{"id":23842,"date":"2025-08-02T09:12:43","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T05:42:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/blog\/immigrate-to-canada-with-french\/"},"modified":"2026-08-29T07:13:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-29T03:43:34","slug":"immigrate-to-canada-with-french","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/immigrate-to-canada-with-french\/","title":{"rendered":"Immigrating to Canada With French: Routes, Points and Cities"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/immigration-to-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Immigrating to Canada<\/a> through French is one of the most direct routes to permanent residence. Faced with a shortage of French-speaking workers, the federal government has built specific programs for this group, and applicants who hold <strong>a recognised French language test result<\/strong> can use them. Nothing here guarantees an outcome: IRCC and the provinces make every decision.<\/p>\n<p>This guide explains how immigration to Canada with French works, the advantages it carries, the programs available, the best French-speaking cities to live in, what work and pay look like, and the requirements and costs involved.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2>Advantages of immigrating to Canada with French<\/h2>\n<p>Immigrating to Canada through French has real advantages for applicants who want to live in a French-speaking city. In those cities you do not need English test results such as IELTS or TOEFL, and you also gain the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>25 to 50 additional points in the Express Entry ranking system (CRS)<\/li>\n<li>Access to draws that have often had lower cut-off scores<\/li>\n<li>Strong demand for French-speaking workers in provinces outside Quebec<\/li>\n<li>Access to dedicated Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams<\/li>\n<li>Eligibility for immigration programs built specifically for francophones<\/li>\n<li>Settlement support and services from established French-speaking communities<\/li>\n<li>Job opportunities in bilingual regions such as New Brunswick and eastern Ontario<\/li>\n<li>Faster cultural integration in cities such as Montreal and Quebec City<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Demand for French-speaking workers is high enough that the federal government now sets an annual target for French-speaking admissions outside Quebec in its Immigration Levels Plan, currently 9 per cent for 2026, 9.5 per cent for 2027 and <strong>10.5 per cent<\/strong> for 2028, with a stated commitment to reach 12 per cent by 2029. Those targets are reviewed every year, so check the current plan before you build a strategy around it. Outside Quebec, French-speaking communities in <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba<\/span> run settlement programs for newcomers, including language, employment and community services.<\/p>\n<h2>Routes for immigrating to Canada with French<\/h2>\n<p>Below is a summary of the main routes for immigrating to Canada through French. To check which one fits your profile, contact the Aval Visa office.<\/p>\n<h3>Express Entry<\/h3>\n<p>Express Entry is the central route for immigrating to Canada with French, and it is built to select skilled workers with real work experience. If you record French as your first or second official language when you complete your profile, you can gain <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">up to 50 additional points in the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS)<\/span>. Those points raise your rank in the pool, which improves your chance of receiving an invitation to apply (ITA).<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/canada-express-entry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Express Entry<\/a> manages three federal programs:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)<\/li>\n<li>Canadian Experience Class (CEC)<\/li>\n<li>Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/corporate\/publications-manuals\/francophone-immigration-strategy-2024.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Under the government&#8217;s francophone immigration strategy<\/a>, IRCC also runs category-based draws for candidates with strong French. In practice, you enter the pool with your work history, education, language results and an expression of interest in living in Canada, and you are invited only if your score meets the cut-off in a round of invitations.<\/p>\n<p>Read more: <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/french-language-canada-pr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">French: the quiet advantage in a Canadian permanent residence application<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Francophone immigration programs outside Quebec<\/h3>\n<p>One of the clearest opportunities for immigrating to Canada with French lies outside Quebec. Ottawa wants to grow French-speaking communities in provinces such as <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Ontario, New Brunswick, Manitoba and Alberta<\/span>, and has built streams that select applicants who are fluent in French, including those with limited English.<\/p>\n<p>The government&#8217;s objectives behind this focus are set out below:<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21660 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-scaled-1.webp\" alt=\"Immigrating to Canada with French\" width=\"1200\" height=\"394\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-scaled-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-scaled-1-300x99.webp 300w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-scaled-1-1024x336.webp 1024w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-scaled-1-768x252.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If French is your stronger official language and you are willing to settle outside Quebec, these programs open a route into federal and provincial selection. They also connect you to francophone settlement services, and the cities involved are generally cheaper to live in than Montreal or Quebec City. Details are published on the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/fr\/immigration-refugies-citoyennete\/nouvelles\/2023\/11\/stabiliser-les-objectifs-du-canada-en-matiere-dimmigration-pour-soutenir-une-croissance-durable.