Updated public policy for French-speaking foreign nationals applying for study permits under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot

Background

The Government of Canada’s commitment to restoring and increasing the demographic weight of Francophone and Acadian minority communities is now enshrined in the modernized Official Languages Act. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC)’s Policy on Francophone Immigration aims to enhance the long-term vitality and prosperity of Francophone and Acadian minority communities and pave a path toward restoring and increasing their demographic weight within an immigration system that is fair, equitable and non-discriminatory.

Francophone minority communities rely on immigration to fill critical labour market needs across a wide variety of occupations and sectors, as well as to maintain the vitality of French in their communities, including French postsecondary education. The Policy on Francophone Immigration aims to maximize the selection of French-speaking international students, who are seen as a source of key talent to help support this objective. IRCC has committed to reducing the barriers that impede the acceptance of French-speaking international students, as well as expanding pathways to permanent residency. This will be achieved through a pilot project to attract more French-speaking international students to Francophone postsecondary institutions outside Quebec, facilitate applicants’ access to these institutions, and foster their integration and retention in Francophone minority communities.

IRCC recognizes that parts of Africa, the Middle East and the Americas contain important pools of potential French-speaking international students, and that these regions also face historically high study permit refusal rates. Through its efforts to modernize the International Student Program and in recognition of important findings and recommendations made by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration in their 2022 report entitled Differential Treatment in Recruitment and Acceptance Rates of Foreign Students in Quebec and in the Rest of Canada and by the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages in their 2023 report entitled Francophone immigration to minority communities: Towards a bold, strong and coordinated approach, IRCC commits to improving equitable access to education in Canada by reducing barriers faced by certain groups of study permit applicants, including French-speaking international students from these regions.

Public Policy Considerations

This public policy supports the creation of the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP), together with the Updated public policy to facilitate the granting of permanent residence and issuance of open work permits for foreign nationals in Canada, outside Quebec, who obtained a Canadian credential while participating in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot. It consists of a temporary-residence-to-permanent-residence pathway for French-speaking international students from world regions that face historically high study permit refusal rates and who are seeking to pursue postsecondary studies taught in French at select postsecondary designated learning institutions (DLIs) located outside Quebec.

This pilot supports the Government of Canada’s commitment to restoring and increasing the demographic weight of Francophone and Acadian minority communities, as well as IRCC’s objective of facilitating equitable access to the International Student Program by reducing barriers for French-speaking study permit applicants from world regions that face historically high study permit refusal rates and by fostering their integration and retention in Francophone minority communities.

Pursuant to my authority under section 25.2 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (the Act), I hereby establish that sufficient public policy considerations justify granting the exemptions from the requirements of the Act and the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (the Regulations) listed below to foreign nationals who meet the conditions (eligibility requirements) set out below.

Conditions (eligibility requirements)

Based on public policy considerations, delegated officers may grant an exemption from the requirements of the Act and Regulations identified, if the following conditions are met.

Part A - The foreign national (principal applicant):

1. Has submitted an application for a study permit pursuant to section 216 of the Regulations for facilitation under the FMCSP before entry to Canada;
2. Is a citizen of a country that was a member of l’Organisation internationale de la Francophonie within a world region with historically high study permit refusal rates (the majority of their constituent countries have a refusal rate of 60% or more) when the Public Policy for French-speaking foreign nationals applying for study permits under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilotcame into effect, on August 26th, 2024. For greater clarity, these countries are:
   1. Africa: Bénin, Burundi, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Rwanda, São Tomé and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, Tunisia
   2. Middle East : Egypt, Lebanon
   3. Americas: Haïti, Dominica, Saint Lucia;
3. Has a letter of acceptance:
   1. issued by a DLI that is signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding with IRCC to participate in the FMCSP, when the application referred to in (1) is submitted and when the associated study permit is issued;
   2. indicating the foreign national is applying under the FMCSP;
   3. for a postsecondary level program
      1. that is taught primarily in French (more than 50% of the classes are taught in French);
      2. at least two years in duration on a full-time basis; and
      3. the completion of which leads to a diploma or degree;
4. Has provided, with the application referred to in (1), results of an evaluation from a designated language-testing organization using a general French language proficiency test approved pursuant to subsection 74(3) of the Regulations; with a score of at least 5 for each of the four language abilities (speaking, listening, reading, and writing) according to the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC); and
5. Has demonstrated
   1. the ability to cover their first year of tuition and travel costs; and
   2. sufficient and available financial resources totaling at least 75% of the low income cut-off (LICO) associated with the municipality in which the main campus of the participating DLI referred to in (3) is located.

