Francophone Community Immigration Pilot

Overview

Francophone Community Immigration Pilot

The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is open in six Francophone-minority communities outside Quebec. Applicants need a qualifying designated-employer job offer, community recommendation and the federal work, language, education and fund requirements.

Six communities participate

The current communities are the Acadian Peninsula, Sudbury, Timmins, Superior East Region, St. Pierre Jolys and Kelowna. Each publishes its own designated employers, priority occupations and recommendation process.

An employer outside the community boundary cannot use the pilot for that job. Confirm designation directly with the community.

French must be proven by an approved test

The pilot is designed for French-speaking workers settling in Francophone-minority communities. Use the approved French test and meet the current NCLC requirement in every ability.

A French-language degree or everyday fluency does not replace the required test. Results must remain valid when IRCC receives the application.

The job, experience and education must align

The offer must come from a designated employer and meet the pilot’s paid, full-time, non-seasonal and duration rules. The applicant normally needs 1,560 hours of related experience in the three years before applying.

A Canadian educational credential or foreign equivalent is required, and foreign study normally needs an ECA. Applicants who are not exempt must also show available settlement funds.

Recommendation comes before the PR application

The employer sends the community-recommendation package for review. The community checks that the offer is real, falls within a priority area and that the person meets the pilot requirements.

Once recommended, the applicant submits the certificate with the federal application. A separate optional work-permit route may allow earlier employment but does not guarantee PR approval.