Canada exceeded its Francophone immigration target for 2025

MONCTON, NB, Jan. 19, 2026 /CNW/ - Francophone and Acadian minority communities outside Quebec contribute to the economy, culture and vitality of the French language in Canada. Francophone immigration remains essential and aims to address labour needs and to support communities across the country.

Today, the Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced that, for the fourth year in a row, the Government of Canada has exceeded its ambitious Francophone immigration target for 2025, reaching about 8.9% of admissions of French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec. This achievement reflects the success of the measures Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has put in place and is the result of close collaboration with the provinces, territories as well as community representatives.

As part of the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, we will continue to increase our targets for French–speaking permanent residents outside Quebec. Starting in 2026, the Government of Canada will reserve 5,000 federal selection spaces to allow provinces and territories to designate French-speaking immigrants. These spaces will be in addition to the annual Provincial Nominee Program allocations and will help reduce the shortage of Francophone and bilingual workers by attracting top global talent.

Both the exceeding of the 2025 target and this new initiative that supports the provinces and territories outline the way to reach the 12% target of French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec by 2029. Through the implementation of measures such as the French-language proficiency category in the Express Entry system, the Francophone Mobility program, as well as the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative, the Government of Canada is continuing in its commitment to restore and increase the demographic weight of Francophone and Acadian minority communities.

These actions align with the Government of Canada priorities that were announced in Budget 2025 and reflect the importance of uniting our efforts to attract the best global talent, expand our economy and respond to workforce needs.

Quote

"Today, we reaffirm our commitment and ongoing efforts towards Francophone immigration. French-speaking newcomers are an essential contribution to the economic vitality and strengthening of the workforce in Francophone and Acadian minority communities. They help our communities to thrive and promote our official languages, a symbol of our Canadian identity."

– The Honourable Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

Quick facts

• In 2025, the department set a target of 8.5% for admissions of Francophone permanent residents outside Quebec. According to preliminary year-end data, the department admitted over 29,500 Francophone permanent residents, which represents 8.9% of all permanent resident admissions in Canada outside Quebec.
• As part of the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan, we will continue to increase our targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec, raising them to 9% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027, and 10.5% in 2028. These targets reflect the ongoing priority that Francophone immigration represents.
• The ongoing commitment of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to Francophone immigration is reflected in several successes from the past year: achieving 7.2% of permanent resident admissions of French-speaking individuals outside Quebec in 2024, increasing the number of communities participating in the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative from 14 to 24, holding successful promotional events, and funding several concrete projects through the Francophone Immigration Support Program.
• The Express Entry system is Canada's flagship application management system for those seeking to immigrate permanently through the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, the Canadian experience class, and a portion of the Provincial Nominee Program.

Related products

• Canada's immigration levels
• Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration
• Choose Canada: For a new future
• Immigrate Through Express Entry
• Immigrate to a Francophone community outside Quebec
• Choose a welcoming community that offers services in French

SOURCE Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Contacts for media only: Laura Blondeau, Director of Communications, Office of the Minister, 343-550-4808, [email protected]; Media Relations, People and Communications Sector Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 613-952-1650, [email protected]