Moving to Canada from France: IEC, Quebec and French Express Entry

French citizens have some of the widest options of any nationality: visa-free travel, IEC, trade-agreement work permits, and French-language routes.

French citizens are visa-exempt. To fly to or through a Canadian airport you need an eTA, which costs CAD $7 and lasts up to 5 years or until your passport expires. You don't need one when you arrive by land or sea. Visitors can usually stay up to 6 months, and the border officer decides the exact period.

If IRCC approves a work or study permit for you, it issues your eTA automatically.

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 France in Lyon and Paris. If you live in another country, you can use any VAC. See our biometrics guide.

Residents of France who are not French citizens follow the rules for their own nationality.

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

Yes. France is an International Experience Canada partner, with Working Holiday, Young Professionals, and International Co-op (Internship) categories. Check IRCC's IEC pages for the current age limit and length of stay for French citizens. The French Working Holiday pool is popular: as of mid-September 2026 it had only a small number of places left for the 2026 season.

Fees as of September 2026: CAD $184.75 participation fee, plus CAD $100 open work permit holder fee for Working Holiday, and CAD $85 for biometrics if needed. You need at least CAD $2,500 and health insurance for your whole stay. According to IRCC, French citizens don't need to include a police certificate with an IEC application, although IRCC can ask for one later. See IEC working holiday.

IEC work can lead to permanent residence: skilled work in Quebec can help you in Quebec's PSTQ, and skilled work elsewhere can qualify you for the Canadian Experience Class. The reopened PEQ only covers people who met its conditions by November 19, 2025.

Your French is a major advantage in every part of Canada. Even as a native speaker, 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.

Quebec and France also have an agreement on recognizing professional qualifications for many regulated professions, which can shorten licensing in Quebec. Check with the Quebec regulator for your profession.

Outside Quebec, French speakers are among the best-placed Express Entry candidates in 2026. Strong French adds up to 50 extra CRS points, and a good English result on top raises your score further.

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.

The Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) allows LMIA-exempt work permits for some French citizens, including certain intra-company transferees, investors, contract service suppliers, and independent professionals. Other jobs need an LMIA work permit or a Francophone Mobility permit outside Quebec.

French students need a study permit for programs longer than 6 months, and study in Quebec also needs a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ). Master's and doctoral students at public institutions don't need a provincial attestation letter in 2026. Quebec and France have a tuition agreement that lowers fees for French students at Quebec universities; ask your university how it applies to your program.

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.

Canada and France both allow dual citizenship, so you can become Canadian and keep French nationality (dual citizenship). Canada and Quebec each have social security agreements with France, which can help if you work in both countries.

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 widely offered in France. For English, IELTS General Training and PTE Core are available; CELPIP-General has limited locations outside Canada. 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. French diplomas also need an ECA for Express Entry; Quebec runs its own comparative evaluation for its programs.

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. French citizens get a Bulletin no. 3 from the Casier judiciaire national, requested online. People born in New Caledonia, French Polynesia, or Wallis and Futuna apply to the court in their place of birth. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for France. See our police certificates guide.

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

Most French immigrants live in Quebec, especially Montreal, which has one of the largest French communities outside France, and Quebec City. Others settle in Toronto, Metro Vancouver, and Ottawa-Gatineau, and in francophone communities in New Brunswick, Ontario, and Manitoba.