If you are an employer outside Quebec and your candidate speaks French, you may be able to hire without an LMIA. The Francophone Mobility Program, exemption code C16, allows an employer-specific work permit for a French-speaking worker destined to work anywhere in Canada except Quebec — with no recruitment requirement, no advertising, no LMIA processing fee and no prevailing wage test. It is the most under-used hiring tool in Canadian immigration, largely because employers do not think to ask whether a candidate speaks French. In 2026, with federal policy actively pushing to restore the demographic weight of Francophone minority communities, the incentives are pointed firmly in this direction.
Key Takeaways
- Francophone Mobility (C16) is an LMIA exemption. The work must be located outside Quebec, and remote work for a Quebec employer does not qualify.
- Since June 2023, the job offer can be in any TEER category except primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5, and the language of work does not have to be French.
- The worker must show intermediate French in speaking and listening — a test score at CLB 5 or higher, or persuasive alternative evidence such as French-language education.
- The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot offers permanent residence through six designated communities, on an employer-driven model.
- Federal policy is investing heavily in Francophone immigration, and from 2026 an additional 5,000 provincial nominee spots are reserved for French-speaking candidates.
Why this exists
The federal Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028 commits $4.1 billion over five years, and Francophone immigration is its first pillar. The driver is demographic: the share of Francophones outside Quebec has been declining, and the policy objective is to restore their demographic weight. Funding runs to promotion and recruitment abroad, foreign recruitment of French-speaking teachers, and a consolidated Francophone integration pathway.
For an employer, the policy background is not decoration. It explains why the Francophone routes have been widened while other work permit categories have been narrowed, and why they are likely to remain available.
Francophone Mobility: the C16 work permit
C16 is the practical centre of this topic. It is an LMIA-exempt work permit under the Canadian interests provisions, and it removes almost everything an employer dreads about the standard LMIA route.
What it requires:
- Work located outside Quebec. This is strict. Remote work for a Quebec-based employer does not qualify.
- A job offer in any TEER category, with one exception: primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5 are excluded. Before June 2023 the program was limited to TEER 0 to 3; that restriction is gone, and there is no indication the expansion is ending.
- French proficiency in speaking and listening at an intermediate level. The benchmark is CLB 5 or higher on a TEF or TCF result. Before 2023 the standard was much higher, at CLB 7 across all skills.
What it does not require: proof of recruitment efforts, attendance at a Francophone promotional event, French as the language of work, or payment at the prevailing wage. That last point comes with a caveat — an unusually low wage can undermine the genuineness of the job offer, so it is not an invitation to underpay.
The permit duration follows the job offer or the passport, whichever is shorter.
Proving French without a test
A test is not strictly mandatory. Officers may exercise discretion where the evidence is sufficient to establish moderate French proficiency at CLB or NCLC 5 or higher. But the bar for alternative evidence is real: a passport from, or residence in, a French-speaking country is not enough on its own.
What works is documentary proof of French use. Confirmation from a college or university that a program was completed in French. Employment letters, written in French, confirming positions that required daily use of French. A French-language CV. Completing the application forms in French where you can.
Practical advice: if the applicant did not complete French-language post-secondary education, include a test result. Officers assessing an application at a port of entry may test speaking and listening directly, and an application filed from outside Canada or from within Canada is better served by a score in the file than by an argument. On renewal of a C16 permit from within Canada, re-assessment of French proficiency is not required — the test does not need to be repeated.
The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot
The Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is the permanent residence counterpart, and it runs on an employer-driven model very similar to the Rural Community Immigration Pilot. Six communities participate: the Acadian Peninsula in New Brunswick; Sudbury, Timmins and the Superior East region in Ontario; St. Pierre Jolys in Manitoba; and Kelowna in British Columbia. Communities approve employers to fill roles where local workers are short.
Candidate requirements are:
- a valid job offer from a designated employer in the participating community;
- at least one year (1,560 hours) of related paid work experience in the past three years, with TEER alignment rules between the experience and the job offered, and a variation for healthcare workers;
- French at CLB 5 across all four competencies, evidenced by a TEF or TCF result;
- a Canadian high school diploma or higher, with an educational credential assessment for foreign education; and
- settlement funds.
