Moving to Canada from Morocco: Quebec, French Routes and Express Entry

Most Moroccans who settle in Canada speak French, and many choose Quebec. French also gives you strong options in the rest of Canada.

Morocco is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner.

Morocco is on IRCC's visa-required list, but it is also one of the countries whose citizens can sometimes get an eTA instead of a visa. You qualify for the CAD $7 eTA only if you are flying to Canada and you either held a Canadian visitor visa in the last 10 years or hold a valid US nonimmigrant visa. Otherwise, or if you arrive by land or sea, you need a visitor visa (CAD $100 plus CAD $85 biometrics, as of September 2026).

If IRCC approves a study or work permit for you, it issues the visa or eTA you need at the same time.

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 Morocco in Rabat. 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.

• 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 controls its own numbers and planned about 45,000 admissions for 2026, so invitations are limited. Outside Quebec, New Brunswick is officially bilingual and has a stream for French speakers, and Ontario, Manitoba, and British Columbia host francophone pilot communities.

Express Entry is open to Moroccans who plan to live outside Quebec. Strong French (NCLC 7 in all four skills) is the key advantage, and adding a good English score raises your CRS 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.

Morocco sends many French-speaking students to Canada, especially to Quebec. Study in Quebec needs a Quebec Acceptance Certificate (CAQ) as well as a study permit.

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. The fast-track Student Direct Stream that many applicants from this country used ended on November 8, 2024, so everyone now applies through the regular process.

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: Morocco is not an International Experience Canada (IEC) partner country, so Moroccan 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. In Morocco, TEF Canada and TCF Canada are offered at approved French-language centers, and IELTS General Training and PTE Core are available in major cities. CELPIP-General is offered in only a few countries outside Canada. For Quebec, check which French tests and levels each program accepts (Quebec French requirements). 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. Moroccan citizens get a Fiche anthropométrique from their local police station, in person or through a representative, with their national ID card. From abroad, apply at a Moroccan embassy or consulate, or through a proxy at your local police station. Foreign nationals who lived in Morocco get a Bulletin no 3 from the Service central des casiers judiciaires in Rabat. The documents are in French and Arabic, so no translation is needed. Full details: IRCC's police certificate instructions for Morocco. See our police certificates guide.

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

Most Moroccan Canadians live in Quebec, especially Montreal and Laval, with smaller communities in Quebec City, Ottawa-Gatineau, and Toronto. Montreal's French-speaking environment, mosques, and Moroccan associations make settling easier for many newcomers.