Canada adds 5,000 PR selection spaces for French-speaking immigrants
In a press conference held on January 19, Canada's immigration department announced that it would dedicate an additional 5,000 permanent residence (PR) admissions spots for provinces and territories to welcome more French-speaking newcomers.
This increase in allocation would be reserved from "federal selection spaces" and added to pre-existing PR admissions spots given to provinces and territories for their respective immigration pilots and provincial nominee programs (PNPs).
The addition of these spaces is part of Canada's ongoing effort to increase the levels of francophone immigration outside of Quebec.
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The announcement, delivered in Moncton, New Brunswick, by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab, comes alongside confirmation that Canada once again exceeded its annual francophone immigration target for the third year in a row—and would continue to increase targets for francophone PR admissions in the coming years.
What does this change mean for PNP candidates?
With this additional PR allocation, IRCC is effectively supporting an increased emphasis on francophone immigration—expanding the scope from just the federal system (in particular, Express Entry) to Canada's provincial pathways.
An increase in allocations, in addition to pre-existing admissions targets, will mean that provinces will dedicate invitations for nomination to French-speaking candidates, giving these individuals a new advantage.
At this time, it is too early to say exactly how provincial immigration candidates will be impacted—for example, whether the increased allocation will result in more frequent selections through existing pathways or the establishment of new pathways for French speakers.
Notably, the federal government has not outlined how the 5,000 reserved admissions spots will be distributed among Canada's provinces and territories.
What remains clear already, despite these forthcoming details, is that 2026 will see greater waves of francophone immigration through provincial and regional pathways.
Canada exceeded its target for francophone immigration in 2025
In addition to the above, the minister also announced that for the fourth year in a row, Canada exceeded its francophone immigration target, with roughly 8.9% of PR admissions welcoming French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec in 2025.
This was achieved against a target of 8.5% last year, with most new French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec being welcomed through the Express Entry system.
The government also reaffirmed that it will continue increasing targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec, as detailed in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.
IRCC has set current targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec, to 9% in 2026, 9.5% in 2027, and 10.5% in 2028.
The government has instituted a number of initiatives to help achieve this goal, including:
- The addition of an Express Entry category for those with French proficiency;
- The creation of the Francophone Mobility work permit program;
- The implementation of the Francophone Minority Community Student Pilot; and
- The forthcoming implementation of the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative.
In addition to the measures announced today, Ottawa framed these combined steps as the roadmap toward a 12% target of French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec by 2029.
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