As with the rural pilot, graduates of a public post-secondary institution in the community can be exempt from the work experience requirement, subject to conditions on program length, full-time study, timing of the credential and residence in the community while studying.
The process mirrors the rural pilot: designated employer, job offer, community recommendation, then a permanent residence application. Approved applicants and their spouses are also eligible for a two-year work permit.
Other routes worth knowing
International Experience Canada (C21). Reciprocal youth mobility agreements cover more than 35 countries and territories, generally for applicants aged 18 to 35, with Andorra, Belgium, France, Luxembourg and Switzerland among the Francophone participants. The three categories are Working Holiday (an open permit), Young Professionals and International Co-op (both employer-specific). Terms vary considerably by country — France allows 24 months for some categories, Switzerland 18 months for young professionals, and Andorra and Belgium offer only the Working Holiday category. Pools open at various points in the year and the work permit application must generally be made from outside Canada.
Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot. This targets French-speaking students from eligible countries — members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas — studying in programs taught mainly in French outside Quebec. Requirements include a letter of acceptance from a participating institution, a program of at least two years taught more than 50% in French, and French at CLB 5 across all four skills. Two features stand out: proof-of-funds requirements are lower for smaller communities, and participants and their families are exempt from the usual requirement to satisfy an officer that they will leave Canada, which expressly permits dual intent. Spouses are eligible for an open work permit.
Express Entry. French-speaking candidates receive additional Comprehensive Ranking System points — 50 where French is CLB 7 across all four skills and English is CLB 5 or higher, and 25 where French is CLB 7 and English is CLB 4 or lower. This is on top of the ordinary language points. French-language proficiency is also a standing category for category-based selection, currently requiring CLB 7 in all four French competencies. In practice, a candidate with strong French can be invited at a score well below the general cut-off.
Provincial nominee streams. From 2026, the federal government is reserving 5,000 spots for provinces and territories to designate French-speaking immigrants, in addition to regular allocations. Most provinces award extra points for French in their expression-of-interest systems. New Brunswick’s strategic initiative targets Francophone workers with New Brunswick connections, including graduates of the Université de Moncton and CCNB, and Francophones who have lived in the province for 12 months while working remotely for a Canadian employer outside Quebec. The Northwest Territories runs a Francophone stream requiring CLB 5 in French and CLB 4 in English with a permanent full-time job offer at the median wage. Ontario’s French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream requires CLB 7 in French and CLB 6 in English, but it held no draws in 2025 and Ontario has announced a program overhaul for 2026 — confirm current status before relying on it.
Compliance
An LMIA exemption is not a compliance exemption. The employer submits the offer of employment through the Employer Portal, pays the employer compliance fee, and takes on the same obligations as any other employer of foreign workers: pay the wage offered, provide the occupation and conditions described, keep records, and be available for inspection. Employer compliance and inspection exposure applies across the International Mobility Program.
Note also that the general spousal open work permit rules changed in January 2025. A spouse is eligible only where the principal worker holds a permit in a TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or a listed TEER 2 or 3 shortage occupation, with at least 16 months of validity remaining at the time of application.
FAQ
Does the job have to be in French?
No. Since the 2023 changes, the language of work does not need to be French. The requirement attaches to the worker’s French ability, not the workplace.
Can a Quebec employer use Francophone Mobility for a remote worker?
No. The work must be located outside Quebec, and remote work for a Quebec employer does not qualify.
Is a French test mandatory for C16?
Not strictly. An officer may accept other evidence of intermediate French in speaking and listening, such as French-language post-secondary education or employment letters in French confirming daily French use. Where that evidence is thin, a TEF or TCF result is the safer course.
What TEER levels are eligible?
Any TEER category, except primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5.
How does French help with permanent residence?
Through additional Express Entry points, through the French-language category of category-based selection, through several provincial nominee streams, and through the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot.
Disclaimer: This article is for general information only and is not legal advice. Immigration law and IRCC/ESDC policy change frequently, and every case turns on its own facts. Reading this article does not create a lawyer–client relationship. Obtain advice tailored to your situation before you act.
Talk to a Canadian immigration lawyer. BridgePoint Law advises individuals and businesses across Canada — and on Canada–US–China cross-border matters — on Francophone immigration pathways and LMIA-exempt hiring outside Quebec. Book a consultation with our team in Toronto and Kingston. We work in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
