February 23, 2021
IRCC Continues to Seek Increase in Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec
In 2018, the Government of Canada launched the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future (“Action Plan”).[1] Several Ministers partnered in the Action Plan, including the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, former Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.[2] The Action Plan was a response to a decline in the percentage of Francophones outside of Quebec, challenges faced by English-speaking rural communities in Quebec, and the slow growth of bilingualism among English-speaking Canadians outside of Quebec, and included a commitment to increase the proportion of French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec by 4.4% by 2023.[3]
While Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has reported that French-speaking immigration to Canada outside of Quebec has increased, the “existing selection tools” would no longer suffice in IRCC reaching its target by 2023.[4] As a result, IRCC’s most recent effort to meet the noted target was to offer additional points to French-speaking and bilingual (French and English) candidates through the Express Entry system.[5] As a result of the change, Express Entry candidates who score NCLC[6] 7 or higher on all four French language skills can now receive either:
- an additional 25 points (previously 15 points) if they score CLB[7] 4 or lower in English or did not take an English test, or
- an additional 50 points (previously 30 points) if they score CLB 5 or higher on all four English skills.[8]
This effort is demonstrative of Canada’s commitment to not only the Action Plan but also to the overall commitment to attract and potentially welcome more immigrants in the coming years. Schedule your consultation with us today to explore how this might impact your eligibility for immigration to Canada!