Temporary residents outside Quebec scrambling to learn French to secure permanent residency

Temporary residents across Canada outside Quebec are racing to learn French as immigration policy changes have made obtaining permanent residency significantly harder, with French-language proficiency now offering a crucial advantage.

Alyanna Chua arrived as an international student in 2019 when the path to permanence was straightforward. With a Canadian bachelor's degree, fluent English, a year of work experience, and youth, she could have secured permanent residency without French. Her Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score at the time was around 474 — well above the 400s required then.

When she graduated in 2023, the landscape had shifted. Ottawa introduced cuts to permanent and temporary resident numbers following the COVID-19 pandemic, and the CRS score required jumped to around 530 to 540. Chua spent nearly all of 2024 learning French, failed her first exam in October, and passed in November. Her CRS score climbed into the 500s — still short. She finally received permanent residency in July after months of effort.

"After graduating and then working for a year, you could've easily gotten permanent residency," Chua said, reflecting on how quickly the rules had changed.

The federal government is explicitly leveraging French as an immigration lever. Ottawa's targets for French-language admissions are 9.5 per cent in 2026, 10 per cent in 2027, and 12 per cent by 2028. The Express Entry System awards up to 50 additional CRS points for passing a French exam at minimum B2 level — enough to swing a candidacy.

Lou Janssen Dangzalan, an immigration lawyer, said the number of PR invitations through French-speaking category-based draws has been "tremendous." "This has been a program that is allowing them to hit that particular parliamentary mandate," Dangzalan said. However, he expressed uncertainty about whether the draws are an effective step toward strengthening French-language proficiency in the country.

The demand for French tutoring has exploded. Study Live Explore Canada, an online platform originally designed to mentor international students, has transformed into a French tutoring service. Founder Emmalyn de Guzman said the platform now serves about 500 students, mostly Filipinos. Tutor Aida Valdez-Cabel's students are spread across Ontario, British Columbia, and Alberta.

The rush reflects how quickly federal policy can reshape who can stay in Canada and at what cost — measured now in months spent learning a second language rather than years of work experience.