Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has launched the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) immigration pathway.
This new immigration pathway was first announced in December of last year.
Under this program, newcomers with an intermediate level of French ability—and who have an offer of employment in priority occupations sought by a community outside of Quebec—can be nominated and receive Canadian permanent residence (PR).
This article will cover the communities that have been chosen by the federal government to participate in the FCIP and provide a brief overview of candidate eligibility.
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Which communities have been selected to participate?
For candidates to receive permanent residence through the FCIP, they must (in addition to meeting all other eligibility requirements) have an offer of employment for a priority occupation from an employer in one of the chosen communities, that has been designated by the IRCC-authorized economic development agency for that community.
IRCC has selected the following communities to participate in the FCIP:
Selected community | Province |
---|---|
Acadian Peninsula | New Brunswick |
Sudbury | Ontario |
Timmins | |
Superior East Region | |
St. Pierre Jolys | Manitoba |
Kelowna | British Columbia |
At the time of this announcement, the immigration department has not stated what economic organizations or employers have been chosen to participate in the FCIP. More details are expected to follow in the coming weeks. Economic development organizations are required to publish their list of priority occupations by March 31, every year.
Employers in a participating community can also apply to become a designated employer under the FCIP on IRCC’s website.
Candidate eligibility
Eligibility requirements for candidates in the FCIP have been summarized in the table below:
Eligibility criteria | Description |
---|---|
Certificate of recommendation | An applicant must have a valid certificate of recommendation from an economic development organization at the time of making their application. |
Genuine offer of employment | An applicant must show that they have a genuine offer of employment from a designated employer that meets specific conditions. |
Work experience | An applicant must have work experience that meets specific conditions.
This requirement can also be waived for international graduates who meet certain conditions*. |
Language proficiency | The applicant must display French language ability equivalent to a Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 5 in all language abilities. |
Education | The applicant must have obtained at least a secondary school level credential. |
Intent to reside | The applicant must demonstrate that they intend to reside in the designated community they will work in. |
Necessary funds | Applicants must show that they have funds equivalent to one-half of the most recent Low-Income Cut-off (LICO) criteria relevant to their designated community, for one year. |
International graduates applying to the FCIP may be exempt from needing to show work experience provided that they meetcertain conditions.
Newcomers applying for this program from within Canada must also ensure that they have valid temporary resident status (work permit, study permit, or visitor visa) in the country at the time of their application.
For more information on eligibility criteria and program process, find our previous article on the topic.
Brief background on the FCIP
In December of last year, IRCC announced the FCIP as a new francophone immigration initiative as part of the department‘s wider Francophone Immigration Strategy.
At the time the immigration department announced the basic eligibility and processes for the FCIP but did not elaborate on which stakeholders would be participating in the program.
Within the FCIP there are three key stakeholders (apart from newcomers themselves):
Stakeholder | Description |
---|---|
Designated communities | Communities outside of Quebec chosen by the Minister of Immigration to participate in this new program |
Economic development organizations | Organizations in each community that have been chosen by the Immigration Minister to issue certificates of nomination to eligible newcomers |
Designated employers | Employers chosen by the economic development organization to participate in the FCIC by hiring and employing eligible newcomers |
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