Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller announced Aug. 14, 2024, the “Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot,” in partnership with designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary learning institutions. He also announced the addition of 10 more communities to the “Welcoming Francophone Communities” initiative of the Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller
“By welcoming Francophone immigrants and supporting them in their integration process, we contribute to the revitalization of these communities while meeting their skilled workforce needs,” he said in a statement. “We are all the more determined to help more Francophone international students come to Canada and build a future in our dynamic Francophone communities while contributing to the development of the French-speaking world.”
IRCC said in its press release that Canada “recognizes that large pools of French-speaking international students exist in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, and that the study permit approval rate in these regions has been low in the past.”
The new pilot program aims to make access to Canada’s program for international students “fairer for a wide range of international students,” the immigration department said.
The cap on applications for the first pilot program's year is 2,300. The cap for the second year will be set “by August 2025,” IRCC said.
These 2,300 allowable applications for the pilot program are not included in the overall annual cap for most study permit applications that the government set on Jan. 22, 2024.
Each participating designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary learning institution will be allocated a limited number of acceptance letters that can be issued for the purpose of processing study permits under the pilot program.
“To improve the approval rate, students and their families will be exempted from having to demonstrate that they will leave Canada at the end of their temporary stay,” IRCC said. “In addition, the required financial threshold will be adjusted to reflect 75 per cent of the low-income cut-off associated with the municipality where the institution’s main campus is located.”
Pilot program participants will also get a direct pathway from temporary to permanent status after obtaining their diploma and will be given access to settlement services while they’re studying to help them integrate successfully into their communities, IRCC said.
The spouses or common-law partners of the principal applicants may also come to Canada under the pilot program and eventually apply for permanent residence.
“With their proficiency in French and their Canadian education, graduates will be able to contribute to the Canadian labour market and enrich Francophone minority communities across the country,” the government said.
The participants in the pilot program do not have to provide a provincial or territorial attestation letter with their study permit application. Rather, they will have to present a letter of acceptance from a participating post-secondary designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary learning institution that confirms they may participate in the pilot program.
The spouses or common-law partners of the principal applicants may also come to Canada under the pilot program and eventually apply for permanent residence.
Agreements with participating learning institutions will be added here as they become available, IRCC said.
There are now 24 communities, including the 10 announced on Aug. 14, designated as “welcoming francophone communities.”
The communities newly participating in the initiative are Nanaimo, B.C.; Red River, Man. (Ritchot, Salaberry, Montcalm and St-Pierre-Jolys); Chéticamp, N.S. (including St. Joseph du Moine); Belle-Baie (including Bathurst and the Pabineau First Nation), Caraquet (including Rivière du Nord and Hautes-Terres) and Restigouche West Region (Saint-Quentin and Kedgwick), N.B.; Prince Albert, Sask.; and Cornwall, London and Cochrane District (Route 11 Corridor), Ont.
The French-speaking communities have committed “to extend a helpful and warm welcome to French-speaking newcomers and to support their integration process in their new living environment.”
If you have any information, story ideas or news tips for Law360 Canada, please contact Cristin Schmitz at Cristin.schmitz@lexisnexis.ca or call 613-820-2794.