The Francophone Mobility work permit lets Canadian employers hire French speakers without a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) if they will live and work outside Quebec. This LMIA exemption, code C16 (“Mobilité Francophone”), is for candidates who can prove intermediate French language ability under the Francophone Mobility program.
On this page
The Francophone Mobility Program at a Glance
- Work Permit: An LMIA-exempt work permit for French speakers working outside Quebec.
- French Requirement: Speaking and listening at NCLC 5 or higher. You do not need to prove reading or writing ability. This guide provides the exact TEF score needed to achieve NCLC 5.
- Eligible Jobs: Any job in any TEER category of the NOC qualifies, except for primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5.
- Employer Process: The employer submits an offer of employment through the IRCC Employer Portal and pays a $230 compliance fee.
- Applying: You can apply from inside Canada if you hold a valid work or study permit.
What Is the Francophone Mobility Program?
Why employers use C16 (Mobilité Francophone)
The Francophone Mobility work permit lets Canadian employers hire you without a labour market impact assessment (LMIA) if you meet the requirements and will live and work outside Quebec.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) designates this work as necessary for public policy reasons related to the competitiveness of Canada’s economy.
For employers, this is a significant shortcut. The LMIA exemption code for this program is C16, also known as “Mobilité Francophone”.
An employer-specific work permit
The permit you receive under the Francophone Mobility Program is an employer-specific work permit with an LMIA exemption. This means the permit will name the specific employer you are authorized to work for.
It is not an open work permit, which would allow you to work for any employer in Canada.
Francophone Mobility Work Permit Requirements
The four Francophone Mobility Program requirements
To be eligible for the Francophone Mobility work permit, you must meet four key requirements for all applications submitted on or after June 15, 2023.
- Meet general work permit requirements. You must first meet the general eligibility requirements for a standard Canadian work permit.
- Live and work outside Quebec. The job offer and your intended residence must be in one of Canada’s 9 provinces or 3 territories outside of Quebec.
- NCLC 5 or higher in French. You must prove intermediate French skills by achieving at least an NCLC 5 in speaking and listening.
- An eligible job offer. You need an offer of employment in any TEER category of the NOC, except for primary agriculture occupations under TEER 4 and 5.
What changed on June 15, 2023
On June 15, 2023, the Francophone Mobility program became significantly more accessible.
Before this date, applicants needed advanced French skills (a level equivalent to NCLC 7) and a job offer in a high-skilled role (TEER 0, 1, 2, or 3).
The new rules lowered the language requirement to an intermediate NCLC 5 and expanded job eligibility to cover almost all TEER categories, opening the program to a much wider range of candidates.
How Much French Do You Need for the Francophone Mobility Program?
NCLC 5 in speaking and listening only
To be eligible for the Francophone Mobility program, IRCC states that you must submit documents that “prove you can speak and listen at an NCLC level 5 or higher.”
Importantly, “you don’t need to prove you can read or write in French to be eligible for this LMIA exemption.” This means you only need to demonstrate your ability in a real conversation, not on paper.
What NCLC 5 means in CEFR terms
According to research from the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks, an NCLC 5 is equivalent to a low B1 level. For comparison, the NCLC 7 level often targeted for Express Entry is a strong B1 (B1+).
A B1 speaker “Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters” and “Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.”
Pro tip: It’s a good idea to aim for a level slightly above NCLC 5 in both speaking and listening. This gives you a buffer so that one weak performance on test day doesn’t cost you your work permit.
The TEF Score You Need for NCLC 5 (and Other Ways to Prove Your French)
TEF Canada scores for NCLC 5
To prove NCLC level 5 for a Francophone Mobility work permit, you need to provide your listening and speaking results from the TEF Canada test.
For tests taken since December 11, 2023, which are scored out of 699, the required score ranges are as follows:
| Skill | NCLC 5 Score Range |
|---|---|
| Listening | 352 to 392 |
| Speaking | 387 to 421 |
Your official TEF Canada certificate will show a CLB/NCLC level from 1 to 12 for each test you take. You can expect your results to arrive within 1 to 10 business days.
