Mobilité Francophone

If a foreign national’s habitual language of daily use is French and they are coming to Canada to work in a province or territory outside of Quebec, they may be eligible for a work permit under the Mobilité Francophone category. If so, their employer or prospective employer will not be required to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). 

Nonetheless, their employer or prospective employer will be required to file an offer of employment with Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (Immigration Canada) and pay the employer compliance fee before the foreign national can apply for a work permit under this category.  

To qualify for a work permit under the Mobilité Francophone category, a foreign national must demonstrate: 

• They have an offer of employment in a province or territory outside of Quebec;
• They are qualified to work in an occupation which is most appropriately classified as National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level “0” (management positions), “A” (professional positions), or “B” (technical positions); and
• Their habitual language of daily use is French. 

The offer of employment does not need to indicate that French language abilities are a requirement of the position. Therefore, a foreign national who is applying for a work permit under the Mobilité Francophone category does not need to demonstrate that the position is bilingual or that they are required to use French to execute the fundamental duties of their position.

If the adjudicating officer is not satisfied that the foreign national’s habitual language of daily use is French, they may request that the foreign national attend an interview and / or complete a French language proficiency test. If so, the foreign national must demonstrate that they have at least an advanced intermediate French language ability. 

If a foreign national is applying for a work permit under the Mobilité Francophone category for the first time, they must submit their application to a Canadian visa office abroad prior to travelling to Canada. This type of work permit application is usually directed to the Canadian visa office in Paris for processing. 

A foreign national may be issued a work permit which is valid for a term concurrent with the offer of employment and extensions are possible.