Francophone Mobility Work Permit
Our Services :
The Francophone Mobility Work Permit can allow eligible French-speaking foreign workers to work in Canada outside Quebec without an LMIA. For employers, it can provide a more direct hiring route when the worker, position and employment offer meet the program requirements.
The key is confirming eligibility before the employer completes the Employer Portal process or the worker submits a work permit application. French ability, the proposed occupation, work location and employer documentation all need to fit the correct exemption.
Anka Canada Immigration Consulting assists workers and Canadian employers with assessing Francophone Mobility eligibility and preparing the related work permit process.
Services are provided by Volkan Sacilik, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence No. R1042981.
What Is the Francophone Mobility Work Permit?
Francophone Mobility is an LMIA-exempt, employer-specific work permit under the International Mobility Program, using exemption code C16.
It is designed to support the recruitment of French-speaking and bilingual workers who will live and work outside Quebec. Unlike an open work permit, the authorization is connected to the Canadian employer and employment described in the application.
Who May Qualify?
For applications under the current rules, the worker generally must:
-
meet the general requirements for a Canadian work permit;
-
intend to live and work in a province or territory outside Quebec;
-
demonstrate French speaking and listening ability at approximately NCLC 5 or higher; and
-
have an eligible Canadian job offer.
The employment may be in any TEER category, with an exception for primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5.
Importantly, eligibility does not require French reading and writing at NCLC 5. IRCC specifically focuses on oral expression and listening comprehension for this work permit category.
How Can French Ability Be Proven?
A formal language test is one option, but it is not necessarily the only one.
IRCC indicates that acceptable evidence can include:
-
TEF or TCF results showing the required speaking and listening level;
-
an official transcript or completion letter from a college or university program taught in French; or
-
other documentation demonstrating education in French.
The appropriate evidence should be reviewed before filing rather than assuming that conversational French alone will be sufficient.
What Must the Employer Do?
Francophone Mobility does not require an LMIA, but the employer still has responsibilities.
Before the worker submits the work permit application, the employer generally must:
-
submit the employment offer through the IRCC Employer Portal;
-
use LMIA exemption code C16 – Mobilité francophone;
-
pay the applicable $230 employer compliance fee; and
-
provide the worker with the resulting 7-digit offer of employment number.
The worker then uses this information in the employer-specific work permit application.
When Francophone Mobility May Not Be the Right Pathway
Speaking French does not by itself create eligibility for this work permit.
Francophone Mobility may not be appropriate where:
-
the proposed employment is in Quebec;
-
there is no qualifying Canadian employment offer;
-
the French-language requirement cannot be demonstrated;
-
the job falls within an excluded primary agriculture occupation;
-
another work permit category better reflects the employment arrangement.
Confirming the correct LMIA exemption before the employer submits an offer through the portal can help avoid building an application around the wrong work permit category.
Common Issues to Watch For
Applications can become more complicated when:
-
the NOC or TEER classification does not match the actual duties;
-
the Employer Portal information differs from the employment letter or work permit application;
-
the employer uses the wrong LMIA-exemption code;
-
French-language evidence is insufficient;
-
employment dates, wages or duties are inconsistent between documents;
-
the applicant's current immigration status or ability to apply from inside Canada is misunderstood.
A coordinated review of both the employer side and worker side can help identify these issues before submission.
How Anka Canada Immigration Consulting Can Assist
Anka can review the proposed position, NOC classification, French-language evidence and the worker's immigration circumstances to determine whether Francophone Mobility may be the appropriate work permit pathway.
Where retained, we can also guide the employer through the required Employer Portal information, review the employment documentation and prepare the worker's application and representative submissions.
The objective is to ensure that the C16 exemption being used actually matches the worker, employer and proposed employment before the application is filed.
Important Information
Spousal open work permit eligibility rules can change and differ depending on the principal applicant’s immigration category. Information on this page is general and does not guarantee eligibility or approval.