Francophone Mobility Program, an Easy and quick method for a work permit?
Canadian employers seeking to hire foreign skilled workers in a Canadian Province other than Quebec have unique pathways available to them. One of these pathways is the Francophone Mobility Program. Mobilité Francophone.
The Francophone mobility program falls under the International Mobility Program. This program allows for the issuance of a work permit to a worker without a Labour Market Impact Assessment
This pathway allows a Canadian Employer to hire a french speaking foreign worker in a less costly manner. It also would allow for faster processing time when applying for a work permit in certain circumstances. This is the case for Skill type A and O see below.
If eligible the employer is exempt from having to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment LMIA.
What are the requirements for the Francophone Mobility Program?
To promote Francophone immigration in Francophone minority communities certain foreign nationals are exempted from the LMIA requirement.
To be eligible for the LMIA exemption the foreign national must meet the following conditions:
- be destined to a province or territory other than Quebec;
- have an offer of employment from a Canadian Employer; The language of work does not have to be French.
- Be qualified to work as a manager, professional, technical or skilled trades occupations (NOC 0, A or B);
- Be able to demonstrate that they speak french;
We will briefly discuss some of the requirements below.
Job Offer from a Canadian Employer
Under the International Mobility Program when hiring LMIA-exempt foreign workers, employers must take certain necessary steps.
Under the Francophone mobility program, employers must pay an employer compliance fee and submit a Job Offer through the employer portal. For more information click here.
The Employer compliance fee is $230 compared to the LMIA processing fee which is usually $1000. This makes the Francophone mobility program a less expensive solution when contemplating hiring a foreign worker.
Evidence that the Foreign National Speaks French
When applying under this category (IMP C-16) applicant’s must demonstrate that their habitual language of daily use is French.
An officer can request an interview or documents demonstrating the Applicant’s proficiency in the French language. These documents can be requested if the officer is not convinced that the Applicant’s habitual language is French.
Documents must demonstrate Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) of level 7 or higher. Acceptable french proficiency exams are the “Test d’évaluation de Français (TEF)” or “Test de connaissance du français (TCF)”.
Other documents can be submitted to demonstrate a person’s proficiency in the French language.
How can we benefit from the two-week processing time
The Francophone mobility program is not the only program that is eligible for two week processing time. Most programs under the International Mobility Program can be eligible for the Global Talent Stream provided they meet certain requirements.
Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)-exempt workers qualify for 2-week processing for their work permit application if they meet the following:
- They’re applying from outside Canada.
- Their job is either skill type 0 (manager) or skill level A (professional) of the NOC.
- The employer has submitted an offer of employment using the Employer Portal and paid the employer compliance fee.
The worker and their family members must do the following to be processed under the Global talent stream:
- apply online from outside Canada
- submit a complete application
- include a medical exam (if needed)
- include police certificates (if needed)
- include certified translations of documents that aren’t in English or French
- pay the processing fees
- submit biometrics results within 2 weeks of submitting the application (if needed)
To qualify all applicants including the spouse or common-law partner and dependent children must apply at the same time.
Final Words on the Francophone Mobility Program
The Francophone Mobility Program can be an affordable solution for employers wanting to hire a french-speaking worker.
The language of work for the position does not have to be French.
This program is only available for positions that are in a province or territory other than Quebec.
It allows employers to benefit from a faster processing time if:
- the work permit is submitted outside of Canada.
- the position is for a skill type O or A.
- The Employer makes a valid job offer through the Employer Portal
Lastly, the job offer can be used for an Express Entry profile if it meets the following requirements.
For more information about this program and its requirements book a paid consultation with our lawyers. We have french speaking lawyers that can assist you.
Please note that this is general information and should not be construed as legal advice.