Francophone Mobility Work Permit: Alberta Employer Guide

The Francophone Mobility work permit lets an employer in any province or territory outside Quebec, including Alberta, hire a French-speaking foreign worker without a labour market impact assessment (LMIA). Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires the worker to prove French speaking and listening skills at NCLC level 5 or higher. Before the worker applies, the employer submits an offer of employment in the Employer Portal under exemption code C16 and pays a $230 employer compliance fee.

For an Alberta business, that means the hiring work happens in two places: the employer’s steps in the Employer Portal, then the worker’s own work permit application. This page walks through both, in the order they happen.

What kind of work permit this is

Francophone Mobility (Mobilité Francophone) is an LMIA exemption. IRCC tells employers that if the candidate meets the requirements, “you can hire them without an LMIA”, and it groups this route with its other ways of hiring without an LMIA under the International Mobility Program.

It is tied to one employer. In IRCC’s application instructions, a worker applying from inside Canada chooses “I’m applying for an employer-specific work permit with LMIA-exemption.” If you are weighing this against an open work permit, our page on open vs closed work permits explains the difference.

Who the worker has to be

IRCC’s eligibility page sets out these requirements for applications made on or after June 15, 2023:

TEER is the Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities category in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). If you are unsure which NOC code a role falls under, our guide to finding a NOC code covers how to look it up.

How French ability is proven

The level is NCLC 5, and only two skills count. IRCC says the worker does not need to prove reading or writing in French for this LMIA exemption. For current applications, IRCC lists these as proof:

• speaking and listening results from the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) or the Test de connaissance du français (TCF)
• a written confirmation from a college or university for a program in French
• other documents that show education in French

The proof is uploaded in the Client information field of the online application.

Older articles may describe stricter rules. Before June 15, 2023, IRCC limited the route to TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3 jobs and looked for NCLC 7. If a source you are reading mentions those limits, check its date.

Steps for Alberta employers

IRCC sets out the employer side in three stages. In order:

1. Find a French-speaking or bilingual candidate and confirm they meet the Francophone Mobility requirements.
2. Sign in to, or create an account in, the Employer Portal.
3. Submit the offer of employment through the Employer Portal using LMIA exemption code C16 for Mobilité Francophone.
4. Pay the $230 employer compliance fee.
5. Give the candidate their offer of employment number, a 7-digit number they need for their application, and the signed offer of employment.

The offer you submit becomes a record you will be held to later, so the job title, duties, wage and location should match what the worker will actually do. For how the Employer Portal works for LMIA-exempt offers in general, see our Employer Portal guide.

Steps for the worker

The worker applies online once they hold the offer number. IRCC’s instructions say:

• Answer the questions that build a personalized document checklist. A scanner or camera is needed to make electronic copies of documents.
• From outside Canada, choose “A work permit with a Labour Market Impact Assessment exemption” when asked about the work permit type.
• From inside Canada, choose “I’m applying for an employer-specific work permit with LMIA-exemption.”
• Enter the 7-digit offer of employment number from the employer.
• Upload the proof of French ability and pay the work permit processing fee.

IRCC’s fee list shows $155.00 per person for a work permit. That is separate from the $230.00 employer compliance fee, which the employer pays.

After the worker starts

An LMIA exemption does not remove the employer’s obligations. IRCC’s page for employers hiring under the International Mobility Program says employers must:

• see the worker’s work permit and know its expiry date
• meet the conditions on the work permit, including the job location and how long the person can work in Canada
• give duties that match the NOC code, with pay and working conditions no less favourable than the offer
• keep the workplace free of physical, sexual, psychological and financial abuse, and of retaliation against whistle-blowers
• keep documents about the worker’s employment for 6 years from the date IRCC issued the work permit

Imprint’s work permit services include LMIA review and employer guidance, and compliance review for employers hiring foreign workers.

Questions worth bringing to a consultation

• Does the role fall under a TEER category the route allows, and which NOC code fits the duties?
• What French evidence does the candidate already hold, and does it cover speaking and listening at NCLC 5?
• Is the worker applying from inside or outside Canada?
• What records will your business keep for the 6-year period?

Book a consultation

Imprint Immigration Services is an Edmonton practice at 300-9006 132 Avenue NW. Employers and workers in Calgary and elsewhere in Alberta meet with us by video. A 30-minute consultation with Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants (CICC), is $50 + GST, by video or in person. Book a consultation.

Frequently asked questions

Immigration advice provided by Shirani Jenita Daniel, RCIC-IRB, CICC Licence R705794. This article is general information about government processes, not advice on your situation.