Rural and Francophone Immigration

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Newcomers to Canada typically settle in large urban areas in the south which creates challenges in terms of the development of the vast expanses of the country away from the major cities. Most immigrants to Canada are also English-speaking, despite Canada’s official languages being English and French, with both languages having equal status at the federal level, and French-speaking settlers having historically established many communities not just in Québec, but across Canada. Canada’s immigration legislation, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (“IRPA”), outlines several goals, with one of those being “to support the development of a strong and prosperous Canadian economy, in which the benefits of immigration are shared across all regions of Canada” (IRPA, s. 3(1)(c)). Another goal is “to enrich and strengthen the social and cultural fabric of Canadian society, while respecting the federal, bilingual and multicultural character of Canada (IRPA, s. 3(1)(b)).

To further these goals, the Canadian government is renewing the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (“RCIP”) and implementing the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (“FCIP”) permanent residence (“PR”) programs. In terms of encouraging French-speakers to come to Canada, this is in addition to the government lowering the French language skill requirements for Francophone mobility work permits in 2023.

Rural Community Immigration Pilot

To be eligible for the RCIP, one must be settling in one of the following communities:

  • Pictou County, NS
  • North Bay, ON
  • Sudbury, ON
  • Timmins, ON
  • Sault Ste. Marie, ON
  • Thunder Bay, ON
  • Steinbach, MB
  • Altona/Rhineland, MB
  • Brandon, MB
  • Moose Jaw, SK
  • Claresholm, AB
  • West Kootenay, BC
  • North Okanagan Shuswap, BC
  • Peace Liard, BC

One must also have:

  • A valid job offer from a designated employer (the list of designated employers will be released by each community);
  • Have at least one (1) year of related work experience in the past three (3) years (unless they graduated from a public post-secondary institution in the community);
  • Meet the necessary official language (English or French) skill levels based on the skill level of their job offer (CLB 6 developing intermediate for managerial and work usually requiring a university degree, CLB 5 initial intermediate for work usually requiring a college diploma, or CLB 4 fluent basic for work requiring a high school diploma or on-the-job training);
  • Have at least a high school diploma; and
  • Have enough unencumbered funds based on their family size.

After applying for PR under the RCIP, one may also be eligible to apply for a two (2) -year employer-specific work permit.

Francophone Community Immigration Pilot

To be eligible for the FCIP, one must be settling in one of the following communities:

  • Acadian Peninsula, NB
  • Sudbury, ON
  • Timmins, ON
  • Superior East Region, ON
  • Pierre Jolys, MB
  • Kelowna, BC

One must also have:

  • A valid job offer from a designated employer (the list of designated employers will be released by each community);
  • Have at least one (1) year of related work experience in the past three (3) years (unless they graduated from a public post-secondary institution in the community);
  • Meet the necessary French language skill level of CLB 5 initial intermediate;
  • Have at least a high school diploma; and
  • Have enough unencumbered funds based on their family size.

After applying for PR under the FCIP, one may also be eligible to apply for a two (2) -year employer-specific work permit.

If you or an employee have questions about rural or Francophone immigration to Canada, please feel free to reach out to us for a consultation. Our Canadian immigration legal professionals can be reached by phone (416-368-1111) or via email: caruso@cilf.ca; bonisteel@cilf.ca; ali@cilf.ca; mukherjee@cilf.ca; garciafialdini@cilf.ca.