French-Speaking Permanent Residents Outside Quebec (Province of Intended Destination)

Source: IRCC, RDB, Permanent Residents, August 31, 2023 Data

Notes:

• Data are preliminary estimates and are subject to change.
• Beginning in 2019, “French-speaking” is defined to include (1) permanent residents having declared a knowledge of “French only” as their official language or (2) permanent residents having declared a knowledge of “French and English” as their official languages while declaring French as the language in which they are most at ease.
• Prior to 2019, “French-speaking” was defined to include (1) permanent residents having French as their mother tongue or, (2) permanent residents with a mother tongue other than French or English and “French only” declared as the spoken official language.
• Between 2018 and August 2023, the number of French-speaking permanent residents admitted outside Quebec has consistently increased with the exception of 2020 (see Figure 1).
  • From 2018 to 2022, the number of admissions increased significantly by 233.1% from approximately 4,900 to nearly 16,400, respectively.
  • Furthermore, the number of French-speaking permanent residents more than doubled between 2021 and 2022, from 6,948 to 16,380.
  • From January to August 2023, more than 11,000 French-speaking permanent residents were admitted outside Quebec.
• As of August 2023, French-speaking permanent resident admissions have increased, nearing the 4.4% target to be achieved.
  • From 2018 to 2022, the percentage of Francophones relative to all permanent residents outside Quebec increased significantly from 1.8% to 4.4%, respectively, reaching the set target rate.
  • From January to August 2023, the percentage of Francophones relative to all permanent residents outside Quebec was 3.8% and is expected to grow considerably.

French-Speaking Study Permit Holders from Africa^{Footnote *}

Source: IRCC, RDB, Temporary Residents, August 31, 2023 Data

Notes:

• Data are preliminary estimates and are subject to change.
• The total unique count may not equal to the sum of permit holders as an individual may hold more than one type of permit over a given period.
• Beginning in 2019, “French-speaking” is defined to include (1) permanent residents having declared a knowledge of “French only” as their official language or (2) permanent residents having declared a knowledge of “French and English” as their official languages while declaring French as the language in which they are most at ease.
• Prior to 2019, “French-speaking” was defined to include (1) permanent residents having French as their mother tongue or, (2) permanent residents with a mother tongue other than French or English and “French only” declared as the spoken official language.
• The number of French-speaking study permit holders from Africa has steadily increased over time (see Figure 1).
• Canada welcomed a yearly average of 9,752 French-speaking study permit holders from Africa between 2018 and 2022 (136.4% increase from 6,562 to 15,514, respectively).
  • In 2023 (January to August), there were 18,557 French-speaking study permit holders from Africa, already surpassing the 2022 total.
• The number of French-speaking study permit holders from Africa destined for Quebec exhibited similar trends to Canada’s overall numbers. A yearly average of 6,789 between 2018 and 2022.
  • From 2018 to 2022, the number more than doubled from 4,439 to 10,730, respectively.
  • In 2023 (January to August), there were 13,905 French-speaking Africans with study permits, which already surpassed the 2022 total (10,730), and is more than twice the yearly average of 6,789 between 2018 and 2022.
• The majority of French-speaking study permit holders from Africa were destined for Quebec.
  • Between 2018 and 2022, the proportion of African French-speaking study permit holders destined for Quebec exhibited a steady trend with an average of 69.8% per year.
  • In 2023, as of August, 74.9% of French speaking Africans with study permits that became valid were destined for Quebec which is more than the average of the past five years.

Figure 2: Number of French-speaking study permit holders from Africa with a valid permit on December 31 of each year (regardless of the year it became effective, i.e., on Dec. 31 of each year, the number of valid study permit holders for Quebec and rest of Canada). (“Valid permit on December 31” means the permit holder has a valid permit on the day of December 31 of a certain year, which usually indicates a snapshot of all permit holders with a valid permit on the day of that year).

French-Speaking Study Permit Holders from Africa, December 31

Source: IRCC, RDB, Temporary Residents, August 31, 2023 Data

Notes:

• Data are preliminary estimates and are subject to change.
• The total unique count may not equal to the sum of permit holders as an individual may hold more than one type of permit over a given period.
• Beginning in 2019, “French-speaking” is defined to include (1) permanent residents having declared a knowledge of “French only” as their official language or (2) permanent residents having declared a knowledge of “French and English” as their official languages while declaring French as the language in which they are most at ease.
• Prior to 2019, “French-speaking” was defined to include (1) permanent residents having French as their mother tongue or, (2) permanent residents with a mother tongue other than French or English and “French only” declared as the spoken official language.
• Year-end number of French-speaking study permit holders from Africa has steadily increased over time (see Figure 2).
  • For Canada overall, a yearly average of 14,642 African French-speaking study permit holders had a valid permit on December 31 between 2018 and 2022 (91.3% increase from 10,566 to 20,214, respectively).
• Year-end number of French-speaking study permit holders from Africa destined for Quebec exhibited similar trends to Canada’s overall numbers.
  • Between 2018 and 2022, a yearly average of 9,440 African French-speaking study permit holders had a valid permit on December 31 and were destined for Quebec.
  • Very similarly to Canada overall, from 2018 to 2022, the number of permit holders from Africa destined for Quebec increased by 98.7% (from 6,593 to 13,099, respectively).
  • Between 2018 and 2022, the percentage of African French-speaking study permit holders destined for Quebec marginally increased from 62.4% to 64.8%, respectively.

List of African Countries