Francophone Immigration & Visa Application Centres

Updated: Mar 12, 2018 | Tags: Canada eTA, Canada Visa

Introduction

Following the initial get-together of the Forum on Francophone Immigration that took place last year in New Brunswick, Canadian ministers with responsibilities for Canada immigration and the country's French-speaking community have been discussing specific actions they could take to boost immigration among Francophones outside Quebec. This type of immigration is well-recognized as helping to make the country more prosperous. It is also a significant contributing factor to immigration strategies that promote the development of small Francophone communities over the country as a whole. 

A meeting chaired by Ministers Hussen and Albanese

Minister Ahmed Hussen, responsible for Federal Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship chaired the meeting along with Minister Laura Albanese, responsible for Citizenship and Immigration. A significant number of other ministers from around the country were present. They made an announcement that a new Action Plan would be implemented to increase the numbers of Francophone immigrants from further afield than Quebec. This plan specifies measures that governments at federal, provincial and territorial levels will be able to implement either on their own or working together with other bodies and organizations to boost Francophone immigration.

Inclusivity for French-speaking immigrants

The type of specific action that could be taken includes spreading information about opportunities for Francophone immigration, routes to successful Canada immigration and services for settling prospective French-speaking applicants. Also, there is a need to increase engagement levels of employers when it comes to recruiting and employing French-speaking immigrants. There also needs to be better access to French language services and making people aware of these while supporting Francophone communities focusing on diversity and inclusivity. In terms of outcomes, the Action Plan aims to increase numbers of French-speaking immigrants who come to live in the country outside of Quebec and increase their involvement in local labor. There is also a goal of increasing the involvement of these groups in wider communities and social networks.

A March synposium

At the meeting, it was agreed to track objectives set out to ensure sufficient progress is being made. This important part of the Action Plan needs commitment to develop suitable indicators and promote good practice, reporting progress as the action plan unfolds. Ministers are committed to sharing progress updates at suitable intervals, both among themselves and with communities. A symposium is soon to take place with organizations from communities in attendance to help boost the involvement of key stakeholders, paving the way for possible collaboration inside every jurisdiction. This symposium event is due to be held in Calgary on March 22 will be run by the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie.

Quebec has full responsibility

The Francophone Immigration forum is a chance for ministers for immigration at various levels to discuss ideas about encouraging and promoting French-speaking immigrants to settle in small Francophone communities in Canada. The Canada-Quebec Accord grants full responsibility to Quebec when it comes to setting immigration levels and selecting and integrating immigrants. Quebec formulates its own rules and standards for areas it is responsible for.

Setting up visa application centers

In other news, Visa Application Centres (VAC) are being set up as a way for the Canadian government to provide immigration to international applicants. The Government has just awarded the contract to provide this service to VF Worldwide Holdings Ltd. The award process for this significant undertaking has been described as open, fair and transparent, with a contract worth $26 M. The country has a cluster of worldwide Visa Application Centres and, every year, many thousands of applicants submit paperwork including biometric data like fingerprints to enter Canada.

Offering a range of visa services

Since the turn of the millennium, these centers have offered administrative assistance to visa applicants during their entire application process and assessment at a Canada visa office. Over the course of the next 24 months, Canada aims to expand its Visa Application Centre network with the aim of having at least 149 VAC centers across 99 countries. External service providers run and manage VACs and they have the authorization to offer a range of specified services to visa applicants as part of a formal arrangement with Canada's Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship.

Canada's extensive VAC network

Visa Application Centers provide services in countries where Canada is not represented by a Canada visa office. These centers will provide information on a whole host of services like the Canada ETA (electronic travel authorization), helping people to apply for a Canada ETA if this is relevant to them. They will also ensure that visa applications are adequately completed. It is well recognized that Canada benefits from one of the world's most extensive VAC networks and that, by November 2019, over 96% of applicants will be able to use a center in their home country.