Francophone Mobility Work Permit (C16) Guide 2026

1. Francophone Mobility C16: Core 2026 Eligibility

The Francophone Mobility work permit, also called Mobilité francophone, is an LMIA-exempt work-permit pathway that allows qualifying Canadian employers outside Quebec to hire French-speaking foreign nationals without obtaining an LMIA. For applications submitted on or after June 15, 2023, the current eligibility framework is significantly broader than the older program. A qualifying applicant must: - satisfy the general eligibility requirements for a Canadian work permit; - intend to live and work in one of Canada's 9 provinces or 3 territories outside Quebec; - demonstrate French speaking and listening ability at an intermediate level equivalent to NCLC 5 or higher; and - have an offer of employment classified under an eligible NOC TEER category, subject to the exclusion for primary-agriculture occupations under TEER 4 and 5. The occupation test is intentionally broad. Unlike the pre-June 2023 version, the current Francophone Mobility program is not limited to TEER 0, 1, 2 and 3. It can cover occupations across TEER 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5, except primary agriculture jobs under TEER 4 and 5. The employer does not obtain an LMIA. Instead, before the worker applies, the Canadian employer must submit the employment offer to IRCC through the Employer Portal, use LMIA exemption code C16, pay the employer compliance fee unless exempt and provide the worker with the resulting seven-digit offer-of-employment number. The C16 permit is normally employer-specific, so the worker is authorized for the employer, occupation and work conditions described in the application. It is not a general open work permit. The Francophone Mobility program also does not mean that the job itself must be performed in French. The immigration requirement focuses on the worker's ability to speak and listen in French at NCLC 5 or higher.

2. NCLC 5 French Requirement and Accepted Evidence

The French-language requirement is one of the defining elements of the current Francophone Mobility program. For applications submitted on or after June 15, 2023, the applicant must prove that they can speak and listen in French at NCLC level 5 or higher. The official IRCC instructions use the French-language NCLC scale. It is therefore preferable to write “NCLC 5 in French” rather than “CLB 5 French,” because CLB is the Canadian English-language benchmark and NCLC is the corresponding French framework. IRCC states that applicants can prove the required speaking and listening ability with: - speaking and listening results from TEF Canada; - speaking and listening results from TCF Canada; - written confirmation from a college or university for a program conducted in French, such as a transcript or official completion letter; or - other documents demonstrating education in French. The applicant does not need to prove French reading and writing ability for the Francophone Mobility LMIA exemption. The applicant therefore should not be rejected merely because they have no NCLC 5 reading or writing scores. Where TEF Canada or TCF Canada is used, the exact numerical score corresponding to NCLC 5 depends on the test version/date. Applicants should use the current IRCC language-result conversion tables rather than copying an old score range from a third-party website. For example, the current IRCC conversion tables for TEF Canada tests taken after December 10, 2023 show NCLC 5 at: - Speaking: 387–421 - Listening: 352–392 For TCF Canada, the current published NCLC 5 ranges include: - Speaking: 6 - Listening: 369–397 Because language-test conversion tables can change with test versions, the safest content is to state the NCLC level first and verify the actual score conversion against the current IRCC table for the test date. French-medium education can also satisfy the proof requirement without requiring a conventional language test, where the documentation establishes the applicant's French education.

3. Eligible Occupations, TEER Categories and Primary-Agriculture Exclusion

The modern Francophone Mobility program was deliberately expanded to cover a much broader range of occupations. For an application made on or after June 15, 2023, the job can be classified under any NOC TEER category from 0 through 5, subject to one important exclusion: the job cannot be a primary-agriculture occupation under TEER 4 or 5. This means that a TEER 4 or TEER 5 job is not automatically excluded. The exclusion is specifically tied to primary agriculture. Examples can include professional occupations at TEER 0, technical and skilled occupations at TEER 2 or 3, and lower-TEER occupations at TEER 4 or 5 where they are outside the excluded primary-agriculture category. The occupation should be assessed according to the actual Canadian job and its current NOC classification. A job title alone should not be used to establish eligibility. The employer should therefore identify: - the NOC code; - the TEER category; - the actual duties; - the work location; and - whether the occupation is a primary-agriculture position. The work location is separately important. An otherwise eligible TEER 5 job can qualify if it is outside Quebec and is not a prohibited primary-agriculture TEER 4/5 occupation. By contrast, a job physically located in Quebec does not qualify under Francophone Mobility even if the employer, employee and occupation otherwise meet every other condition. Applicants and employers should also avoid confusing the federal NOC/TEER test with the rules of other French-language immigration programs. Francophone Mobility is a work-permit exemption, not the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot or a federal permanent-residence program.

