Moving to Canada from Côte d'Ivoire: French Routes, Study and PR

French is the main advantage for Ivorian applicants, both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada.

Côte d'Ivoire is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner.

Côte d'Ivoire is on IRCC's list of visa-required countries (entry requirements page updated July 31, 2026). You need a visitor visa, officially a temporary resident visa (TRV), to travel to Canada, and you can't use an eTA instead. The visa costs CAD $100 plus CAD $85 for biometrics, as of September 2026.

If IRCC approves a study permit or work permit for you, it issues the visa at the same time, so you don't file a separate visa application.

Where to give biometrics. Most applicants aged 14 to 79 give fingerprints and a photo at a visa application center (VAC). IRCC lists VACs in Côte d'Ivoire in Abidjan. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

Processing times depend on the country you apply from and change every week. Check the processing times tool before you plan a move date.

Even though French is Côte d'Ivoire's official language, you need a TEF Canada or TCF Canada result to prove your level.

• Quebec selects its own immigrants. Its main worker program, the PSTQ, invites candidates from the Arrima portal, and most programs need oral French at level 7 (French requirements). The PEQ reopened on July 2, 2026 for people who already studied or worked in Quebec; its first intake closes October 31, 2026.
• Francophone Mobility is an LMIA-exempt work permit for French speakers with NCLC 5 in speaking and listening and a job offer anywhere outside Quebec.
• Francophone Community Immigration Pilot offers permanent residence to French speakers (NCLC 5) with a job offer in one of six communities in New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia.
• Express Entry French category draws need NCLC 7 in all four skills and had the largest invitation rounds of 2026.

Why French and English together matter. In Express Entry, NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills adds 50 CRS points if you also have CLB 5 or higher in English, or 25 points if your English is lower or untested. Taking both a French test (TEF Canada or TCF Canada) and an English test is often the fastest way to raise your score.

Express Entry is open to Ivorians who plan to live outside Quebec and have at least 1 year of skilled work.

Express Entry covers three programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSW), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. From abroad, most people use FSW: at least 1 year of continuous skilled work (TEER 0 to 3) in the last 10 years, CLB 7 in English or French, an educational credential assessment for foreign degrees, 67 points on the FSW grid, and settlement funds (CAD $15,263 for one person in IRCC's current proof of funds table). Candidates are ranked by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS), and job offers stopped adding CRS points on March 25, 2025. Check your score with the CRS calculator.

2026 categories and how they fit:

Between July and mid-September 2026, French draws invited 5,000 candidates each with cutoffs of 382 to 420, a health care draw cut off at 475, and CEC draws at 516 to 523. There were no STEM, education, or trades draws in that period. See 2026 Express Entry categories and the draw tracker.

Many Ivorian students choose French-language colleges and universities in Quebec, which also need a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ), or French-language institutions in other provinces. Show clear funds and a coherent study plan.

Study permits in 2026. Canada caps new study permit applications: in 2026 IRCC accepts about 309,670 applications that need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL). Most college and bachelor's students need one; master's and doctoral students at public institutions don't. You must show tuition plus living funds (CAD $23,448 for one person outside Quebec, for applications from September 1, 2026). See the study permit page and the 2026 cap.

After graduating, a post-graduation work permit (PGWP) needs CLB 7 for university graduates or CLB 5 for college graduates, and non-degree programs must be in an eligible field. Canadian study and work can add CRS points and lead to the Canadian Experience Class.

Work permits. Most foreign workers need a job offer and a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) from the employer; see LMIA work permits. Low-wage LMIAs are refused in 26 of 41 metro areas for July 10 to October 8, 2026 (details). Tech employers can use the Global Talent Stream, and multinationals can use an intra-company transfer.

Working holiday: Côte d'Ivoire is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner country, so Ivorian citizens can't get an IEC working holiday permit.

If your spouse or partner is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, they can sponsor you through spousal sponsorship, which is open in 2026 and usually has no minimum income rule. Parents can also sponsor dependent children. The Parents and Grandparents Program stopped taking new interest to sponsor forms on July 15, 2026, but the Super Visa still lets parents and grandparents visit for long periods.

Language tests. IRCC accepts five tests for permanent residence: IELTS General Training, CELPIP-General, and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. IELTS Academic and PTE Academic don't count for Express Entry. Results are valid for 2 years. TEF Canada and TCF Canada are the key tests; check the providers' sites for centers in Abidjan. For English, check IELTS General Training, PTE Core, and CELPIP-General locations with each provider. Convert your scores with the CLB converter and read the language tests guide.

Credential assessment. If you studied outside Canada, you need an educational credential assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-designated organization, such as World Education Services (WES), for FSW eligibility and CRS points. Doctors use the Medical Council of Canada and pharmacists use the Pharmacy Examining Board of Canada. An ECA is valid for 5 years.

Police certificate. IRCC asks for a police certificate from each country where you spent 6 months or more in a row since age 18, usually after you apply for permanent residence. The police certificate is an Extrait de casier judiciaire (Bulletin No 3). Ivorian citizens in Côte d'Ivoire apply online with their birth certificate; non-citizens who lived there follow the separate process described by IRCC. From abroad, contact the nearest Ivorian embassy or consulate with proof of your residence dates and current address. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for Côte d'Ivoire. See our police certificates guide.

You will also need an immigration medical exam with an IRCC panel physician when IRCC asks for it.

Ivorian Canadians live mainly in Quebec, especially Montreal and Quebec City, and in Ottawa-Gatineau. Smaller communities live in Toronto and other cities. West African associations and French-language settlement agencies help newcomers.