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The Government of Canada is launching a new work permit option today under the International Mobility Program (IMP) called Mobilit<\/em>\u00e9 Francophone<\/em>. This stream aims to make hiring francophone skilled workers more straightforward for employers in certain regions of Canada.<\/p>\n This new stream exempts Canadian employers from undergoing the Labour Market Impact Assessment\u00a0(LMIA) process when hiring French-speaking foreign workers in managerial, professional, or technical\/skilled trades occupations (NOC skill level 0, A or B), and hiring such workers to work in francophone minority communities outside the province of Quebec.<\/p>\n A LMIA is a document that serves as proof that there will be a positive or neutral impact to the Canadian labour market if an employer hires a foreign national in certain situations. The IMP is an umbrella program that includes all streams of work permit applications that are exempt from this requirement.\u00a0Mobilit\u00e9 Francophone\u00a0<\/em>is the latest such stream, joining other IMP streams such as the North American Free Trade Agreement\u00a0(NAFTA) and the International Experience Canada\u00a0(IEC) program. The goal of the IMP is to enable temporary foreign workers to come to Canada when they have the potential to advance Canadian economic and cultural interests.<\/p>\n A major benefit of any LMIA-exempt stream is the increased efficiency in the application process, as the exemption eliminates the need to advertise the job opening online to ensure that there is no qualified Canadian available to fill the position.<\/p>\n The department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada\u00a0(IRCC, formerly known as CIC) plans to encourage these newcomers to apply for permanent residence once in Canada, according to the department\u2019s Minister John McCallum.<\/p>\n “We want francophone minority communities in Canada to continue to be vibrant and growing.\u00a0That\u2019s why we\u2019re going to encourage skilled francophone workers to come to Canada and settle in communities outside of Quebec, and we\u2019re going to encourage them to apply for permanent residence if they would like to stay,” said Mr. McCallum.<\/p>\n IRCC hopes to increase the presence of francophones across the country with this new stream. The department has stated that it aims to have francophone newcomers make up at least 4\u00a0percent\u00a0of all economic immigrants settling outside Quebec by 2018, with an additional target of\u00a04.4 percent by 2023.<\/p>\n