FCIP

Six participating communities currently take part in this pilot.

• Acadian Peninsula, New Brunswick
• Greater Sudbury, Ontario
• Timmins Region, Ontario
• Superior East Region, Ontario
• St-Pierre-Jolys, Manitoba
• Kelowna, British Columbia

The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is designed for French-speaking skilled workers who want to settle permanently in smaller Canadian communities where French speakers are a minority.

These communities work directly with local employers to fill labour shortages. Employers must first become designated by the community before they can hire candidates through the pilot.

Once an employer hires a candidate, the community reviews the application and may issue a community recommendation. This recommendation allows the candidate to apply for permanent residence with the federal government.

The pilot shares a similar structure with the Rural Community Immigration Pilot but includes an additional requirement for French language proficiency.

To qualify, applicants must meet requirements related to:

• Job offer

• Work experience

• French language ability

• Education

• Settlement funds

Eligibility Requirements

To apply for permanent residence under the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, applicants must meet the following requirements.

1. Job Offer from a Designated Employer

You must have a valid full-time job offer from an employer who has been designated by one of the participating communities.

The job must:

• Be non-seasonal

• Match an occupation listed in the community’s priority sector list

• Be located within the participating community

Each community publishes its own priority sectors and occupations based on local labour shortages.

Example sectors may include:

• Health care

• Education and social services

• Business and administration

• Skilled trades

• Manufacturing and construction

You must apply only if your job offer matches one of the priority occupations for the community.

2. Work Experience

Applicants must have at least:

One year of related paid work experience (1,560 hours) within the past three years.

Your work experience must:

• Be paid employment

• Not be self-employment

• Match the duties described in the National Occupational Classification for the job

• Be at an acceptable TEER level relative to the job offer

TEER Compatibility Rules

Healthcare Exception

If your work experience is as a registered nurse, your job offer may be in certain related health support occupations.

Documents to prove work experience

Applicants may need to provide:

• Employer reference letters describing duties and employment dates

• Pay records and employment contracts

• Tax documents where applicable

• Employer contact details

3. Graduate Exemption (Local Education)

You may not need work experience if you recently graduated from a public post-secondary institution located in the participating community.

To qualify for this exemption, you must:

• Have completed a full-time program in the community

• Have obtained your credential within the past 18 months

• Have lived in the community for most of your studies

Programs that are primarily language training or distance learning do not qualify.

4. French Language Requirement

Applicants must demonstrate French language proficiency at minimum NCLC level 5 in:

• Reading

• Writing

• Listening

• Speaking

Accepted language tests include:

• TEF Canada

• TCF Canada

Test results must be less than two years old when the application is submitted.

5. Education Requirement

Applicants must provide proof of education through one of the following:

• A Canadian secondary or post-secondary credential, or

• A foreign credential with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)

The ECA must be issued by a designated organization and be less than five years old.

Designated organizations include:

• Comparative Education Service (University of Toronto)

• International Credential Assessment Service

• World Education Services

• International Qualifications Assessment Service

• International Credential Evaluation Service

Some regulated professions may require profession-specific credential assessments.

6. Settlement Funds

Applicants must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and their family when they arrive in Canada.

This requirement may be waived if you are already working in Canada with a valid work permit.