Canada to Expand Support for French-Speaking Immigrants Through Welcoming Communities Initiative

The Government of Canada is set to launch enhanced support for French-speaking immigrants through the Welcoming French-Speaking Communities initiative in 2025–2026. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to help French-speaking newcomers settle and succeed in communities across Canada, outside the province of Quebec.

What Is the Welcoming French-Speaking Communities Initiative?

The Welcoming French-Speaking Communities initiative is a key component of Canada’s immigration strategy to support French-speaking immigrants. It is designed to make newcomers feel welcomed and integrated in their new communities by offering customized settlement services and building meaningful connections within local French-speaking populations.

The initiative uses a “by and for French speakers” approach, meaning French-speaking communities themselves help identify participating areas and develop plans to support newcomers. The program is managed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in collaboration with:

• The 13 French-Speaking Immigration Networks
• The Federation of French-Speaking and Acadian Communities of Canada
• The Association of French-Speaking Municipalities of New Brunswick
  
  

Expansion to 24 Communities Across Canada

As outlined in IRCC’s 2025–2026 Departmental Plan, the program will expand to include 24 French-speaking and Acadian communities. These communities will offer a wide range of services to help newcomers integrate socially and economically, find jobs, and build a sense of belonging.

Here is the full list of participating communities:

Who Can Access These Services?

The main beneficiaries of this initiative will be new immigrants with permanent resident status. However, due to its community-based delivery model, some temporary residents—such as French-speaking students and workers—may also be able to access certain services. IRCC is expected to release more detailed eligibility information as the program launch approaches.

Why This Initiative Matters

French-speaking immigration is becoming an increasingly important part of Canada’s immigration system. The federal government has set goals to increase the proportion of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec to:

• 7% of total immigration in 2025
• 8% in 2026
• 12% by 2029, as proposed by Prime Minister Mark Carney
  
  

Meeting the 12% target would mean welcoming approximately 47,400 French-speaking newcomers annually at current immigration levels.

What We Learned from the Pilot (2020–2024)

The current initiative builds on a successful pilot program that ran from 2020 to 2024. During this period, 14 French-speaking minority communities across Canada received federal funding to design and test locally driven models for helping French-speaking immigrants settle and integrate.

Each community created a tailored action plan that included:

• French-language settlement services
• Cultural orientation and social events
• Employment support programs
• Public awareness efforts to promote inclusion
• Training and capacity-building for local service providers
  
  

The pilot showed that local leadership and customized support significantly improve the newcomer experience. The lessons learned have shaped the expanded version of the program launching in 2025.

What’s Next?

The expanded Welcoming French-Speaking Communities initiative is expected to roll out gradually over 2025 and 2026. IRCC, along with its community partners, will continue to work together to ensure that French-speaking immigrants across Canada have access to the tools and services they need to build successful and fulfilling lives.