By Lincoln DePradine

The federal Liberal Party government is about to launch a program to attract more students from Guadeloupe, Martinique, Cameroon, Senegal, Mali and other French-speaking countries to Canada.

The new Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot (FMCSP) – a partnership with designated French-language and bilingual post-secondary learning institutions – will be launched Monday, August 26.

“We will make access to Canada’s International Student Program fairer for a wide range of international students,” the government has promised. “Canada recognizes that large pools of French-speaking international students exist in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas, and that the study permit approval rate in these regions has been low in the past.”

The government, underscoring the importance of immigration – in this case, from Francophone countries – said immigration “plays a crucial role in strengthening our national identity. This is why Canada is redoubling its efforts to welcome French-speaking newcomers who will enrich the linguistic, social, cultural and economic fabric of Francophone minority communities”.

A maximum of 2,300 applications will be accepted for processing in the first year of the FMCSP.

In addition to launching the FMCSP, immigration and citizenship minister, Marc Miller, also announced the addition of 10 communities to what’s known as the Welcoming Francophone Communities (WFC) initiative. Among the 10 are London, Cornwall and Cochrane District in Ontario.

“With these new communities,” federal officials say, “a total of 24 WFCs across Canada will be well equipped to extend a helpful and warm welcome to French-speaking newcomers and to support their integration process in their new living environment”.

They explained that “the selection of each community was based on its potential to become a more welcoming and inclusive Francophone community. In other words, it has a French-speaking population and creates an environment where French-speaking newcomers to Canada feel that their identity is valued, and where they feel integrated into the host community”.

Miller, commenting on the WFCs and the soon-to-be-launched FMCSP, said “by welcoming Francophone immigrants and supporting them in their integration process, we contribute to the revitalization of these communities, while meeting their skilled workforce needs. We are all the more determined to help more Francophone international students come to Canada and build a future in our dynamic Francophone communities, while contributing to the development of the French-speaking world”.

To improve the approval rate, under the FMCSP, international students and their families will be exempted from having to demonstrate that they will leave Canada at the end of their temporary stay.

Students, according to the government, will benefit from a “direct pathway from temporary to permanent status after obtaining their diploma; and, they will have access to settlement services while they’re studying to help them integrate successfully into their communities. With their proficiency in French and their Canadian education, graduates will be able to contribute to the Canadian labour market and enrich FMCs across the country”.

To be eligible to participate in the FMCSP, applicants must be citizens of the designated countries; and, among other things, they must have enough money to pay tuition fees and to meet the living expenses for themselves and family members that may be accompanying them to Canada.

Spouses or common-law partners of FMCSP applicants will themselves have an opportunity to apply for permanent residence in Canada.