Last Updated:March 4, 2025
What is the French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream?
This stream gives foreign workers with the required skilled work experience, language abilities and education the opportunity to apply to permanently live and work in Ontario. Express Entry is required.
Requirements for French-Speaking Skilled Worker
Work Experience
You must meet the eligibility criteria for either the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Canadian Experience Class.
- If you are a physician, you can use periods of self-employment to meet the stream’s work experience requirement if your experience falls under one of the following National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes:
- NOC 31100 – Specialists in clinical and laboratory medicine
- NOC 31101 – Specialists in surgery
- NOC 31102 – General practitioners and family physicians
Educational background
You must have a Canadian bachelor’s, master’s or PhD degree or its equivalent in another country.
Nurses are not required to demonstrate that they meet this education requirement if they meet both the following conditions:
- they are registered by the College of Nurses of Ontario (CNO) in the General, Extended, or Temporary class.
- their primary NOC falls under one of the following occupations:
- NOC 31300 – Nursing coordinators and supervisors
- NOC 31301 – Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 31302 – Nurse practitioners
- NOC 32101 – Licensed practical nurses
Caution
- Caution: If you completed your studies outside of Canada, you need to obtain an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) report that proves your education is equivalent to a Canadian credential.
Language Proficiency
The applicant must have achieved a CLB 6 or higher on an approved English language test and NCLC 7 or higher on an approved French language test, taken within two years of their application.
| Test | Language | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLB6 | IELTS | English | 5.0 | 5.5 | 5.5 | 5.5 |
| CELPIP | English | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | |
| PTE Core | English | 51-59 | 60-68 | 50-59 | 59-67 | |
| CLB7 | TEF Tests taken on or after December 11, 2023 |
French | 434-461 | 428-471 | 434-461 | 456-493 |
| TEF Tests taken between October 1, 2019 and December 10, 2023 |
French | 450-499 | 450-499 | 450-499 | 450-499 | |
| TCF | French | 453-498 | 10-11 | 458-502 | 10-11 |
Job offer
- Not required
Settlement funds
You must have enough money to support yourself and your dependent family members when you settle in Canada. However, this requirement is waived if you have a valid job offer and are legally authorized to work.
| Number of family members | Required funds (CAD) |
|---|---|
| 1 | $13,757 |
| 2 | $17,127 |
| 3 | $21,055 |
| 4 | $25,564 |
| 5 | $28,994 |
| 6 | $32,700 |
| 7 | $36,407 |
| For families of 7 or more | An additional $3,706 is required for each extra family member. |
Legal status in Canada
If you are applying from within Canada, you must have legal status (a visitor record, study permit, or work permit) at the time you apply and should maintain that status until the time of nomination. However, this requirement does not apply if the application is being made from outside Canada.
Intention to live in Ontario
You must intend to live in Ontario after you have been granted permanent residence.
Federal Skilled Worker
When applying for the Federal Skilled Worker program, candidates must score at least 67 points out of 100 based on six selection factors: education, language skills, work experience, age, arranged employment in Canada, and adaptability.
In this category, receiving a nomination from the Ontario provincial government to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) significantly increases the chances of obtaining permanent residence, making it almost certain once nominated by the province.
Application process of the French-Speaking Skilled Worker stream
01Register for Express Entry
Once you meet the eligibility requirements, register your profile online through Express Entry. In your profile, set your intended province of residence as “Ontario” or “All Provinces” and obtain your profile number.
02Issuance of Notification of Interest (NOI)
Applicants who are registered in the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Express Entry system and meet the other eligibility requirements will receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) from Ontario. This notice indicates that Ontario is interested in the candidate.
03OINP online application
After receiving the Notification of Interest (NOI), the applicant must complete the OINP online application within 45 days. The profile and other required details must be registered in the OINP e-Filing Portal within 14 days. The application fee of $1,500 must be paid online.
04Receive a nomination from the province
Once the review at the OINP processing office is complete, the applicant will receive the results. Passing the review is referred to as being nominated.
05Update profile
Once nominated by the province, you need to update your nomination in the IRCC Express Entry system. This update will add 600 points to your profile.
06Receive an Invitation To Apply (ITA) from IRCC
An ITA is the right to submit a permanent residence application, and only after receiving the ITA can you submit your application. IRCC conducts regular selections called “drawings,” where ITAs are issued to candidates with the highest points in the pool. If you do not receive an ITA, you will remain in the selection pool for up to one year.
07Submit a permanent residence application to IRCC
If the applicant has received an ITA, they must submit their permanent residency application to IRCC by mail within 60 days of receiving the nomination.
08Review by IRCC
After the review is completed by IRCC, the applicant will receive a letter called the Confirmation of Permanent Resident (CoPR).
09Landing
Applicants from outside Canada will enter Canada with their Confirmation of Permanent Resident (CoPR). Applicants from within Canada can complete the landing process online.
10Receive your Permanent Resident (PR) card
Your PR card will be delivered to the designated address within Canada within a few months.
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