Part B - The foreign national (principal applicant):

1. Has submitted an application for the renewal of their study permit pursuant to section 217 of the Regulations for facilitation under the FMCSP after entry to Canada in accordance with sections 215(1) of the Regulations;
2. Holds a valid study permit that has been facilitated under the FMCSP;
3. Has a letter of acceptance:
   1. issued by a DLI that is signatory to a Memorandum of Understanding with IRCC to participate in the FMCSP, when the application referred to in (1) is submitted and when the associated study permit is issued;
   2. indicating the foreign national is applying under the FMCSP;
   3. for a postsecondary level program
      1. that is taught primarily in French (more than 50% of the classes are taught in French);
      2. is at least two years in duration on a full-time basis;
      3. the completion of which leads to a diploma or degree; and
      4. has an end date before the expiry of the Updated Public policy to facilitate the granting of permanent residence and issuance of open work permits for foreign nationals in Canada, outside Quebec, who obtained a Canadian credential while participating in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot; and
4. Has demonstrated
   1. the ability to cover their first year of tuition and travel costs; and
   2. sufficient and available financial resources totaling at least 75% of the low income cut-off (LICO) associated with the municipality in which the main campus of the participating DLI referred to in (3) is located.

Part C – The foreign national (accompanying family member):

1. Is a family member, as defined in subsection 1(3) of the Regulations, of a foreign national who has been approved for, or currently holds, a study permit as a principal applicant that was facilitated under the FMCSP; and
2. Has submitted one or more of the following applications for facilitation under the FMCSP:
   1. a work permit or work permit renewal pursuant to section 200 or 201 of the Regulations made in accordance with section 197 or 199 of the Regulations;
   2. a study permit or study permit renewal pursuant to section 216 or section 217 of the Regulations made in accordance with section 213 or subsection 215(2) of the Regulations;
   3. a temporary resident visa pursuant to section 179 of the Regulations;
   4. an extension of their authorization to remain in Canada as a temporary resident pursuant to section 181 of the Regulations; or
   5. restoration of temporary resident status pursuant to section 182 of the Regulations.

Provisions of the Act and Regulations for which an exemption may be granted

For foreign nationals who meet the conditions listed in Parts A or B:

• The requirement in paragraph 20(1)(b) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period of authorized for their stay in order to become or remain in Canada as a temporary resident;
• The requirement in subsection 22(2) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay in order to become or remain in Canada as a temporary resident;
• Paragraph 216(1)(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 2 of Part 9 in order to be issued a Study Permit;
• Paragraph 179(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 2 of Part 9 in order to be issued a Temporary Resident Visa or extend their authorization to remain in Canada or restore their status as a temporary resident in Canada.

For foreign nationals who meet the conditions listed in Part C:

• The requirement in paragraph 20(1)(b) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay in order to become or remain in Canada as a temporary resident;
• The requirement in subsection 22(2) of the Act – for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay in order to become a temporary resident;
• Paragraph 200(1)(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 2 of Part 2 in order to be issued a Work Permit;
• Paragraph 216(1)(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 2 of Part 9  in order to be issued a Study Permit;
• Paragraph 179(b) of the Regulations – the requirement for a foreign national to establish that they will leave Canada by the end of the period authorized for their stay under Division 2 of Part 9 in order to be issued a Temporary Resident Visa or extend their authorization to remain in Canada or restore their status as a temporary resident in Canada.

Other Admissibility and Selection Criteria

Foreign nationals eligible for exemptions under this public policy are subject to all other applicable eligibility and admissibility requirements not exempted under this, or another public policy.

Effective date and expiration

This public policy revokes and replaces the Public Policy for French-speaking foreign nationals applying for study permits under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot signed on September 18th, 2025.

This public policy takes effect upon my signature. It applies to applications received by IRCC on or after that date and before expiry or revocation, and is subject to the processing caps set out below for Part A.  

Part A of this temporary public policy expires on August 25, 2027.

Part B and C of this temporary public policy will remain in effect until the revocation or expiry of the Updated public policy to facilitate the granting of permanent residence and issuance of open work permits for foreign nationals in Canada, outside Quebec, who obtained a Canadian credential while participating in the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot, which expires on November 30, 2032.  

This public policy may be revoked at any time, without prior notice.

Maximum number of applications to be accepted for processing under this public policy in a year

The maximum number of study permit applications that may be accepted each year for processing from foreign nationals in Part A is:

• 2,970 between August 26, 2025 and August 25, 2026;
• 2,970 between August 26, 2026 and August 25, 2027.

Applications submitted by foreign nationals in Part A under the Public policy for French-speaking foreign nationals applying for study permits under the Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot, originally signed on August 13, 2024, and subsequently updated and re-signed on September 18, 2025, that are received between August 26, 2025, and the effective date of this public policy will be counted toward the cap for the period from August 26, 2025, to August 25, 2026.

Applications received in Part A under the FMCSP that are in excess of that year’s cap will not be accepted for processing and will be returned to the applicant.