Question Period Note - Francophone Immigration from Africa

Date: September 12, 2023

Classification:

Department: IRCC

Issue:

• Supporting the arrival of immigrants from Africa to increase francophone immigration numbers, and ways to improve approval ratings for French-speakers from Africa.
• Promotion of francophone immigration and what has been done specifically in the last two years to improve approval rates from Africa.

Proposed Response:

• The Government of Canada recognizes the tremendous social, cultural and economic benefits that applicants from African countries bring to Canada, and is taking steps to attract more eligible applicants from Africa.
• My Department has put in place a variety of initiatives to improve application outcomes and facilitate the mobility of eligible applicants from Africa.
• The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that each application is treated fairly and without discrimination.
• Already, most Francophone immigrants settling outside Quebec are from Africa.

If pressed:

• Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is actively promoting Francophone immigration in Africa, in partnership with Canadian Francophone stakeholders and local partners overseas, by regularly participating or hosting in events to explain the application process and program requirements.
• In order to better prepare francophone immigrants from Africa prior to their departure for Canada, a single window for pre-arrival services, called Connexions Francophones, has been established. The single-window includes in-person services in Morocco, as well as online services in Algeria, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal.

Contact:
Pemi Gill
Director General, (International Network)
Tel. No.:
Cell. No.:

Approved By:
Daniel Mills
Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, (Operations Sector)
Tel. No.:

Additional Messaging:

International Students from Africa:

• Volumes of study permit applications from residents of African countries have significantly grown within recent years. Application intake in 2023 (to August 31), more than doubled from the same period last year (111% increase). This follows an increase of 40% from 2021 to 2022, and a 105% increase between 2020 and 2021.
• IRCC continues to monitor application decision rates in Africa and reports that initiatives implemented over the past few years have had a positive impact. For example, the approval rate for students from Africa was 30% in 2021, to 37% in 2022 and has been 39% in 2023 (up to August 31).
• For French-speaking Africans, the approval rate was 27% in 2021 and rose to 37% in 2023 (up to August 31).
• IRCC engages in outreach with partners and at public events to explain visa requirements, how to submit a complete application, and provide information about unscrupulous agents who seek to defraud both applicants and the Canadian government. From January to August 2023, the Department organized or participated in over 360 activities in Africa among which some targeted French speaking and bilingual candidates.
• IRCC offices in Africa are making targeted promotional efforts to improve the quality of the applications received (complete applications from eligible applicants) and thus increase approval rates. For example, the Department piloted a new project in Senegal in November 2021 with the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne to promote studies at Francophone colleges and universities outside Quebec. This collaborative promotion activity has been mirrored across several French-speaking countries in Africa.
• The Department has also been working closely with Quebec in Senegal and Morocco to promote studies in Quebec to students from West Africa and the Maghreb.

Promotion of immigration to Francophones in Africa

• In November 2022, IRCC hosted the first edition of the in-person Destination Canada Mobility Forum in Rabat, Morocco, and will do so again in November 2023. We intend for this to be an annual event that allows skilled French-speaking and bilingual candidates to learn about Canada’s diverse Francophone immigration programs. The event helps attendees expand their contact and information network, including with representatives from provinces and territories, regions, municipalities and institutions, and actors devoted to building Canada’s Francophone communities. The Department is planning to hold the event in Douala, Cameroon, in November 2024.
• In November 2022, IRCC participated in the Francophonie Summit in Djerba, Tunisia.
• In March 2023, the Department hosted two targeted online recruitment fairs attracting participants from several countries: Destination Canada Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and Destination Canada Tourism-Hospitality-Culinary. A similar event will be held in 2024, focussing on recruiting Francophone teachers.
• IRCC engages in outreach with potential clients, in person and online, to explain immigration programs, how to submit a complete application, and provide information about the process. In 2023, over 300 promotional activities were delivered in Africa some of which targeted French speaking and bilingual candidates.

Supporting Facts And Figures

• Volumes of temporary resident visa and study permit applications from Africa have significantly grown within the last decade; intake increased by 93% from 2016 to 2022. Moving into 2023, between January 1 and August 31, 2023, the intake of temporary resident visa and study permit applications from Africa has continued on an upward trend with an increase of 121% compared to the same period in 2022.
• The approval rates of study permits for clients from some countries of the continent have significantly increased. When comparing the average approval rate in 2021 and 2023, clients residing in Algeria saw their approval rate increase from 18% to 38%; while clients residing in Cameroon saw an increase from 20% to 33%.
• In 2023, overall study permit approval rates for African residents increased to 39%, from 30% in 2021. Approval rates for African residents who chose French as their official language went up from 27% in 2021 to 37% in 2023; while for African residents who chose English as their official language, it went up from 33% to 40% as of August 31, 2023.
• The number of Study Permits issued to African students has almost increased fourfold from 2016 to 2022, going from 10,170 to 42,590 study permits issued. In 2023 (up to August 31), approximately 62,002 study permits have already been issued to African students.