TCF Canada scores for NCLC 5
IRCC also accepts the TCF Canada test. While the TCF Canada reports your level on the CEFR scale, the certificate itself will show the equivalent NCLC level.
On the TCF Canada, NCLC 5 means 369 to 397 in listening and 6 out of 20 in speaking; the TCF Canada score chart shows every level.
Results for the TCF Canada are typically available within 15 working days after France Éducation international receives the test papers.
Proof without a test
You may not need to take a test if you have other proof of your French ability. IRCC may accept:
- a written confirmation from a college or university that you completed a program in French (such as a transcript or an official letter of completion)
- other documents that show you were educated in French
Pro tip: When you apply online, upload your proof of French in the “Client information” field. Since there is only one upload slot for this, you may need to combine multiple documents into a single file before uploading.
Which Jobs Qualify for a Francophone Mobility Work Permit?
Any TEER, with one exception
To be eligible for the Francophone Mobility Program, you need a valid offer of employment for a position outside of Quebec. The good news is that almost any job qualifies.
An offer of employment for a job classified under any TEER category of the NOC qualifies for the Francophone Mobility work permit. This includes positions from TEER 0 (management) to TEER 5.
The only exception is for primary agriculture occupations that are classified under TEER 4 and 5.
Outside Quebec only
The Francophone Mobility work permit is designed to support Francophone communities across Canada. As such, the job offer must be for a position in a province or territory other than Quebec.
You must live and work in 1 of the 9 Canadian provinces or 3 territories outside Quebec to qualify.
What Your Employer Must Do Before You Apply
Francophone Mobility employer requirements
Before you can apply for your Francophone Mobility work permit, your employer must complete three steps online.
- Your employer signs in or creates an account in the IRCC Employer Portal and submits an offer of employment. For the Francophone Mobility stream, they must use the LMIA exemption code C16.
- Through the Employer Portal, the employer pays a $230 employer compliance fee. This is a mandatory step that must be completed online.
- After submitting the offer and paying the fee, your employer gives you the signed offer of employment and the offer of employment number. This is a 7-digit number you need for your application.
How to Apply for a Francophone Mobility Work Permit
Step by step
To apply for your Francophone Mobility work permit, you will need to complete an online application.
- Create an online account or sign in to your existing one.
- Go to “Start your application” and click “Apply to come to Canada”.
- Under the “I do not have a personal reference code” section, click “Visitor visa, study and/or work permit”.
- When asked what you would like to do in Canada, select “Work”.
- You will be asked a series of questions to generate your personalized document checklist. Two of these questions can be confusing. Your answers will depend on whether you are applying from inside or outside of Canada:
- If you’re applying from outside Canada: Say that you have a job offer and an offer of employment number, and choose “A work permit with a Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption”.
- If you’re applying from inside Canada: Answer “Yes” to having a written job offer, and choose “I’m applying for an employer-specific work permit with LMIA-exemption”.
- When asked how long you plan to stay in Canada, choose “temporarily – more than 6 months” or “less than 6 months”, depending on your offer of employment.
- Fill out the application forms and upload the required documents. You must upload your proof of French in the “Client information” field.
- Pay your fees and submit your application.
Francophone Mobility work permit fees
- Work permit fee: $155 per person
- Biometrics fee (if required): $85 per person or $170 per family
After approval
Once your application is approved, the next steps depend on where you applied from.
- If you applied from outside Canada, you will receive a port of entry letter of introduction in your account. This is not your work permit. You must present this letter to the officer at the port of entry on the day you arrive in Canada, and they will issue your official Francophone Mobility work permit.
- If you applied from inside Canada, you can start working for your employer as soon as you receive the approval notification in your online account.
French Work Permit Extension: Using the Francophone Mobility Program to Stay in Canada
Who can apply from inside Canada
You can apply for a Francophone Mobility work permit from inside Canada if you are already here on a temporary basis.
According to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), you can apply for a work permit from inside Canada if, among other cases:
- you have a valid work or study permit
- your spouse, common-law partner or parents have a valid work permit
- you or your spouse or parents have a valid study permit
- you’re eligible for a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) and your study permit is still valid
Visitors are not on the list of people who can apply for a work permit from inside Canada.
