Question Period Note - French-Speaking Immigrant Admissions Targets

Date: September 13, 2023

Classification: Unclassified

Department: IRCC

Issue:

Reaching the Francophone immigration target of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023

Proposed Response:

• Ensuring the vitality of Francophone minority communities outside Quebec continues to be a key priority for our government.
• We are proud to say that Canada reached the target of 4.4% French-speaking immigrant admissions outside Quebec in 2022, one year before its 2023 commitment, with more than 16,300 French-speaking permanent residents admitted outside Quebec. This is more than in 2021 and 2020 combined.
• We remain committed to maintaining this target this year. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) is also developing French-speaking immigrant admissions targets for 2024-2026 that will be announced with the forthcoming Multi-year Levels Plan. These targets will be ambitious, realistic, evidence-based, and will take into account partner perspectives.
• IRCC recognizes that French-speaking newcomers contribute to building our workforce, growing our economy, and supporting the vitality of Francophone minority communities. This is why we introduced a two-year pilot project to expand eligibility under the Francophone Mobility stream to include French-speaking workers in almost all occupations and skill-sets.
• We are continuing our efforts to work on Francophone immigration outside Quebec. This is a key priority in the years ahead in order to promote economic prosperity in Francophone minority communities and population growth.

If Pressed on Measures to Increase Francophone Immigration:

• We have continued to strengthen our Francophone Immigration Strategy by putting in place targeted initiatives, such as a new category in Express Entry to target invitations to apply for permanent residence to those who have strong proficiency in French. Since the launch of category-based selection this summer, we have held multiple French-language proficiency invitation rounds.
• The modernized Official Languages Act includes a legislated obligation to adopt a Francophone immigration policy containing objectives, targets, and indicators, to contribute to stronger and more prosperous Francophone communities for generations to come and to make progress towards the government’s commitment of re-establishing the demographic weight of Francophone communities to what it was in 1971 (6.1%). IRCC is currently working on developing this Policy and this work has included recent consultations with provinces and territories, as well as with community stakeholders.
• The Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 invests $137.2M over five years to encourage Francophone immigration to Canada and proposes measures along the immigration continuum, including the adoption of the new Francophone immigration policy. This new funding is in addition to the cumulative and ongoing funding of $84.3M in previous action plans.
• These investments will support the vitality of the Francophone community and contribute to restoring their demographic weight by:
  • Reinforcing promotional activities to attract Francophone clients
  • Building the settlement and integration capacity of Francophone communities
  • Enhancing language training
  • Involving Francophone communities in collaborative projects to improve promotion and selection of French-speaking immigrants
  • Strengthening our ability to respond to the needs of employers for bilingual workers
• IRCC is committed to leveraging immigration to support the demographic growth of Francophone communities. However, it is not the only solution. Meeting the challenge of declining demographic weight requires the contribution of other federal government departments, provinces and territories, settlement stakeholders, and Francophone minority communities.

If Pressed on how IRCC is Taking Into Account Stakeholders’ Perspectives:

• IRCC has consulted widely on issues related to Francophone immigration outside Quebec, including a working group that included Francophone community stakeholders mandated to explore the Francophone target beyond 2023.
• In our work to define new targets post-2023, we are taking into consideration recommendations from the working group as well as those from the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne’s 2022 report, and the Commissioner of Official Languages’ 2021 study on the current Francophone immigration target.
• More recently, we held consultations with community stakeholders and provincial and territorial governments on the future Francophone Immigration Policy outside Quebec, to ensure that it reflects their needs and realities.
• We will continue to collaborate with partners, including provinces and territories, to advance our efforts, recognizing the important role of immigration in supporting the vitality of Francophone minority communities and their demographic growth.

Contact:
Yves Saint-Germain
Director, Francophone Immigration Branch
Tel. No.: (613) 898-8785

Approved by:
Catherine Scott
Assistant Deputy Minister, Settlement and Integration Sector
Tel. No.: (613) 437- 9196

Background:

• Achieving a target of 4.4% of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec by 2023 was one of the objectives of the Francophone Immigration Strategy. It was established in collaboration with community stakeholders in 2003 and reflects the proportion of Francophones in Canada outside Quebec as per the 2001 Census. According to the 2021 Census, this proportion decreased to 3.5% and could decline further to 3% by 2036 unless actions are taken. While immigration is a key lever to address the demographic decline, other factors (e.g. low fertility rate, incomplete transmission of French as a mother tongue to the children of French-speaking parents) contributed to the decline.
• From 2003 to August 2023, approximately 101,545 French-speaking immigrants were admitted to Canada outside Quebec as permanent residents. In 2022, French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec reached 4.4% of all immigrants admitted to Canada outside Quebec, up from 2% in 2021.

