{"id":25188,"date":"2026-09-05T04:42:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T01:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/blog\/francophone-mobility-work-permit-canada\/"},"modified":"2026-09-05T05:22:17","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T01:52:17","slug":"francophone-mobility-work-permit-canada","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/francophone-mobility-work-permit-canada\/","title":{"rendered":"Francophone Mobility Work Permit: LMIA-Exempt Hiring for French Speakers Outside Quebec"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Francophone Mobility work permit lets an employer outside Quebec hire a French-speaking foreign worker without a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). Since June 15, 2023 it has covered any occupation except primary agriculture in TEER 4 and 5, and the language bar is intermediate French in speaking and listening only. IRCC lists the stream as open; the worker’s processing fee is $155.<\/p>\n

The stream sits in the International Mobility Program under LMIA exemption code C16, “Mobilit\u00e9 Francophone”, and permits are issued under subparagraph R205(c)(ii) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. Its stated purpose is to promote French in Francophone minority communities outside Quebec. The job itself does not have to be in French.<\/p>\n

Who qualifies<\/h2>\n

The rules changed on June 15, 2023. The older rules are shown for comparison.<\/p>\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Requirement<\/th>\nApplying on or after June 15, 2023<\/th>\nApplied before June 15, 2023<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
General work permit eligibility<\/td>\nMust be met<\/td>\nMust be met<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Work location<\/td>\nOne of the 9 provinces or 3 territories outside Quebec<\/td>\nSame<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
French level<\/td>\nSpeaking and listening at NCLC 5 or higher (intermediate)<\/td>\nFrench as habitual language of daily use; NCLC 7 or higher if a test was requested<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Occupation<\/td>\nAny TEER category, except primary agriculture under TEER 4 and 5<\/td>\nTEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 only<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Legal authority<\/td>\nR205(c)(ii)<\/td>\nR205(a)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n

“Primary agriculture” takes its definition from subsection R315.2(4), and the exclusion bites only when the job is in TEER 4 or 5. You must also meet the employment requirements listed for the occupation in the National Occupational Classification. The rules that apply to every work permit are on our Canada work permit<\/a> page.<\/p>\n

What the employer must do<\/h2>\n

You cannot file until your employer has done three things:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. submitted the offer of employment to IRCC through the Employer Portal under LMIA exemption code C16, Mobilit\u00e9 Francophone<\/li>\n
  2. paid the $230 employer compliance fee<\/li>\n
  3. given you the offer of employment number, the 7-digit number your application requires<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Form IMM 5802 is accepted in place of a Portal number only where IRCC’s Client Experience Branch has authorized the employer to use it.<\/p>\n

    Officers then test whether the offer is genuine: is the occupation a reasonable need for this employer, does the wage meet the provincial or territorial minimum and is it reasonable for the position, can the employer afford it on reported income, and do the duties match the occupation and the exemption. Under program integrity they may also look at whether the employer has recently hired many workers from the same region for the same position, and whether its contact details match the company name. To compare with an LMIA-backed offer, see job offers and LMIA<\/a> and our LMIA explainer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Proving your French<\/h2>\n

    The bar is speaking and listening at CLB\/NCLC 5 or higher. You do not have to prove reading or writing for this exemption. The instruction lists what officers accept, “but not limited to”:<\/p>\n