Maple News reports that a growing language gap outside Quebec may present new opportunities for French-speaking immigration candidates. According to data from Statistics Canada, while 93.6% of recent immigrants in 2021 could speak at least one of Canada’s two official languages—English or French—English remains the dominant language among newcomers across most provinces.
In Quebec, the proportion of people who can speak French—with or without English—has grown significantly over the decades, climbing from 38.4% in 1951 to 80.5% in 2021. However, outside the Francophone-majority province, French proficiency has seen a steady decline. Only 5.5% of immigrants outside Quebec in 2021 could speak French (alone or along with English), down from 6.6% in 2001.
English remains firmly entrenched across Canada. The percentage of newcomers outside Quebec who spoke English (either alone or in tandem with French) remained largely unchanged between 2001 and 2021, hovering around 93%. In contrast, only about 102,000 immigrants living outside Quebec in 2021 identified French as their first official language—less than 1% of the total population in those regions.
These statistics are not just linguistic footnotes. They underscore a strategic priority for the Canadian government, which is mandated by the Official Languages Act to foster equality between English and French throughout the country. One area of special focus is the promotion of French language and Francophone communities outside of Quebec, known as Minority Official Language Communities (MOLCs).
To fulfill this mandate, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has created targeted initiatives within its Express Entry system to attract French-speaking immigrants. Programs such as the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and Canadian Experience Class (CEC) now include stream-specific advantages for applicants who demonstrate strong French language skills.
French-speaking candidates may receive additional points under the Express Entry Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), which significantly boosts their chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence. Given the low proportion of French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec, these individuals play a critical role in helping Canada meet its nationwide bilingualism goals.
In short, if you’re a French-speaking immigration candidate who’s open to settling outside of Quebec, this linguistic gap could translate into higher odds of successfully immigrating to Canada. The government is actively seeking to strengthen French language representation across the country—and you could be part of that solution.