Canada Announces 5,000 Additional PR Slots for French-Speaking Candidates

Canada has announced a major boost to Francophone immigration by adding 5,000 new permanent residence (PR) admission spaces for provinces and territories to welcome more French-speaking newcomers.

The announcement was made on January 19 during a press conference in Moncton, New Brunswick, by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab. These additional PR spaces will be drawn from federal selection allocations and added to the existing quotas already provided to provinces and territories under Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) and regional immigration pilot programs.

This move strengthens Canada’s long-standing commitment to increasing French-speaking immigration outside Quebec.

Canada exceeds Francophone immigration targets

Alongside the announcement, the minister confirmed that Canada exceeded its Francophone immigration target for 2025 for the fourth consecutive year. In 2025, approximately 8.9% of permanent residents admitted outside Quebec were French-speaking, surpassing the federal target of 8.5%.

Most of these admissions were made through the Express Entry system, highlighting the growing importance of French-language skills in Canada’s immigration strategy.

What this means for PNP candidates

The addition of 5,000 PR spaces is expected to create new and improved opportunities for French-speaking immigration candidates through provincial and territorial programs. By expanding Francophone selection beyond federal pathways, provinces will be able to prioritize French-speaking applicants within their PNP streams.

This may lead to more frequent provincial draws, higher nomination allocations for Francophone candidates, or even new PNP pathways dedicated to French speakers. While the federal government has not yet announced how the additional spaces will be distributed among provinces and territories, the impact is expected to be significant.

With these changes, 2026 is set to witness increased Francophone immigration through provincial and regional pathways across Canada.

Higher targets planned for the coming years

The federal government also reaffirmed its commitment to raising Francophone immigration targets outside Quebec under the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

The official targets are:

• 9% in 2026
• 9.5% in 2027
• 10.5% in 2028

To achieve these goals, Canada has introduced several supportive initiatives, including:

• A dedicated Express Entry category for French-proficient candidates
• The Francophone Mobility Work Permit
• The Francophone Minority Community Student Pilot
• The upcoming Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative

Together, these initiatives form Canada’s roadmap toward achieving a 12% Francophone permanent residence target outside Quebec by 2029.

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