A step towards encouraging francophone immigration has taken place on April 27, 2018, as the Honourable Ahmed Hussen, Federal Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship, and the Honourable Laura Albanese, Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, signed the annexes to the Canada-Ontario Immigration Agreement (COIA). The COIA agreement was first signed in November 2017. It aims to increase francophone immigration, in order to strengthen the long-term partnership between Ontario and Canada in welcoming and settling immigrants, boosting the economy and addressing shared humanitarian responsibilities.
The Canada-Ontario collaboration set out 3 annexes including: the French-speaking immigrants annex, The International student annex and the Partnership with Municipalities annex.
The French-speaking immigrants annex aims to identify opportunities where Francophone immigration can be promoted for the recruitment, selection, and integration of French-speaking immigrants.
The Partnership with Municipalities annex encourages the collaboration of Ontario municipal governments on issues related to municipal interests in immigration, including the attraction and retention of immigrants, and the settlement and integration of newcomers.
The International Students annex aims to help International students to enter and transition into post-graduation employment and/or permanent residency.
This step is an important milestone in creating opportunities that will open doors to an increasing number of potential francophone immigrants, giving them a chance to better prove their presence in Ontario and to contribute equally, as other immigrants, in the development of Ontario.