Apply before your current permit expires
The most important part of getting a French work permit extension is to apply for your new Francophone Mobility work permit before your current permit expires.
If IRCC receives your application before your current work permit expires, you can legally stay in Canada while your application is being processed. This is called maintained status. If you apply online, you must submit your application before midnight UTC on the day your permit expires.
This means you can continue to live and, in most cases, work in Canada under the same conditions as your original permit until a decision is made on your new application.
Pro tip: Count backwards from your permit expiry date to plan your application.
For example, if your current permit expires on June 30:
- Take your French test: You should aim to take the TEF Canada test by early May at the latest. Results typically arrive within 1 to 10 business days.
- Get your employer’s offer: Your employer must complete the C16 offer of employment and pay the $230 fee before you can apply. Give them enough time to do this.
- Submit your application: To be safe, submit your completed application with your French test results and the employer’s offer number by mid-June.
Remember, a work permit cannot be extended beyond your passport’s expiry date.
What maintained status does and doesn’t cover
While on maintained status, you must stay in Canada to keep it.
If you applied for a new employer or job and your employer-specific permit expires, you must keep working for the employer named on your original permit until IRCC makes a decision. If you have an open work permit, you can usually change employers, jobs, or locations.
However, maintained status has limits. You usually cannot renew provincial documents such as a driver’s licence or health card. Your Social Insurance Number (SIN) expires when your permit does, but you can keep working with it until you get a decision on your application.
If you miss the deadline
If you miss the deadline and your permit expires before you apply, you lose your temporary resident status.
Applying after your permit has expired means you do not get maintained status. You will have to apply to restore your status as a worker, which costs $246.25, in addition to the new work permit fee of $155, for a total of $401.25.
Can Your Spouse Work in Canada Too?
Spouse or common-law partner
IRCC states that your spouse or common-law partner may be able to apply for an open work permit.
Under the family open work permit rules effective since January 21, 2025, the spouse of a high-skilled worker qualifies if the worker is in any TEER 0 or 1 occupation, or a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation.
Additionally, the worker’s permit must be valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives the spouse’s application.
Children
Your dependent children can go to school or university in Canada, but you should check if they need a study permit.
It is important to note that since January 21, 2025, dependent children are no longer eligible for an open work permit under that measure.
From the Francophone Mobility Program to Permanent Residence
A temporary permit
The work permit you receive through the Francophone Mobility program is a temporary one. To make Canada your long-term home, you’ll need to transition to permanent residence.
IRCC advises that “if you want to stay in Canada longer, apply for permanent residence as soon as you meet the eligibility criteria.”
The French gap between the permit and PR
A key difference between the Francophone Mobility work permit and permanent residence is the required level of French. While an NCLC 5 (a low B1 level) in just two language skills is enough for the Francophone Mobility permit, the bar is set higher for PR.
For example, to be considered for Express Entry’s French-language proficiency category, you must prove you have French test results showing at least NCLC 7 in all 4 language abilities. An NCLC 7 is a B1+, or a very strong B1 level, representing a significant step up from the NCLC 5 required for the work permit.
Achieving this higher level can greatly improve your chances of getting permanent residence. In the Express Entry system, having NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills can add substantial points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score: 50 additional points if you also have a CLB 5 or higher in English, or 25 points with a lower English score or no English test.
Is the Francophone Mobility Program Ending?
Is the Francophone Mobility work permit still open?
As of September 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has not published an end date for the Francophone Mobility program. The program continues to operate, and IRCC has not made any official announcements regarding its closure. IRCC’s Francophone Mobility work permit page still lists the program’s status as Open.
The current eligibility requirements, which came into effect on June 15, 2023, are still in place for all new applications. Therefore, prospective applicants should plan and prepare their submissions based on the official guidelines that are currently available on the IRCC website.
