Part of the government’s efforts to increase Francophone immigration to Canada is to award additional CRS points to French speakers.
This change, as per the Oct. 27 IRCC release, will help deliver on the promise by the government to increase Francophone immigration to Canada to 4.4% of total admissions. Because candidates who wish to reside in Quebec cannot apply to Express Entry, the 4.4% of Francophone admissions are in addition to any French speakers immigrating through Quebec.
Additional CRS points for French speakers
As of Oct. 20, Francophones and bilingual speakers will be awarded additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points on their Express Entry application. These points are in addition to the CRS points already awarded for language proficiency.
If you score NCLC 7 or higher on all four French language skills (listening, speaking, reading and writing), you will receive:
- 25 additional points if you score CLB 4 or lower in English (or you have not taken an English test); or
- 50 additional points if you score CLB 5 or higher on all four English skills
Official language tests Canada accepts as proof of proficiency
English proficiency:
- CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (General Training only)
- IELTS: International English Language Testing System (General Training only)
French proficiency:
To determine what your language test score would translate to in CRS points, click here.
Francophone immigration and Express Entry
Canada is a bilingual country with both English and French being official languages. The majority of Canadians are English speakers, especially in Western Canada. But in Quebec, Ontario and the Maritimes, French is commonly used and the government would like to reflect that in their new policy. The government will spend $40.8 million over five years to help further support Francophone immigration to Canada through the Express Entry system.