Francophone Mobility Program 2026: LMIA-Exempt Work Permit

Francophone Mobility Program 2026: LMIA-Exempt Work Permit

As of September 4, 2026.

The Francophone Mobility work permit is open. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) lets a Canadian employer outside Quebec hire a French speaker without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) if the language and job-offer rules are met. French speaking and listening must meet Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 5, the same band as Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5. The job uses the National Occupational Classification (NOC) and its Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) categories. The live hub is stamped Status Open. Applicant work-permit fee on the IRCC fee list is CAD $155. The employer pays a $230 compliance fee and uses exemption code C16.

TL;DR

Program status: Open on the IRCC Francophone Mobility hub | Work must be outside Quebec | French speaking and listening at NCLC 5 or higher | Job offer in any NOC TEER except primary agriculture in TEER 4 and 5 | Employer: C16, $230 compliance fee, 7-digit offer number | Worker fee: $155 work permit | IRCC does not post a dedicated Francophone Mobility clock; use the processing-times tool

Is the Francophone Mobility work permit program still open?

Short answer: Yes. The Francophone Mobility work permit page lists Status Open. It is an LMIA-exempt pathway for people who will live and work outside Quebec and who meet the language and job-offer tests. It is not a Quebec program. It is not Express Entry. It does not by itself grant permanent residence. If the hub later switches to Closed, that page is the source, not a blog. Check it before you pay fees.

The same hub points to check if you can apply and how to apply.

How to qualify for the Francophone Mobility Program?

Short answer: IRCC's eligibility page requires you to be destined to live and work in a province or territory outside Quebec, prove intermediate French speaking and listening (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens, NCLC, level 5 or higher), and hold an offer of employment in any Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities (TEER) category of the National Occupational Classification (NOC) except a primary agriculture occupation in TEER 4 or 5. You also need a regular work-permit eligibility path. Offers in excluded agriculture jobs do not qualify. Rules for people who applied before 15 June 2023 were tighter (NCLC 7 and TEER 0 to 3). Do not use the old grid if you are applying now.

Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) 5 is the English-scale cousin of NCLC 5. The Francophone Mobility page specifies NCLC for French speaking and listening. It does not name TEF or TCF on that eligibility text. Prove the level the way IRCC asks on the live page.

How hard to get CLB 5 in French?

Short answer: IRCC asks for NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, described as intermediate. That is not NCLC 7. The pre-15 June 2023 rule used a higher bar. The eligibility page does not grade "how hard" and does not list a mandatory test brand in the excerpt we checked. Intermediate speaking and listening is reachable for many people who already work in French. It is not a near-native C2. If you cannot demonstrate NCLC 5 in those two skills, this pathway is not the one. Do not guess a score. Use a result IRCC will accept, then keep the certificate with the work-permit file.

Reading and writing are not the two skills named on that eligibility paragraph. Do not assume all four skills are required unless the live page says so.

What are the employer requirements for a Francophone Mobility work permit?

Short answer: Before you apply, the Canadian employer must submit the offer in the Employer Portal, use exemption code C16 for Mobilité Francophone, pay the $230 employer compliance fee (or upload proof of an exemption), and give you the 7-digit offer of employment number. That number goes on your work-permit application. IRCC's eligibility page lists those employer steps. The $230 line is also on the IRCC fee list. The employer does not file an LMIA for this exemption.

No offer number, no complete application. Get the number in writing before you hit submit.

How long does it take to get a Francophone Mobility work permit?

Short answer: The program hub links to check processing times. IRCC does not print a separate "Francophone Mobility" week-count on the program page. Use the work-permit line on the times tool for your situation (inside or outside Canada). Incomplete employer steps delay the file. Pay the $155 work-permit fee when you apply. Biometrics can add time if IRCC asks.

After a permit is issued, extending it is a new work-permit application, not an automatic renewal. Check the hub again before you extend.

Can I get a job offer with a Francophone Mobility work permit?

Short answer: The permit follows a genuine job offer. You do not get the permit first and then hunt. The employer must already have submitted the C16 offer and given you the 7-digit number. Job boards that title a vacancy "Francophone Mobility" are advertising a hiring path, not a visa you can print. If you have the offer and the language proof, apply on the how to apply page. A later permanent residence file, including Canadian Experience Class, is a separate program.

We are Go Far Global, a licensed Canadian immigration firm. If the employer has not paid the $230 fee or used C16, book a consultation before you submit. A wrong exemption code is a refused work permit, not a slow one.

For the PR-side write-up of French speakers already in Canada, see Francophone Mobility PR pathway.

Sources

• Francophone Mobility work permit (Status Open)
• Check if you can apply
• How to apply
• Employer Portal
• IRCC fee list
• Check current IRCC processing times