Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

About the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream

It is an immigration stream that targets French-speaking skilled workers who have strong English language abilities to work in the Ontario region. This is a program allows French speakers with good English skills to apply to the permanent residence and settle in Ontario. The applicants who are interested in the program must first register in the CIC’s express entry stream. After that, they will receive an Express Entry Profile Number and a Job Seeker Validation Code so the candidates can complete the nomination forms. Then Ontario Immigration Nomination Program (OINP) will search the Express Entry pool and identifies potential candidates who meet the FSSWS criteria and send them a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the OINP based on their Express Entry profile.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements

In order to be eligible under Ontario’s French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream, candidates must:

• Meet the eligibility requirements for one of Canada’s Federal High Skilled programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) or Canadian Experience Class (CEC);
  • Candidates applying through the FSWP must meet the pass mark of 67 points based on IRCC’s Federal Skilled Worker selection factors: language skills, education, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability.
• Meet the stream’s work experience requirements;
• Demonstrate a language proficiency level of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 7 or higher in French and a CLB 6 or higher in English in all four components (speaking, reading, writing, and listening):
  • Language proficiency must be proved with valid test results (less than two years old) from one of the following designated testing agency:
    • International English Language Testing System (IELTS) or the Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) (General test only) for English; and
    • Test d’Evaluation Du Français (TEF) or Test de Connaissance du français pour le Canada (TCF Canada) for French.
• Have a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master’s or Ph.D. degree OR an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report produced by a designated organization indicating that the foreign education is equivalent to a Canadian Bachelor’s, Master or Ph.D. degree;
• Intend to reside in Ontario, by providing documentation to demonstrate ties to Ontario;
• Hold legal status in Canada (and maintain it until the time of nomination) if they are residing in Canada at the time of applying; and
  • The OINP accepts applications submitted while on implied status.
• Possess sufficient funds to cover settlement costs in Ontario. This requirement can be met by one or a combination of factors listed by the OINP, such as bank statements, annual earnings from ongoing employment in Ontario, and/or a job offer in Ontario.

The required settlement funds must be equal to or greater than the sums listed for each family size. Requirements for settlement funds are updated annually.

Work Experience

Federal Skilled Worker program

To meet the requirement of federal skilled worker demand, applicants must:

• Have at least one year of full-time or part-time employment experience at skill level 0, A, or B occupation in the five years before the date of the NOI from the OINP that is listed in a National Occupation Classification (NOC). 
• It is a full-time job offer with a one year contract (at least 30 hours per week and at least 1,560 hours of paid employment in one year).
• Activities of the work must match the activities described in the lead statement and also the main duties should be listed in the NOC.

Self Employment

For this program, applicants are allowed to obtain work experience while self-employed to meet the required hours. However, self-employed must have been paid and the requirement for skill level is 0 or Skill Level A or B of the NOC.

Canadian Experience Class

To be selected for the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) applicants must meet those criteria:

• Cumulative at least one year of experience of full-time or part-time job equivalent which should be listed in NOC O, A or B.
• Part-time is accepted for this program; however it should be at minimum 15 hours of work over a period of one week in one job ( total of working hours : 1560 hours in two years) or at least 30 hours of work over a period of one week in multiple concurrent jobs with the total of working hours up to 1560 hours in one year. 
• Candidates should obtain valid status while working in Canada.
• If the applicants study full-time then paid work experience during study time or self-employed is not counted under the CEC.   

Note: In this program, applicants are allowed to work non-continuous or take gaps during the work as long as the applicant’s work experience must be equal to one year.

Note: Volunteering and unpaid Internships do not consider as valid work experience in this program.

Funds of Settlement

The applicant who applies for Canada immigration is required to display proof of funds to indicate that they can financially support themselves during the time in Canada. Settlement funds from the applicants are encouraged to be at least equal or greater than the funds required below:

1 member  – $12,669 (Fund required)

2 members –  $15,772 (Fund required)

3 members –  $19,390 (Fund required)

4 members –  $23,542 (Fund required)

5 members –  $26,701 (Fund required)

6 members –  $30,114 (Fund required)

7 members –  $33,528 (Fund required)

For each additional family member – $3,414

Note: Those numbers will be updated by IRCC for every year

For the  application those documents below should be included in to prove access to funds:

• financial institution’s letterhead;
• contact information from a financial institution (address, telephone number, email address, postcode);
• name of the applicant;
• if applicants have some debts or loans then it should be included as a list.
• details of bank account(s) (account numbers, opening date, balance(s) at the date of the present, six months of average balance(s).)

Application Process

A valid Express Entry profile and an NOI letter are required in this stream. Potential candidates will be identified and considered for further assessment.

The application to the OINP should be submitted within 45 days since the valid time for an NOI is only 45 days. 

Process Overview

• Step 1: Applicants meet the criteria of the Federal Skilled Worker Class or the Canadian Experience Class.
• Step 2: Candidates are encouraged to create an Express Entry profile.
• Step 3: The OINP searches the pool and identifies candidates in the Express Entry pool.
• Step 4: A NOI letter from the OINP will be sent.
• Step 5:After receiving the NOI applicants should apply to the OINP under the French-Speaking Skilled Worker Stream within 45 calendar days.
• Step 6: Candidates have only 30 days to accept the nomination in the Express Entry system. A letter of Approval and (Ontario Immigration Nominee Program) OINP certificate will be sent to the applicant’s email.
• Step 7: Express Entry candidates will get an additional 600 Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points and an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence at a future draw from the pool.
• Step 8: Applicants should apply for Canadian permanent residence to IRCC (Refugees and Citizenship Canada) no later than 60 days.

Frequently Asked Questions: 

1. Do my spouse or common-law need to prove their language ability?

Yes, the spouse or common-law must have a proven language level in either English or French. However, the requirement is equivalent to CLB 4 level or higher in all four language abilities: speaking, listening, reading and writing. Language skills can also give Federal Skilled Worker candidates points under Express Entry’s Comprehensive Ranking System skill transferability factors.

2. Do I need continuous work experience for this program?

Yes, for this program it should be at least one year of continuous work experience, and there are no gaps between the periods of employment.

3. How does it count if I have experience in a part-time job?

If the applicants have a part-time job then it should be at minimum 15 hours of work over a period of one week in one job with a total of 1,560 hours of paid employment in two years. On the other hand, the applicant can also work as part-time if at least 30 hours of work over a period of one week in multiple concurrent jobs and total working hours also added up to 1560 hours in one year.

4. How do I prove that I work as self-employed for this program?

To prove for your work experience of self-employment the OINP will require some documents that are issued independently verifiable by third parties. Therefore, any type of reference letter written by the candidates’ themselves, their business partners or family members are not accepted.