophone Immigration. It offers a limited number of students a direct pathway to permanent resident status and provides them access to IRCC settlement services while they’re studying.

What’s new for this year’s levels

Students participating in the Pilot program will be incorporated into the levels starting in 2027, when the first participants complete a program of study and are eligible for permanent resident status.

In 2023, the refusal rate for Francophone students was highest in Africa and the Middle East (66%) and in the Americas (61%). In comparison, the refusal rates were 47% in Asia and the Pacific and 18% in Europe.