Newcomers rush to learn French to get permanent residence in Canada

Canadians are increasingly seeking out French lessons to boost their chances of getting or keeping their permanent residence status.

Ana Zanelli Fukino moved from Brazil to Metro Vancouver because she wanted to raise her daughter in a safe country and give her a better quality of life.

She came to Canada with her husband and daughter four years ago, on a student visa. She studied at Douglas College, where she completed two post-graduate degrees, one in marketing and one in project management.

At the time, she didn’t know her best shot at staying in the country would be learning French.

“When we decided to come, I had in mind that I would finish my studies and then I would apply for PR [permanent residence], and that was it. The only thing that I might need was the English certificate,” Zanelli Fukino said.

But as Canada tightens immigration policies, it’s becoming much harder for people like Zanelli Fukino to get permanent residency (PR) and stay in Canada.

Ian Goldman, an immigration lawyer based in Vancouver, said that this is “a huge phenomenon.”

“The government has cut the levels for not just new students coming to Canada, but for people who came here years ago and started studying here,” he said.

Under the rules in place just four or five years ago, students “had a very good chance of staying here,” he explained.

The immigration system used to favour people like Zanelli Fukino, who came to Canada, studied, got a work permit, got work experience in their field, and then applied for PR.

But not anymore.

“Most of them, they’re not going to be able to stay here. That’s why they’re learning French,” said Goldman.

Express Entry for permanent residence

In 2023, the federal government started its Express Entry invitations for French-speaking newcomers.

“By prioritizing the invitation of French-speaking newcomers, Canada aims to support economic growth through Francophone immigration outside Quebec while recognizing this enriches and strengthens these communities,” they wrote in a press release at the time.

What this means is that learning French can significantly help increase people’s points to get PR, Goldman explained. The more points someone has, the better.

“When I’m sitting with my client, and I say to them, ‘That’s the easiest way for you to immigrate to Canada right now, if you learn French,'” he said.

He also informs his client that it is a bit of a “moving target.” By the time they learn French and pass the test, Canada could have changed its immigration rules.

Alliance Française Vancouver, a French language school, saw a 200 per cent increase in the number of people taking the French certification exams for PR in 2025. They are looking at similar numbers for 2026.

“Starting [in] 2024, we have seen a really a big push and a change in the certification and a number of the actual activity, I would say, around [the] French language to stay in Canada for immigration purposes,” said Damien Hubert, the director of Alliance Française Vancouver.

Across the country, other French schools have seen similar surges in demand for French certificate exams.

Alliance Française Calgary saw a 51 per cent increase in 2025. And Alliance Française Ottawa saw a 245 per cent increase in exam sessions last year, and expects that to double in 2026. 

Learning a new language

Zanelli Fukino is currently living in Canada on a post-graduation work permit. But it expires in November 2027, and she’s been studying French since last June.

She and her husband are in their mid-40s, which means they are also losing points because of their age.

“I hope that with the French, I will get the points that I need,” she said.

It hasn’t been easy. She first started by purchasing access to a digital platform, which costs $400. While she could practice listening, writing, and grammar, she needed a way to work on her French speaking skills.

So, she began taking private classes twice per week for one hour, at $500 per month. Then, because she was “in a hurry to learn,” she joined a French immersion program for two months, which she would attend from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. every day ($1,000 in total).

“While studying at night, I was studying in my lunch, during my lunch time, and taking private classes early in the morning. Plus being a mom, plus working and a wife and a human being,” said Zanelli Fukino.

“I put a lot on my plate. And at some point, I was getting closer to a burnout.”

Because she has to spend so much time studying French, she hasn’t been able to spend as much time with her daughter, which has been challenging for both of them.

“I’m going through everything for us to be able to stay here, because this is the country we decided to live, which we love, and which want to stay,” she said.

What’s the purpose?

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) says that the French-proficiency category is supposed to “support economic growth through Francophone immigration outside of Quebec.”

“A diverse, linguistically competent workforce is a competitive advantage in a global economy,” the IRCC said in an emailed statement to Daily Hive.

But Goldman is skeptical of the actual benefits.

“It doesn’t help the Canadian economy by having a French speaker go to a non-French-speaking part of Canada,” he said.

In his experience, he hasn’t seen people using their French once they come to Canada.

“It’s just a way to get into the country. But it doesn’t help them in any way to adjust to Canadian life or any of that.”

His guess is that “it’s all politics. It looks very good to have French-speaking people going to non-French parts of Canada.”

But Hubert, a French speaker, welcomes this immigration pathway as a “great opportunity for bilingualism.”

“We can be able to use both languages in Canada and Vancouver too. I think it’s great that we can promote bilingualism.”

Meanwhile, Zanelli Fukino has chosen to look at the bright side, even though at first she didn’t enjoy the process of learning a new language.

“If I have to go for French, I will enjoy it, and I don’t want to stop studying French after the certificate, after getting the points, after applying.”

“I want to grow here,” she said. “I want to be the best employee for the country. I want to be an asset, you know. So I think for now, I’m loving the language.”