From: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada
News Release
August 14, 2024—Church Point, Nova Scotia—Francophone immigration is vital for Canada’s national identity. To enhance this, Canada is intensifying efforts to welcome French-speaking newcomers who will enrich the linguistic, social, cultural, and economic aspects of Francophone minority communities (FMCs).
Today, the Honourable Marc Miller, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the launch of the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) program on August 26, 2024. This program is in collaboration with designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary institutions (DLIs). Additionally, Minister Miller announced the inclusion of 10 new communities in the Welcoming Francophone Communities (WFC) initiative. These announcements were made during the Acadian World Congress in Nova Scotia.
Students in the Francophone Minority Communities Pilot Program
Canada acknowledges the significant number of French-speaking international students in Africa, the Middle East, and the Americas, and the historically low study permit approval rates in these regions. The new pilot program aims to make Canada’s International Student Program more accessible to a diverse range of international students.
This pilot program, a key component of the Policy on Francophone Immigration announced earlier this year, will help FMCs attract and retain international students. To improve approval rates, students and their families will not need to prove they will leave Canada after their temporary stay. Additionally, the financial requirement will be adjusted to 75% of the low-income cut-off for the municipality where the institution’s main campus is located.
Participants in the pilot program will benefit from a direct pathway to permanent residency after graduation and will have access to settlement services during their studies to aid their integration into the community. With their French proficiency and Canadian education, graduates will contribute to the Canadian labor market and enrich FMCs nationwide.
Although there is an annual cap for most study permit applications set on January 22, 2024, the FMCSP is excluded from this cap. Each participating DLI will have a limited number of acceptance letters for study permits under the pilot program.
The maximum number of study permit applications accepted by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) under the pilot program is 2,300 for the first year. A cap for the second year will be set by August 2025.
Ten Additional Welcoming Francophone Communities
The selection of each community was based on its potential to become more welcoming and inclusive for Francophone newcomers. These communities have a French-speaking population and create an environment where newcomers feel valued and integrated.
With these new additions, there will be a total of 24 WFCs across Canada, all equipped to warmly welcome French-speaking newcomers and support their integration into their new communities.
The new communities are as follows:
| Provinces | New communities selected |
|---|---|
| British Columbia | Nanaimo |
| Manitoba | Red River (Ritchot, Salaberry, Montcalm and St-Pierre-Jolys) |
| Nova Scotia | Chéticamp (including St. Joseph du Moine) |
| New Brunswick | Belle-Baie (including Bathurst and the Pabineau First Nation) |
| Caraquet (including Rivière du Nord and Hautes-Terres) | |
| Restigouche West Region (Saint-Quentin and Kedgwick) | |
| Saskatchewan | Prince Albert |
| Ontario | Cornwall |
| Cochrane District (Route 11 Corridor) | |
| London |
Katharina Kontaxis, RCIC-IRB
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