Francophone Mobility Work Permit: Work in Canada Outside Quebec Without an LMIA

Francophone Mobility (Mobilité francophone) is a work permit option under Canada's International Mobility Program. It supports French-speaking communities outside Quebec by making it easier for employers to hire French-speaking workers from abroad.

Because it is LMIA-exempt, the employer doesn't have to prove that no Canadian was available, advertise the job for weeks, or pay the CAD $1,000 LMIA fee. Instead, the employer submits a job offer online and pays a smaller compliance fee.

The permit is employer-specific. It names your employer and your job, so to change employers you need a new offer and a new permit.

Quebec runs its own immigration selection, so jobs in Quebec are not eligible. If you want to live in Quebec, see our Quebec page.

To qualify, you must:

• Have speaking and listening skills in French at an intermediate level, equal to NCLC 5 or higher
• Have a job offer from an employer in a province or territory outside Quebec
• Plan to live and work outside Quebec
• Have a job in any TEER category, except primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5 (for example, general farm workers and harvesting laborers)
• Meet the usual requirements for a work permit, including health, security, and criminal checks

You don't need to be a citizen of a French-speaking country. What matters is your French ability. You can be from any country.

The rules were widened in 2023. Earlier versions required NCLC 7 and a skilled job. Today the bar is lower: NCLC 5, and almost any job.

The clearest proof is a result from an approved French test:

• TEF Canada (Test d'évaluation de français)
• TCF Canada (Test de connaissance du français)

For this permit, only your speaking and listening scores need to reach NCLC 5. Reading and writing are not part of the requirement, although a full test result can help you later for permanent residence. Use our Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) and NCLC converter to see what score you need, and read our language tests guide.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) may accept other evidence of French ability in some cases, such as having studied in French. A test result removes doubt and is usually the safest choice.

The employer must:

• Submit an offer of employment to IRCC through the Employer Portal, using exemption code C16
• Pay the CAD $230 employer compliance fee
• Give you the offer of employment number that IRCC generates, which you need for your application
• Offer wages and working conditions that meet the rules for the job and province

Employers must follow the same compliance rules as other LMIA-exempt employers, and IRCC can inspect them. For more on hiring, see employer compliance in Canada.

Fees as of September 2026:

You apply online. Upload your job offer details, the offer number, proof of French, your passport, and proof you meet the job's requirements. People already in Canada can no longer leave briefly and return to get a work permit at the border (flagpoling), apart from limited exceptions; this ended on December 23, 2024.

Your spouse or common-law partner can get an open work permit only if your job is in TEER 0 or 1, or one of the selected TEER 2 or 3 occupations, and your permit has at least 16 months left when they apply. Many Francophone Mobility jobs in TEER 4 or 5 do not meet that test. See spousal open work permits.

Your children can usually attend school. French-language school boards operate in every province and territory.

Francophone Mobility is simpler than an LMIA, but applications still fail for avoidable reasons:

• Job location in Quebec. Even a remote role must be based outside Quebec, and you must plan to live outside Quebec.
• Primary agriculture jobs in TEER 4 or 5. These are the only excluded occupations. Check the job's National Occupational Classification (NOC) code before the employer submits the offer.
• French level not shown clearly. If your speaking or listening score is just below NCLC 5, the application can be refused. Retake the test if you are close to the line.
• Offer details don't match. The job title, duties, wage, and location in your application must match what the employer entered in the Employer Portal.
• Unrealistic job offers. Officers check that the employer is real and the job is genuine. Offers that look like they were bought or arranged by a recruiter are a red flag. Never pay for a job offer; see our scam protection guide.

If you have a past refusal or any criminal record, talk to a lawyer or a licensed consultant (RCIC) before you apply.

French ability is a major advantage for permanent residence outside Quebec:

• Express Entry French category. IRCC runs category-based draws for French speakers, which have often had lower cutoff scores than general draws.
• Extra CRS points. Strong French can add 25 to 50 additional points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. Check with the CRS calculator.
• Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. Designed for French speakers in selected communities outside Quebec.
• Provincial nominee programs in several provinces have French-speaker streams. See provincial nominee programs.

One year of skilled work in Canada may also qualify you for the Canadian Experience Class. Note that jobs in TEER 4 or 5 don't count for Express Entry, so check your occupation when you plan.