Francophone Mobility work permit

Francophone Mobility is an employer-specific work permit that lets a Canadian employer outside Quebec hire a French-speaking foreign worker without a Labour Market Impact Assessment, provided the worker can show intermediate French in speaking and listening.

It is an LMIA exemption under the International Mobility Program, not a permanent residence program. It gets you a work permit; it does not by itself give you permanent residence, and time on it does not automatically count toward any PR stream.

Who it is for

The permit is designed for French-speaking workers destined for one of the nine provinces or three territories outside Quebec. Quebec is excluded from this exemption because the province selects its own economic immigrants and runs its own French-language recruitment.

It is employer-driven. You cannot apply for it without a job offer from a Canadian employer who has already submitted that offer to IRCC.

Eligibility for the worker

For applications submitted on or after 15 June 2023, you must:

• meet the general eligibility requirements for a work permit — including admissibility and a genuine offer;
• be destined to live and work in one of the nine provinces or three territories outside Quebec;
• be able to prove speaking and listening skills in French at an intermediate level, equivalent to NCLC 5 or higher;
• have a job offer classified under any TEER category of the National Occupational Classification — with one exception: a primary agriculture occupation under TEER 4 or 5 does not qualify.

Note what is not required. There is no minimum CRS score, no age limit and no education threshold. Reading and writing in French are not tested for this exemption — only speaking and listening.

What the employer has to do first

The application cannot be submitted until the employer has done three things:

1. submitted the offer of employment to IRCC through the Employer Portal, using LMIA exemption code C16 for Mobilité Francophone;
2. paid the $230 employer compliance fee;
3. given you the offer of employment number — a seven-digit number that your application requires.

If the employer has not done this, there is no application to make yet. That is the most common point at which this file stalls.

Proving your French

Since 15 June 2023 the test is NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, and IRCC accepts more than one form of proof:

• speaking and listening results from the TEF (Test d’évaluation de français) or TCF (Test de connaissance du français);
• written confirmation from a college or university of a program completed in French — a transcript or an official letter of completion;
• other documents that show education in French.

Upload this in the Client information field. Because there is only one such field, several documents may need to be combined into a single file.

If your application predates 15 June 2023

The rules were different, and they still govern a file submitted before that date: NCLC 7 across all four abilities (or proof that French is your language of daily use), and a job offer in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 only. If you are dealing with an older application or a refusal decided under the old test, the current page does not describe your file.

How to apply

1. Documents — electronic copies of everything, and a credit or debit card for the fee.
2. Account — sign in to your IRCC secure account and start a work permit application.
3. Document checklist — answering the questions generates it. From outside Canada, choose “temporarily — more than 6 months” (or less than 6), answer Yes to having a job offer and an offer of employment number, and select A work permit with a Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption. From inside Canada, select I’m applying for an employer-specific work permit with LMIA-exemption.
4. Forms — read the instruction guide before filling them in.
5. Upload — the checklist items, plus your French proof under Client information.
6. Pay and submit — the work permit processing fee applies; the current amount is on IRCC’s fee page.

Where this fits in the wider picture

Francophone Mobility is a work permit measure, and it is separate from the Express Entry French-language category, which is a permanent residence selection route requiring NCLC 7. The two are frequently confused: a worker who qualifies for the work permit at NCLC 5 does not thereby qualify for the Express Entry category, which needs NCLC 7 in all four abilities.

There is also a set of Francophone immigration pilots and a rising share of French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec — 9.5% in 2027, 10.5% in 2028 and 12% in 2029. Those are admission targets and separate programs, not part of this permit.

Frequently asked questions

Does Francophone Mobility lead to permanent residence?

Not by itself. It is a temporary work permit. Any PR route — Express Entry, a provincial nomination or a pilot — has its own eligibility and must be applied for separately.

What French level do I need?

NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening for applications on or after 15 June 2023. Reading and writing are not assessed for this exemption.

Can I use it to work in Quebec?

No. The exemption applies only to work outside Quebec, in the nine provinces and three territories.

Do I need an LMIA?

No — that is the point of the exemption. But your employer must still submit the offer through the Employer Portal under code C16, pay the $230 compliance fee, and give you the seven-digit offer number.

Can I change employers on this permit?

It is an employer-specific permit. A new employer means a new offer of employment and a new permit application.

Official sources

• IRCC: Francophone Mobility work permit
• Check if you can apply — eligibility and the employer’s steps.
• How to apply — checklist answers and acceptable proof of French.

CRSPoint is independent of IRCC and the Government of Canada. This page summarises published IRCC requirements and is general information, not advice on an individual application. Requirements change; confirm against the IRCC pages above before you apply.