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Government of Canada website<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams for French speakers<\/h3>\n<p>The next route for immigrating to Canada with French is <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/canada-provincial-nominee-program\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP)<\/a>. Every province runs its own nomination programs and selects candidates based on <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">local labour market needs and economic conditions<\/span>. Several provinces operate a dedicated stream or scoring advantage for French speakers, summarised below:<\/p>\n\n<table id=\"tablepress-616\" class=\"tablepress tablepress-id-616\">\n<thead>\n<tr class=\"row-1\">\n\t<th class=\"column-1\">Stream<\/th><th class=\"column-2\">French requirement<\/th><th class=\"column-3\">English requirement<\/th><th class=\"column-4\">LMIA \/ job offer<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n<tbody class=\"row-striping row-hover\">\n<tr class=\"row-2\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">French-Speaking Skilled Worker (OINP)<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">CLB\/NCLC 7<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">CLB 6<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Not required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-3\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Stream name unverified - check the official OINP stream list<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Strong advantage<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Low or not required<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Depends<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-4\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Francophone pilot \/ PNP - check the official IRCC stream name<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Required<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Low or not required<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Job offer required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-5\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Francophone PNP streams<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Advantage<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Low or not required<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Job offer required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr class=\"row-6\">\n\t<td class=\"column-1\">Francophone Community Immigration Pilot<\/td><td class=\"column-2\">Required<\/td><td class=\"column-3\">Not required<\/td><td class=\"column-4\">Qualifying job offer required<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<!-- #tablepress-616 from cache -->\n<h3>Key points about provincial nomination<\/h3>\n<p>Ontario runs one of the few streams that lets French-speaking candidates apply without a job offer. Its French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream is designed to attract skilled francophone workers, and it is aimed at candidates who:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Have an active Express Entry profile under FSWP or CEC<\/li>\n<li>Meet at least NCLC 7 in French and at least CLB 6 in English<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>New Brunswick, <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">the only officially bilingual province in Canada<\/span>, runs several streams to recruit French-speaking workers and gives significant weight to French ability, although each stream still sets its own minimum language levels. <strong>Manitoba<\/strong> awards extra points to francophone candidates. <strong>Alberta, Saskatchewan and British Columbia<\/strong> do not run a dedicated francophone stream, but French ability is recognised in their scoring.<\/p>\n<h3>Studying at a French-language university<\/h3>\n<p>A lower-risk route into Canada through French is to be admitted first to a French-language institution such as <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Universite de Montreal, Universite Laval or Universite de Sherbrooke<\/span>, then enter the country on <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/canadian-student-visa\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Canadian study permit<\/a>. Montreal also has large English-language universities, McGill and Concordia among them, if you prefer to study in English while living in a French-speaking city.<\/p>\n<p>After graduating, you may be eligible for a Post-Graduation Work Permit, valid for up to three years depending on the length of your program. Eligibility rules for that permit, including field of study and language requirements, have changed in recent years, so confirm them before you enrol. Canadian work experience gained on that permit can support a later application for <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/canada-permanent-residence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">permanent residence<\/a> (PR)<\/span>.<\/p>\n<h3>A job offer from a French-speaking employer<\/h3>\n<p>A genuine job offer from a French-speaking employer strengthens an application for immigration to Canada through French, though it does not guarantee approval. The practical advantage is Mobilite francophone, a stream of the International Mobility Program that exempts the employer from <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/lmia-canada\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Canadian LMIA<\/a> when hiring a French-speaking worker for a skilled position outside Quebec. That removes a cost and <span style=\"font-size: 16px;\">a long administrative step for the employer, which makes them more willing to hire from abroad. <\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Intra-Company Transfer<\/h3>\n<p>If you work for a multinational company that operates in French and has a branch in Canada, you may be able to move through the <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">Intra-Company Transfer<\/span> route. It applies to executives, senior managers and workers with specialised knowledge, and it does not require an LMIA.<\/p>\n<p>According to IRCC, the Intra-Company Transfer route applies only to people who:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Work for a multinational company that has a branch, subsidiary or affiliate in Canada<\/li>\n<li>Have worked full time for that company for at least one year in the past three years<\/li>\n<li>Are being transferred into an executive, senior managerial or specialised knowledge position<\/li>\n<li>Hold one of those three categories of role, which are the only ones the route covers<\/li>\n<li>Are employed by a parent company with a qualifying relationship to the Canadian entity, as parent, subsidiary, branch or affiliate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>The best French-speaking cities in Canada to live in<\/h2>\n<p>Now that the routes are clear, here are the cities most often chosen by French-speaking newcomers.