4. Employer Portal, C16 Offer and $230 Compliance Fee

Francophone Mobility is LMIA-exempt, but it is not an employer-free process. Before the worker submits the work-permit application, the Canadian employer must normally complete the employer-side International Mobility Program process. The employer must: 1. create or access the IRCC Employer Portal; 2. submit an offer of employment; 3. select LMIA exemption code C16 for Mobilité francophone; 4. pay the $230 employer compliance fee, unless an applicable exemption applies; and 5. provide the worker with the resulting seven-digit offer-of-employment number. The offer number is necessary for the employee's work-permit application. This is an important distinction from an LMIA application. The employer does not apply to ESDC for an LMIA, and there is no $1,000 LMIA processing fee for the C16 route. The employer still has compliance responsibilities. Information submitted through the Employer Portal should accurately describe the business, position, duties, wage and working conditions. Employers remain subject to the International Mobility Program's employer-compliance regime and possible inspection. The current IRCC Employer Portal guidance confirms that, in general, employer compliance fees and employment offers must be submitted before the foreign national files the work-permit application. If the employer fails to complete the required step, the work-permit application can be refused. An employer should therefore retain: - portal submission information; - transaction/fee receipt; - signed employment offer; - evidence explaining the wage and working conditions; and - the seven-digit offer number given to the worker. The compliance fee is an employer cost where applicable. It is not a second work-permit fee paid by the foreign worker.

5. Work Permit Application, Fees and Required Evidence

After the employer completes the C16 Employer Portal submission, the foreign worker applies for the work permit using the appropriate IRCC process. For an online application, IRCC's current Francophone Mobility instructions direct the applicant to: - sign in to an IRCC account; - select the work-permit application process; - identify the employer-specific LMIA-exempt work permit; - provide the seven-digit offer-of-employment number; - upload the personalized document checklist; and - pay the applicable work-permit processing fee. The ordinary work-permit processing fee is $155 CAD. Biometrics can create an additional fee where the applicant must provide them. The applicant's evidence should normally include: - passport; - signed employment offer/contract; - Employer Portal offer number; - proof of French ability; - education and professional credentials where relevant; - work experience evidence where relevant; - medical-exam evidence if required; and - any documents needed to establish admissibility and temporary status. A medical examination can matter for C16 applicants where the intended employment falls within occupations affected by medical restrictions or where the applicant's travel/residence history triggers the medical requirements. The applicant should not assume that every C16 worker needs a medical exam. It depends on the applicant's circumstances and the intended work. The C16 application is for an employer-specific work permit, so the work permit should be checked after issuance for the employer, occupation/location, validity and any medical or other conditions. A C16 work permit also does not automatically grant permanent residence. A worker can later qualify for another permanent-residence pathway, but that requires a separate assessment.

6. Employer-Specific Conditions, Job Changes, Processing and Compliance

A Francophone Mobility C16 work permit is generally employer-specific. This means the worker is not free to move between Canadian employers simply because the C16 permit is valid. The worker should review the actual permit after approval. If the worker wants to change employers, a new work-permit process will generally be required because the employer-side C16 offer is tied to the original employer. The new employer would normally need to submit a new Employer Portal offer under the appropriate exemption and the worker would need the corresponding authorization before beginning the new employment, subject to IRCC's current change-employer procedures. C16 also differs from a generic open work permit in another important way: the job must continue to satisfy the program's outside-Quebec and occupation requirements. The worker cannot use a C16 permit to relocate permanently to Quebec and continue treating the permit as an ordinary C16 authorization. The employer must also respect the wage, job duties, work location and other information declared in the Employer Portal. The International Mobility Program has an employer-compliance regime. Employers can be inspected and can face penalties if they fail to comply with the conditions associated with the offer or the regulatory obligations. Processing times can vary. Francophone Mobility is not an LMIA application, so ESDC LMIA processing standards do not apply. But LMIA exemption does not mean automatic or instant IRCC approval. Applicants should also avoid publishing a guaranteed processing-time number on a 2026 evergreen page unless it is dynamically verified against IRCC's current processing-time tool.

7. Complete 2026 C16 Decision Tree and Common Errors

A strong Francophone Mobility assessment should proceed in a fixed sequence. Step 1 — Job location. Confirm that the Canadian employment will be physically located in one of the nine provinces or three territories outside Quebec. Step 2 — Occupation. Identify the current NOC and TEER category. Confirm that it is not a primary-agriculture occupation under TEER 4 or 5. Step 3 — French. Confirm NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening. Use current TEF/TCF conversion tables or acceptable French-education evidence. Step 4 — General work-permit eligibility. Confirm passport, admissibility, temporary-stay requirements and other IRCC criteria. Step 5 — Employer Portal. The employer submits the offer under C16 and pays the $230 compliance fee where required. Step 6 — Offer number. The employer provides the worker with the seven-digit offer-of-employment number. Step 7 — Worker application. The worker applies for the employer-specific LMIA-exempt work permit and pays the applicable work-permit fee. Step 8 — Final permit audit. After approval, verify the employer, occupation, location, dates and conditions. The most common content and application mistakes are: - calling the French requirement “CLB 5” instead of NCLC 5; - requiring four French language abilities; - using the old TEER 0–3 occupation rule; - saying all TEER 4/5 work is excluded; - forgetting the primary-agriculture TEER 4/5 exception; - allowing a Quebec work location; - treating C16 as an open work permit; - saying the $230 fee belongs to the worker; - allowing the worker to apply before the employer Portal step; - promising a fixed processing time; - assuming a medical examination is mandatory for every applicant; and - confusing Francophone Mobility with the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot. The best 2026 decision sequence is: Outside Quebec → NOC/TEER → primary-agriculture exclusion → NCLC 5 speaking/listening → general work-permit eligibility → Employer Portal C16 → $230 compliance fee → offer number → work-permit application → $155 fee → final permit conditions.

Frequently Asked Questions