Three regions in Canada have revealed details about a new pathway to permanent residence for French speakers.
The following regions have announced details about their streams of the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP):
- Acadian Peninsula, New Brunswick;
- St. Pierre Jolys, Manitoba; and
- Kelowna, British Columbia.
Consult with an experienced immigration representative
The FCIP, which launched earlier this year, is an employer-focused program.
French-speaking foreign nationals who have an offer of employment in a community outside Quebec can get permanent residence (PR) through the pilot program, provided they meet other criteria.
Six communities have been selected to participate in the FCIP.
Acadian Peninsula
This seaside community located in New Brunswick has revealed its priority sectors, occupations, and designated employers for the FCIP.
| Priority Sector | Priority Occupation |
| Business, Finance and Administration | Accounting technicians and bookkeepers (NOC 12200) |
| Administrative assistants (NOC 13110) | |
| Banking, insurance and other financial clerks (NOC 14201) | |
| Financial advisors (NOC 11102) | |
| Health | Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102) |
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services (NOC 33109) | |
| Pharmacy technical assistants and pharmacy assistants (33103) | |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (31301) | |
| Education, law and social, community and government services | Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) |
| Business development officers and market researchers and analysts (NOC 41402) | |
| Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221) | |
| Secondary school teachers (NOC 41220) | |
| Social and community service workers (NOC 42201) | |
| Cashiers (NOC 65100) | |
| Sales and services | Cooks (NOC 63200) |
| Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (NOC 65201) | |
| Retail salespersons and visual merchandisers (NOC 64100) | |
| Sales and account representatives – wholesale trade (non-technical) (NOC 64101) | |
| Carpenters (NOC 72310) | |
| Trades, transport, machinery and related fields | Construction trades helpers and laborers (NOC 75110) |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) (NOC 72200) | |
| Material Handlers (NOC 75101) | |
| Plumbers (NOC 72300) | |
| Steamfitters, pipefitters and sprinkler system installers (NOC 72301) | |
| Welders and related machine operators (NOC 72106) |
Acadian Peninsula has listed four designated employers as of time of publishing:
- Distillery Son du Roy, Paquetville.
- Pinokkio Pizzeria, I remain bar.
- Subway, Shippagan.
- Tim Hortons, Neguac.
St. Pierre Jolys, Manitoba
The village of St. Pierre Jolys is located approximately 50 kilometres southeast from Winnipeg. Its boundaries for the FCIP can be viewed here.
| Priority Sector | Priority Occupation |
| Business, Finance and Administration | Financial advisors (NOC 11102) |
| General office support workers (NOC 14100) | |
| Education, Law and Social, Community and Government Services | Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) |
| Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100) | |
| Elementary school and kindergarten teachers (NOC 41221) | |
| Secondary school teachers (NOC 41220) | |
| Health | Dentists (NOC 31110) |
| General practitioners and family physicians (NOC 31102) | |
| Nurse practitioners (NOC 31302) | |
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services (NOC 33109) | |
| Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses (NOC 31301) | |
| Veterinarians (NOC 31103) | |
| Sales and Service | Bakers (NOC 63202) |
| Bartenders (NOC 64301) | |
| Cooks (NOC 63200) | |
| Customer service representatives – financial institutions (NOC 64400) | |
| Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (NOC 65201) | |
| Insurance agents and brokers (NOC 63100) | |
| Light duty cleaners (NOC 65310) | |
| Trades, Transport, Equipment Operators and Related Occupations | Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (NOC 72410) |
| Carpenters (NOC 72310) | |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers (NOC 75110) | |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) (NOC 72200) | |
| Plumbers (NOC 72300) | |
| Welders and related machine operators (NOC 72106) |
The community has not announced any designated employers at time of publishing.
Kelowna, British Columbia
| Priority Sector | Priority Occupations |
| Sales and Service Occupations | Bakers (NOC 63202) |
| Cleaning supervisors (NOC 62024) | |
| Cooks (NOC 63200) | |
| Corporate sales managers (NOC 60010) | |
| Food and beverage servers (NOC 65200) | |
| Food service supervisors (NOC 62020) | |
| Hotel front desk clerks (NOC 64314) | |
| Light duty cleaners (NOC 65310) | |
| Other customer and information services representatives (NOC 64409) | |
| Retail sales supervisors (NOC 62010) | |
| Trades, Transport and Equipment Operators and Related Occupations | Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers (NOC 72410) |
| Carpenters (NOC 72310) | |
| Construction trades helpers and labourers (NOC 75110) | |
| Electricians (except industrial and power system) (NOC 72200) | |
| Plasterers, drywall installers and finishers and lathers (NOC 73102) | |
| Roofers and shinglers (NOC 73110) | |
| Occupations in Education, Law, Social, Community and Government Services | Early childhood educators and assistants (NOC 42202) |
| Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants (NOC 43100) | |
| Social and community service workers (NOC 42201) | |
| Home support workers, caregivers and related occupations (NOC 44101) | |
| Health Occupations | Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates (NOC 33102) |
| Other assisting occupations in support of health services (NOC 33109) | |
| Veterinarians (NOC 31103) | |
| Natural and Applied Sciences and Related Occupations | Forestry technologists and technicians (NOC 22112) |
Kelowna has only announced two designated employers, at time of publishing:
- De Dutch Kelowna.
- London Drugs Kelowna.
What is the significance of priority sectors, occupations, and designated employers?
Only employers operating in at least one sector and hiring in a priority occupation are able to become designated employers for the FCIP.
Foreign nationals need to have a job offer from a designated employer to be recommended for the FCIP by the community.
After they have received a community recommendation, the foreign national can directly apply to the federal government for PR. They may also be eligible for a two-year work permit so they can start working while their PR applications are being processed.
Which other communities are participating in the FCIP?
In total, six communities have been chosen to participate in the FCIP.
Apart from the three mentioned above, these are:
Sudbury: This community has unveiled its priority sectors, occupations and designated employers.
Timmins: This community has unveiled its priority sectors, occupations and designated employers.
Superior East Region: This community is yet to launch their FCIP website, as of time of publishing.
Eligibility criteria for the FCIP
Apart from having a job offer that is in a priority sector or occupation, candidates have to meet other requirements in order to be eligible for the FCIP. These include the following:
Work experience: Candidates must have at least one year (1,560 hours) of related work experience over the past three years. This condition can be waived for international graduates who meet specific conditions.
Language proficiency: Candidates must demonstrate knowledge of French by having a minimum score of NCLC 5 in all four abilities.
Education: They must have at least a secondary school level credential (Canadian or its foreign equivalent).
Necessary funds: Have the minimum settlement funds to support themselves and their families.
