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Recent Announcements Affecting Canada’s Francophones

Legal Team — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 16:40:13 +0000

According to the 2016 Census, 10.3 percent of the population living outside of Quebec is able to conduct a conversation in French, compared to 94.5 percent in Quebec.[1] The government of Canada announced several new initiatives aimed at improving access for French-speaking immigrants outside of Quebec. During a speech to mark National Francophone Immigration Week earlier this month, the Minster of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Ahmed Hussen described his plans to do the following:

Improve access to and provide more affordable French testing;
Increase the availability of services in French for new immigrants arriving at Toronto Pearson International Airport;
Increase funding for Francophone Integration Pathway, which provides settlement services; and
Launch an expression of interest process in search of an organization to provide language training to individuals who have listed French as their preferred official language.

These initiatives form part of the government’s Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration, introduced in March 2018. One of the goals of the plan is for 4.4 percent of new immigrants outside of Quebec to be francophone by 2023.[2]

Given the importance of linguistic diversity to Canadian society, the federal government’s moves towards improved services for francophones are encouraging. It appears, however, that a different approach is being taken at the provincial level. In Ontario, where 4.1 percent of the population reported French as their first official language in 2016, members of the French-speaking community received some disappointing news last week: The provincial government intends to eliminate the position of French language services commissioner and will not be building a French-language university in Toronto.[3]

Interested in immigrating to Canada? Click here to book a consultation!
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New to Canada? Check out these tips!

Legal Team — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 16:34:20 +0000

No one understands the challenges a newcomer encounters unless you have faced them yourself. There are physical and mental changes, along with a new country to explore, new people, new languages, and then lastly, the task of integrating into a foreign culture. It is an exciting transition nonetheless. In order to make the process of immigrating smoother, here are a few recommendations to consider that may help make the transition more enjoyable and less stressful…

1. Try enrolling in a language class

Did you know that there are some organizations that help you learn English and French for free? Since English and French are Canada’s official languages, Canada offers most newcomers who are permanent residents free taxpayer-funded language classes. Many of these organizations specialize in teaching English as a second language. You can attend these classes in-person or if you are currently living remotely, you can join an online class. However, attending classes in-person is more beneficial in regards to meeting other newcomers in your community. Click here to learn more about how to register for an English class and click here to register for a French class.

Of course Canada is known for its multiculturalism, therefore there are many other languages that are spoken throughout our country other than English and French. Try sharing your language with others while getting the chance to practice your English or French skills simultaneously.

2. Try volunteering

Looking for ways to make new friends and get to know more about your new community? Try volunteering! There are numerous ways to volunteer here in Canada as there are countless organizations that want to give back to the community in relation to a cause or social issue. We are sure you can find something that you are passionate about. This will also give the organization you are volunteering for the ability to grow and learn more about new cultures! Volunteering can also contribute to your language skills and even possible work experience. Click here to learn more about volunteer work.

3. Try getting involved with social groups

Immigrating to a new country can be scary in regards to social interactions and in some cases you can find yourself very lonely without family or friends. Meetup is a website built solely for the purpose to make social gatherings easily accessible for newcomers. It allows you to narrow your searches to find others that may have similar interests and hobbies, such as sports, music, adventure, reading, etc. There are so many other social groups available on social media, such as Facebook, that share posts about potential job openings or rental vacancies. These are all amazing places to search to find others that will help make Canada your home.

(source)

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Oakville Ranked #1 on Canada’s Best Places to Live for New Canadians 2018!

Legal Team — Tue, 28 Aug 2018 15:28:38 +0000

Canada is known for it’s friendly people, spectacular scenery and booming economy. It’s no wonder people want to immigrate to start a new life for themselves or their family. Choosing a city to immigrate to is definitely a hard decision and there are a lot of factors that come into play. For example, the city of choice should be close to good universities and colleges, should be in a central location for job hunting and should be family-friendly. That being said, Oakville checked all of these boxes.

Oakville took the top spot in the Money Sense: Best Places to Live for New Canadians 2018: Top 100 Cities ranking system! Over the past 10 years, the percentage of visible minorities in Oakville has increased from 18 per cent to 31 per cent, according to the census. It is the 35th most linguistically diverse city in the country, with about 30 per cent of residents speaking a language other than English or French.