Mistakes That Sink a Francophone Mobility Application
Common mistakes
Most refusals for a Francophone Mobility work permit are not due to a lack of French ability but to simple, avoidable errors. Double-check your application to avoid these common mistakes:
- Applying for the wrong job: Ensure your job is outside Quebec and is not a primary agriculture occupation in TEER 4 or 5.
- Applying from inside Canada as a visitor: Visitors are not on IRCC’s list of eligible individuals who can apply for a work permit from inside Canada.
- Letting your status expire: IRCC must receive your extension application before your current permit expires, or you will need to pay $246.25 plus $155 to restore your status.
- Not meeting the language threshold: You must score at least NCLC 5 in both the speaking and listening components of your French language test.
- Applying too early: You cannot submit your application until your employer provides the 7-digit offer of employment number from their C16 submission.
- Having a short-term passport: Your work permit cannot be issued or extended beyond your passport’s expiry date, so ensure it is valid for the entire period.
Francophone Mobility Program FAQ
Is the Francophone Mobility work permit open or closed?
The Francophone Mobility work permit is an employer-specific (closed) work permit. This means it is tied to the employer who gave you the job offer and is exempt from the Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) process.
Do I need French reading and writing for the Francophone Mobility Program?
No, you do not need to prove that you can read or write in French for this program. The language requirement is only for your French speaking and listening abilities.
Can I extend my work permit with the Francophone Mobility program?
Yes, you can apply for a new C16 work permit under the Francophone Mobility program from inside Canada. To keep your maintained status, you must apply before your current work or study permit expires.
How long does a Francophone Mobility work permit take to process?
IRCC does not publish a separate processing time for the Francophone Mobility work permit. Its Francophone Mobility page points to the general work permit processing times, which depend on the country you apply from, or on the inside-Canada queue if you are extending. Check IRCC’s processing times tool before you set your dates.
How hard is it to get NCLC 5 in French?
An NCLC level 5 is equivalent to a low B1 level, according to the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks. This is the minimum proficiency required for the speaking and listening skills. Starting from zero, reaching NCLC 5 in listening and speaking in about 3 months takes 4 to 6 hours of study a day; if you have less time, plan for a longer period.
Which French test should I take for the Francophone Mobility work permit?
You can take either the TEF Canada or the TCF Canada language test to prove your French ability. IRCC accepts the speaking and listening results from these tests, or you can use proof that you completed your education in French.
What documents do I need for the Francophone Mobility Program?
You will need to provide your 7-digit offer of employment number, a signed copy of your job offer, and proof of your French language skills. You must also submit all the documents listed on your personalized document checklist.
Does the Francophone Mobility program lead to PR?
The Francophone Mobility program does not directly lead to permanent residence, as it grants a temporary work permit. However, IRCC encourages you to apply for permanent residence as soon as you meet the eligibility criteria for a PR pathway.
Reach NCLC 5, Then NCLC 7, with Toronto French Academy
Toronto French Academy provides live online French classes on Google Meet to help you prepare for the TEF Canada and TCF Canada exams.
With a step-by-step syllabus designed to take you from A1 to B2, you can achieve the NCLC 5 level (low B1) and continue on the same path to reach NCLC 7 (B1+) for your immigration goals. Join over 1,200 students learning with our 200+ certified tutors.
Programs
| Program | Classes a month | Days a week | Class size / format | Price | Average time from A1 to B2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Group Classes | 20 (1-hour) | 5 | 6 to 8 students | $249 per month | 10 to 12 months |
| Individual Classes | 12 (1-hour) | 3 | Private | $369 per month | 8 to 10 months |
| Fast-Track Individual | 20 (1-hour) | 5 | Private | $549 per month | 6 to 8 months |
Book a 60-minute demo class with a C1/C2 instructor, which includes an assessment of your current level.
Need NCLC 5 before your permit runs out?
Our TEF Canada preparation course can target listening and speaking on a deadline, with weekly corrected practice before test day.
Written by
Simar Dua, French Program Lead
Simar leads the TEF Canada and TCF Canada programs at Toronto French Academy and has guided hundreds of Express Entry candidates from their first French lesson to the NCLC 7 result. She hosts the academy’s free monthly French for Canada PR info session.
