French-speaking and bi-lingual candidates will receive additional points under the Express Entry system, announced Marco Mendicino, Immigration Minister of Canada, recently. The additional points for French-speaking candidates have now been raised to 25 from 15. At the same time, bi-lingual candidates will now get 50 points compared to 30 earlier.
The new change aligns with the Canada government’s goal of raising the percentage of French-speaking candidates admitted to the country outside Quebec to 4.4 by 2023. In 2019, the percentage of French-speaking candidates admitted to Canada outside Quebec was 2.82 per cent.
Mendicino was quoted as saying that supporting the development of Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec was part of this government’s plan for economic growth and long-term prosperity throughout the country. He added that it was the right thing to do to help support Francophone communities across Canada. Canada will continue to attract Francophone immigrants to make sure that Francophone minority communities flourish, said the Minister.
According to data, the number of French-speaking candidates who were admitted to Canada between 2003 and 2019 was 60000. In 2019, the number of French-speakers admitted to Canada was 8645. Canada is investing $40.8 million over five years in order to support the consolidation of Francophone integration pathway and horizontal policy development.
Canada Express Entry system
The Express Entry system of Canada manages applications for immigration under the three federal economic immigration programs, which are Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class. The candidates are assessed and awarded a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on various factors such as age, work experience, education and language ability. The candidates with the highest scores are invited by the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in the Express Entry draws that are conducted regularly. The draws are usually conducted in every two weeks.
Of late, Canada has been conducting larger Express Entry draws and the draw held on October 14 issued 4500 ITAs to Express Entry candidates. The total number of ITAs issued so far this year under Express Entry is 82850. The percentage of French-speaking candidates invited to apply for permanent residence in Canada in 2019 was 5.6 and in 2018, the percentage was 4.5. The Canadian province of Quebec has its own system of inviting French-speaking immigrants.
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