In line with Canada’s Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026, the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) intends to embrace 31,500 French-speaking permanent residents (PRs) in 2025 and 36,000 individuals under the same category in 2026. This plan, issued annually by Canada’s immigration department, serves as a blueprint to determine the quantity of new PRs to be welcomed into the country over the next three years.
Remarkably, the current Immigration Levels Plan anticipates Canada maintaining a steady count of new permanent residents in 2025 and 2026, maintaining the overall admissions target at 500,000 new PRs for both years. However, upon closer examination of the figures, it becomes evident that one specific immigration category is poised to experience an increase in admissions over the final two years outlined in this year’s plan.
Which immigration class is slated to experience an increase in admissions targets between 2025 and 2026?
For the year 2026, the IRCC has specified that the admissions target for “overall French-speaking Permanent Resident Admissions outside Quebec” is set to rise by 4,500 in comparison to the target established for 2025. This distinction regarding admissions outside Quebec is significant, emphasizing that Quebec maintains its distinct immigration rules, programs, and policies separate from the rest of Canada.
This stands out significantly as it is the lone admissions category experiencing an increase in the final two years of the Immigration Levels Plan. Meanwhile, with the overall admissions target remaining constant at 500,000 between 2025 and 2026, almost all other specified targets are anticipated to remain stable during this period.
The singular admissions category anticipated to witness a decline in its admissions target from 2025 to 2026 is the “Economic Pilots” category, encompassing the Agri-Food Pilot, Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot, and Economic Mobility Pathways Project. The admissions target for this category is expected to decrease from 14,750 in 2025 to 13,750 in 2026.
What could be the reasons behind the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) aiming to increase the number of French-speaking Permanent Resident admissions outside Quebec?
The rationale behind the upward trend in admissions targets for overall French-speaking Permanent Residents may be elucidated in Canada’s recent strategic report titled “An Immigration System for Canada’s Future.” This report, jointly released by IRCC and the Canadian government, presents insights and an action plan derived from extensive consultations with diverse stakeholders, outlining a new vision for Canada’s immigration system.
Within this comprehensive report, IRCC has explicitly articulated its objective to enhance “the vitality of Francophone minority communities,” extending this commitment beyond Quebec to encompass French-speaking communities across the nation.
According to the IRCC, this aspect of its action plan aims to contribute to the department’s overarching goal of “developing a comprehensive and coordinated growth plan” for immigration in Canada. This initiative involves actively supporting communities through various measures, such as the focus on increasing French-speaking immigration. The intent is to explore opportunities that enhance regional immigration and contribute to the support of welcoming communities throughout Canada.
The IRCC has outlined specific actions to achieve this objective, including:
- Development of a New Francophone Immigration Policy: This policy aims to “work toward restoring and increasing the demographic weight” of Francophone minority communities across Canada.
- Enhanced Promotion and Selection Efforts: There will be increased efforts to promote and select French-speaking Permanent Residents, contributing to the growth of French-language communities.
- Support for Settlement and Integration: The IRCC is committed to supporting the settlement and integration of French-speaking immigrants in Francophone minority communities, ensuring a smoother transition for newcomers.
- Establishment of Ambitious Yet Attainable Targets: The department plans to set “ambitious yet attainable targets” with the goal of consistently increasing Francophone Permanent Resident admissions over time.
Collectively, these actions elucidate the projected increase in the admissions target for this category of new Permanent Residents, aligning with Canada’s broader objective of fostering the growth and resilience of French-language immigration across the country.