A large reason as to why Oakville is so popular for new Canadians that want access to the Toronto-area job market is that they don’t have to pay downtown prices for housing and the commute isn’t as bad as one might think. However, Oakville is still pricey and one should be economically stable in order to live there.

The ranking system is based on economy, affordability, access to healthcare, weather, commute, crime rate, taxes, demographics, culture and amenities. However, the weightings are adjusted to reflect the needs and interests of immigrants. It awards points to cities with a large percentage of the population speaking languages other than English or French and increases the importance of a low unemployment rate, affordable rents and access to an airport.

The Top 5 Best Places to Live for New Canadians are:

1. Oakville
2. Ottawa
3. Mont-Royal
4. King
5. Toronto

To read more, click here.

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IRCC Announces Creation of New Francophone Immigration Policy Hub

Legal Team — Mon, 18 Jun 2018 18:00:43 +0000

The FPT Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec was introduced in March 2018 to promote the immigration of French-speaking individuals to provinces and territories outside of Quebec. In particular, the Government of Canada is aiming to increase the proportion of Francophone immigrants outside of Quebec to 4.4% of all immigrants by 2023.

On 11 June 2018, the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, announced the creation of a new Francophone Immigration Policy Hub. The Policy Hub aims to facilitate a coordinated approach to Francophone immigration policy between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), the provinces, and territories.

The Honourable Ahmed Hussen declared, “The Department is committed to working in collaboration with Francophone organizations and institutions to ensure that our immigration strategy reflects the needs of Francophone minority communities outside of Quebec. The Policy Hub is a key partner in a continued and sustained progress of that goal”.

The Policy Hub is planning to complete its action plan on how to achieve Francophone immigration objectives by fall of this year. As part of this strategy, the Government of Canada will continue its international marketing activities to raise awareness of Canada (outside of Quebec), as an attractive place for French-speaking individuals to settle.

To read more, click here.

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Maintaining Canada’s French Roots

Legal Team — Tue, 17 Apr 2018 17:21:41 +0000

On 2 March 2018, the Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, Ahmed Hussen, along with his provincial and territorial counterparts, met in Toronto to discuss the promotion of Francophone immigration in provinces and territories outside of Quebec. The participants agreed that French-speaking immigrants add to the cultural diversity of Canada along with strong economic contributions in the regions they choose to settle in. They also help to sustain Canada as a bilingual country. A concern expressed in this discussion was that the demographic share of the Francophone population in Canada is decreasing, as overall immigration rises. In order to maintain the 2016 demographic share of the francophone population in Canada, 275,000 new French-speaking immigrants would be required by 2036.

As a result of the forum, the “FPT Action Plan for Increasing Francophone Immigration Outside of Quebec” was introduced. The Action Plan focuses on three strategies of collaboration between the federal, provincial and territorial governments to achieve its goal, split into ten specific actions:

Championing Francophone immigration;
Collaborating on three targeted areas:
1. Employment,
2. Accessible services,
3. Inclusive communities; and
Reporting on progress

In order to champion Francophone immigration, parties should strive to enhance international marketing activities to raise awareness of Canada (outside of Quebec), as an attractive place for French-speaking individuals to settle. For those applicants already in Canada on a temporary basis, information on immigration pathways involving settlement in French Minority Communities (FMCs) should be highlighted. Employment is one of the most important factors for attracting any immigrant, not only those that speak French. To this effect, the Action Plan encourages working with employers to identify and market those areas where businesses can take advantage of the language abilities of Francophones; in turn, Francophones benefit from rewarding employment opportunities. The provision of services in French is also key to integrate Francophones into FMCs. Finally, the plan stresses the importance of reporting the progress made by various levels of governments to all other parties involved in this undertaking. The sharing of information allows for the avoidance of mistakes already made and opportunities to capitalize on effective plans implemented by other parties, which increases the efficiency of the overall plan.

These immigration goals represent an opportunity for Francophones wishing to immigrate to Canada. For more information on the Action Plan, please click here.

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