  Year	Percentage	Admissions
  2018	1.82%	4,922
  2019	2.82%	8,470
  2020	3.61%	5,756
  2021	1.95%	6,949
  2022	4.44%	16,371

• On September 12, 2023, la Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada reiterated their views that the government should set an ambitious French-speaking admissions target, suggesting 12% in 2024 (minimum 10%) and 20% in 2036.
• Express Entry, the application management system for some economic immigration programs, has been an increasingly important source of French-speaking admissions outside Quebec, representing an average of 50% of those admissions since 2018. This follows the introduction and increase of additional points for candidates with French language skills in 2017 and 2020, respectively.
• In June 2023, category-based selection was launched in Express Entry, allowing more targeted invitations to candidates eligible for specific categories established by the Minister. French-language proficiency was chosen as a category for 2023, and as of September 11, 2023, three related invitation rounds have taken place (6,900 invitations total), making category-based selection a promising mechanism to continue to support meeting desired admissions levels of French-speaking individuals.
• The Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) has been leveraged to bolster Francophone immigration in Canada as well as complement federal initiatives. Generally speaking, all PNP streams are open to both Anglophones and Francophones, however certain provinces have chosen to establish separate streams for Francophone immigrants within their PNP as promotional pathways to attract French speaking candidates, often to help grow and support Francophone communities in the provinces. The percentage of French speaking PNP admissions has steadily increased over the last few years.
• Further, IRCC expanded eligibility under the Francophone Mobility stream (C16) of the International Mobility Program to include workers from all occupations and skill-sets except primary agriculture, and lowered the French language level threshold from a Canadian Language Benchmarks level 7 to a level 5, to increase the pool of French-speaking workers available for hire. These changes will make it easier for French-speaking workers to come to Canada as they are exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment requirement, expand their job experience, and increase their chances of qualifying for permanent residence.
• Changes were made to the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot in 2022 to support the selection of Francophone immigrants as boundaries have been expanded in some participating communities to include smaller surrounding Francophone communities such as: Gravelbourg, SK; Hearst, ON; Kapuskasing, ON; West Nipissing, ON; Marathon, ON; and Nelson, BC. Six of the 11 participating communities (West Kootenay, BC; Moose Jaw, SK; Thunder Bay, ON; Timmins, ON; Sudbury, ON; and North Bay, ON), two of which are Welcoming Francophone Communities, provide additional points for bilingual candidates which will support selection of these candidates as the program reaches its cap. These communities have also engaged Mobilité francophone in order to attract more Francophone candidates. As of August 2023, IRCC has received 36 applications from candidates that were identified as Francophone, resulting in 27 admissions over the course of the pilot. Although these numbers may seem relatively small, these newcomers are filling critical labour market needs in their recommending communities.
• Under the Francophone Immigration Strategy, the Department is also pursuing year-round targeted promotion and recruitment support activities to attract a growing number of qualified French-speaking candidates. In 2022, approximately 540 in-Canada promotional activities involving multiple stakeholders such as employers, community and economic development agencies, as well as universities and colleges, took place. IRCC also organized or participated in approximately 290 activities abroad to promote Francophone immigration.
• IRCC is also supporting the successful integration and retention of French-speaking newcomers, through funding the consolidation of a Francophone integration pathway and language training adapted to their needs. This includes the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative aimed at creating lasting ties between French-speaking newcomers and their hosting communities. As of July 31, 2023, over 4,000 French-speaking newcomers have landed in the Welcoming communities.
• With regard to the temporary resident to permanent resident pathway, IRCC has received over 8,600 applications from the three streams dedicated to French-speaking essential workers, French-speaking recent international graduates from a Canadian institution, and French-speaking health care workers, which accounted for 6.8% of all applications submitted. As of August 31, 2023, Canada admitted 4,055 French-speaking permanent residents under the Temporary Resident to Permanent Resident pathway.
• IRCC is currently reviewing the International Student Program to address pressures it is facing. This will include looking at how IRCC can help improve outcomes and provide equitable access to students from diverse backgrounds, including French-speaking students destined to Francophone Minority Community post-secondary institutions.
• On April 26, 2023, the Government released the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028, which includes new, one-time investments of $137.2M over five years for Francophone immigration:
  • Francophone immigration policy: Towards a new, integrated approach ($13.4M over five years);
  • Targeted expansion of promotion and recruitment support ($18.5M over five years);
  • Corridor for the selection and retention of French teachers in Canada ($16.3M over five years);
  • A strengthened immigration pathway ($50M over five years);
  • A Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration, including a new grant-and-contribution program in support of Francophone immigration ($25M over five years);
  • Francophone lens integrated into economic immigration programs – improved selection mechanisms for Francophone and bilingual immigrants ($3.5M over five years); and
  • Helping French-speaking and allophone newcomers learn English and/or French ($10.5M over five years).
• Immigration is a shared federal provincial-territorial (FPT) responsibility. An FPT Strategic Plan for Immigration (SPI), covering the period of 2020 to 2023, was renewed by the Forum of Ministers Responsible for Immigration in July 2022, and builds on the progress made by FPT governments under the FPT Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec signed in 2018. Both the SPI and the FPT Action Plan provide the framework for FPT collaboration on Francophone immigration.
• Within the framework of existing forums, IRCC intends to work with the governments of provinces and territories on the FPT Action Plan to Increase Francophone Immigration Outside Quebec in the new legislative context.
• In addition, IRCC has legally binding agreements with all jurisdictions, with the exception of Quebec and Nunavut, which recognize the objective of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act to support and assist the development of Minority Official Languages Communities in Canada. IRCC has recently renewed annexes on Francophone immigration to the bilateral immigration agreement with New Brunswick.
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