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In a landmark announcement today, Marc Miller, the Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship, unveiled an innovative pilot program aimed at attracting more international students to French-speaking communities across Canada. This initiative, known as the Francophone Minority Communities Pilot Program (FMCSP), is designed to enhance access and support for students from Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas.
What the FMCSP Offers
The FMCSP will streamline the immigration process for eligible students, allowing them to bypass the requirement to demonstrate their intention to leave Canada after their studies. Moreover, the financial requirements for applicants will be adjusted to 75% of the low-income cut-off for the municipality where their educational institution is located. This is a significant change aimed at making study opportunities more accessible.
Upon completing their programs, students will enjoy a direct pathway to permanent residency and will have access to various settlement services, which can include community integration support, job placement assistance, and language training.
The pilot program is set to launch on August 26, 2024, with an initial cap of 2,300 students for the first year. This number will be reevaluated in August 2025 based on demand and program success.
Who Can Apply?
To be eligible for the FMCSP, students must meet several criteria:
Hold a letter of acceptance from a participating Designated Learning Institution (DLI).
Enroll in a full-time, post-secondary program that lasts two years or more.
The program must lead to a degree or diploma with over 50% of classes taught in French.
Applicants must be citizens of one of the eligible countries, including nations such as
- Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Côte d’Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Dominica
- Republic of the Congo
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Equatorial Guinea
- Gabon
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Haiti
- Lebanon
- Madagascar
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mauritius
- Morocco
- Niger
- Rwanda
- Saint Lucia
- São Tomé and Principe
- Senegal
- Seychelles
- Togo
- Tunisia
In a welcome addition, students participating in the FMCSP can bring their spouses, common-law partners, and dependent children, providing additional family support during their time in Canada. Spouses and common-law partners may also qualify for a visitor visa, open work permit, or study permit.
Additional Support for Francophone Communities
Minister Miller also announced that ten new communities are joining the Welcoming Francophone Communities (WFC) initiative, which aims to facilitate the settlement of Francophone newcomers. The communities include:
British Columbia: Nanaimo
Manitoba: Red River region (Ritchot, Salaberry, Montcalm, and St-Pierre-Jolys)
Nova Scotia: Chéticamp and Belle-Baie (including Bathurst and Pabineau First Nation)
New Brunswick: Caraquet and the Restigouche West Region (Saint-Quentin and Kedgwick)
Saskatchewan: Prince Albert and Cornwall
Ontario: Cochrane District (Route 11 Corridor) and London
With this expansion, the WFC initiative now includes 24 communities, reflecting Canada's commitment to fostering a vibrant multicultural environment. As Liane Roy, President of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA), noted, the initiative underscores the dedication of Francophone and Acadian communities to successfully integrate newcomers and promote inclusivity.
Canada’s Commitment to Francophone Immigration
These new programs are part of Canada’s broader strategy to boost Francophone immigration, aligning with the goal that 6% of all newcomers should be French-speaking. The government’s commitment is further reinforced by the Official Languages Act, which mandates policies that enhance the vitality of French linguistic minority communities.
The FMCSP and WFC initiative are key components of this strategy, promising to not only increase the number of Francophone immigrants but also to promote a diverse, inclusive, and bilingual society across Canada. It is also expected that the department will issue a high number of Invitations to Apply to Express Entry candidates with French language proficiency through category-based selection rounds of invitations.
Stay tuned for more updates on this exciting development in Canada’s immigration landscape!