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21662 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-1-scaled-1.webp\" alt=\"Best French-speaking cities in Canada\" width=\"1200\" height=\"195\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-1-scaled-1.webp 1200w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-1-scaled-1-300x49.webp 300w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-1-scaled-1-1024x166.webp 1024w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Converting-a-visitor-visa-while-in-Canada-1-scaled-1-768x125.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Montreal<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Montreal is the most popular destination. It has strong universities and a cost of living well below Toronto and Vancouver. <strong>Montreal<\/strong> is the largest French-speaking city in Canada, with more than 70 per cent of residents speaking French, which makes it the main destination for people immigrating to Canada through French.<\/p>\n<p>Its labour market offers roles across <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">information technology, aerospace, video games, financial services and health care<\/span>. With a reasonable cost of living and average earnings above CAD 65,000 a year in most professional occupations, Montreal is a practical place to start.<\/p>\n<h3>Quebec City<\/h3>\n<p>The second destination is <strong>Quebec City<\/strong>, where more than 95 per cent of residents speak French. Work is concentrated in <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">tourism, government services, education and health care<\/span>, and average earnings are around CAD 62,000 a year.<\/p>\n<p>The advantages of living there include a reasonable cost of living, a low unemployment rate, a low crime rate and a safe environment for families.<\/p>\n<h3>Ottawa, the national capital<\/h3>\n<p>The third destination is <strong>Ottawa<\/strong>. About 15 per cent of residents have French as a first language and close to 40 per cent speak both official languages, which supports a large bilingual job market. Opportunities are concentrated in <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">the federal public service, technology, engineering and higher education<\/span>, with average pay around CAD 77,000 a year.<\/p>\n<h3>Moncton<\/h3>\n<p>The fourth destination for immigration to Canada through French is <strong>Moncton<\/strong> in New Brunswick. The provincial economy is built around <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">transport and logistics, energy, agriculture and financial services<\/span>, and average provincial earnings are about CAD 60,000 a year. The cost of living in Moncton is lower than in the larger cities, which, set against those earnings, makes for <strong>favourable economics<\/strong> for a newcomer household.<\/p>\n<div class=\"test\">Other significant French-speaking cities include Trois-Rivieres, Gatineau, Dieppe and Edmundston, all of which provide social and health services to French-speaking newcomers. Bilingual cities such as Ottawa and Moncton have more openings in government and services, while Montreal and Quebec City lead in technology and tourism.<\/div>\n<div>The chart below compares average earnings across these cities:<\/div>\n<div><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-21664 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Changing-tourist-visa-from-within-Canada-1.webp\" alt=\"Average earnings in French-speaking Canadian cities\" width=\"1333\" height=\"1386\" srcset=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Changing-tourist-visa-from-within-Canada-1.webp 1333w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Changing-tourist-visa-from-within-Canada-1-289x300.webp 289w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Changing-tourist-visa-from-within-Canada-1-985x1024.webp 985w, https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Changing-tourist-visa-from-within-Canada-1-768x799.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1333px) 100vw, 1333px\" \/><\/div>\n<h2>Immigrating to Canada with Aval Visa<\/h2>\n<p>There are several routes for immigrating to Canada through French, and the right one depends on your work history, your language results and where you are willing to settle. Once you are here, you have access to the same <span style=\"background-color: #d0f0c0;\">financial, social and health services<\/span> as other residents, and current federal policy actively <strong>supports French-speaking communities<\/strong>, particularly outside Quebec.<\/p>\n<p>If you hold <span data-sheets-root=\"1\">a French language test result for Canadian immigration<\/span> and want to start, contact the <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Aval Visa<\/a> office. Our consultants will review your profile, set out the routes that are genuinely open to you and explain the requirements of each. Approval always rests with IRCC or the province concerned.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><strong>How does French affect an application for permanent residence?<\/strong> Strong French adds 25 to 50 points to your Express Entry CRS score. Canada also holds category-based draws for French-language proficiency, and those rounds have often had lower cut-off scores than general draws, which improves the odds of an invitation for eligible candidates.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Are francophone immigration programs limited to Quebec?<\/strong> No. There are wider routes, including the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot, PNP streams and Express Entry outside Quebec, aimed at settlement in provinces such as New Brunswick, Ontario and Manitoba.<\/li>\n<li><strong>What support exists for French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec?<\/strong> Francophone communities outside Quebec generally offer settlement services in French, including language training, employment counselling, social support and community programs for new arrivals.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to immigrate to Canada with French: the CRS points French adds, category-based Express Entry draws, francophone streams outside Quebec, the LMIA exemption for French-speaking hires, and where newcomers settle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":21657,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration-to-canada","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23842"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24837,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23842\/revisions\/24837"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21657"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}