Canada Welcomed 9,900 New Francophone PRs Between January and May 2026

Against 2026’s target of 30,150 new French-speaking permanent residents settling outside Quebec, Canada had already given permanent residence to 9,900 such applicants by the end of May 2026. This puts IRCC at just under 33 percent of its goal, with seven months left to go.

Key Takeaways

• Canada admitted 9,900 French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec between January and May 2026, against a full-year target of 30,150.
• Admission targets rise each year, moving from 9 percent of admissions outside Quebec in 2026 to 12 percent by 2029.
• Canada is on-track to meet its admissions target for 2026. IRCC issued 30,500 ITAs to Express Entry candidates with French proficiency in the first half of 2026.
• Provincial nominee programs and pilots like the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot add to admissions beyond Express Entry.

The Moving Target for French-Speaking Permanent Resident Admissions

Under the Immigration Levels Plan for 2026-2028, the target for French-speaking admissions outside of Quebec is set at 9 percent of the total PR admissions target for 2026. This comes to about 30,150 people.

As Canada continues to prioritize French-speaking immigrants settling outside Quebec, the target is expected to slowly move upwards each year — 9.5 percent in 2027, 10.5 percent in 2028, and finally 12 percent in 2029.

Is Canada on Track to Meet its Francophone Immigration Target?

Based solely on PR admissions numbers, it is easy to believe that Canada is slightly behind on its goal of admitting 30,150 French-speaking newcomers (outside Quebec). By the end of May, Canada had admitted only 9,900 French-speakers as PRs. If admission targets were to be divided evenly throughout the year, the country should already have admitted 12,562 French-speakers. Through that lens, IRCC would appear to be behind on their goal.

However, this is only part of the picture. Based on the number of invitations to apply IRCC has issued to Francophone candidates through the Express Entry system in the first half of 2026, Canada is well on track to meet its admissions target for 2026.

Between January and April 2026, IRCC issued 26,000 ITAs under its French-category draws. By mid-year, this number had grown to 30,500. Once a candidate receives an ITA, they have 60 days to apply. Once their application is submitted, IRCC typically processes the application in 6 to 7 months, depending on the program. Now, not all applications are approved, but based on 2025 data on application approval rates, we can estimate that roughly 70 percent of applicants who got an ITA between January-April, will receive PR in 2026. This comes to around 20,680 French-speaking approvals (not accounting for any Francophone spouses or dependents).

This means, even if IRCC only admits these Express Entry candidates this year, without accepting French-speakers through any other program, they will be on-track to hit 30,580 French-language admissions outside of Quebec.

But Will These Permanent Residents Stay Outside Quebec?

Recently, a Moving2Canada story highlighted IRCC data showing many Francophone permanent residents eventually move to Quebec. In 2024, an estimated 5,300 Francophone clients who were destined for outside Quebec ended up migrating to Quebec, up from 3,300 in 2023.

Although these numbers may seem small, they are actually a sizeable portion of the overall Francophone intake in those years. In 2024, Canada admitted 30,550 French-speakers with the expectation that they would settle outside Quebec. But over 17 percent of these permanent residents relocated to Quebec soon after.

The fact that this number has been growing is worrisome, because it undermines IRCC’s objective of rejuvenating Francophone communities outside Quebec. However, it also raises questions about the adequacy of community support from French-speaking immigrants and Francophone employment opportunities.

What This Means for You

If you’re a French-speaking candidate in the Express Entry pool, your odds of getting an ITA are already higher than most. IRCC plans to increase Francophone admissions outside Quebec until at least 2029. As a result, we expect French draws to continue for the foreseeable future, with cut-offs remaining well below the CEC range.

If you’re still weighing whether to invest in French-language skills as part of your immigration plan, now is the time. With admissions targets set to climb every year through 2029, French proficiency looks set to remain one of the strongest advantages available to prospective newcomers. That said, IRCC has proposed the removal of bonus points for French , so French-speaking Express Entry candidates may see their scores drop by up to 50 points if these changes are implemented.