Canada adds 5000 PR spaces for French-speaking immigrants, i.e., in a press conference on January 19, Canada’s immigration department announced that it will add 5,000 more permanent residence (PR) spots for provinces and territories to welcome French-speaking newcomers.

These extra spots will come from “federal selection spaces” and will be added to the existing PR admissions already given to provinces and territories for their immigration pilots and Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs).

This step is part of Canada’s ongoing effort to increase the number of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec.

The announcement was made in Moncton, New Brunswick, by Immigration Minister Lena Metlege Diab. It also confirmed that Canada once again met and exceeded its Francophone immigration target for 2025 and plans to raise targets for French-speaking PR admissions in the coming years.

What This Means For PNP Candidates?

With this added PR allocation, IRCC is placing a stronger focus on Francophone immigration, not only through federal programs like Express Entry but also through provincial programs.

This increase means provinces will likely issue more invitations to French-speaking candidates. As a result, this will give them a stronger advantage in the immigration process.

At this time, it is not yet clear how exactly provincial immigration candidates will be affected. For example, it is unknown whether provinces will increase the number of invitations through existing streams or create new pathways for French speakers.

The federal government has also not yet shared how the 5,000 reserved spots will be divided among provinces and territories.

What is already clear is that 2026 will bring more opportunities for French-speaking immigrants through provincial and regional immigration programs.

Canada Exceeded Its Francophone Immigration Target In 2025

The minister also announced that Canada exceeded its Francophone immigration target for the fourth year in a row. In 2025, about 8.9% of all permanent residents admitted outside Quebec were French-speaking.

This exceeded the target of 8.5% for the year. Most French-speaking newcomers outside Quebec were admitted through the Express Entry system.

The government also confirmed that it will continue raising targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec, as outlined in the 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan.

IRCC has set the following targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec:

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

The government has introduced several initiatives to support these goals, including:

  • Adding a French-language category to Express Entry
  • Creating the Francophone Mobility work permit program
  • Launching the Francophone Minority Community Student Pilot
  • Planning the Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative

In addition to the measures announced, Ottawa stated that these combined efforts form a roadmap toward reaching a 12% target of French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec by 2029.

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