More newcomers are learning French in hopes of improving their chances to stay in Canada permanently

After spending $42,000 on his masters in mechanical engineering at the University of Windsor, Harbal Deep Sidhu is now paying $2,000 a month to learn French to advance his chances at getting Permanent Residence (PR) in Canada — an increasing trend among newcomers.

"I'm very much concerned. From the time I've graduated, I have seen extreme changes to the laws and regulations to get permanent residency now. The cutoff points are very high, which is very difficult even for a masters or PhD student," the 25-year-old said.

"So, we get points for learning French and we can use it in our PR application."

The pursuit for PR is becoming cutthroat. As of January, Canada is estimated to have 3.02 million temporary residents but there are only 395,000 PR spots available this year. Hence, Sidhu said, the rush to learn French.

While struggling with the language, the international student from Punjab, India, said he has been practicing it rigorously "around two hours every day" to bolster his application. He worries that in the next draw, the cutoff points would be higher and hopes learning French becomes his saving grace.

From getting a premium Duolingo subscription to YouTube videos, Sidhu is leaving no stone unturned, including "a very expensive" private French tutor. Sidhu said his 16-month master's "was not worth it" and now more expenses await for him to gain PR.

He suspects it will take him at least six months to reach the proficiency levels needed by the immigration department. He wants to apply for his PR later this year, as he has only two years left on his work permit.

"I think speaking and listening are difficult, but reading is difficult because it's a completely different language, different alphabets and all other things. It's really hard work."

He said the government should reduce the cutoff points or have exceptions for master's and PhD students and help applicants who "are already contributing to the economy of Canada."

"I'm going for a French certification that will again cost me money. I'm still investing in this country. I'm not getting back anything in return."

"French is the best option," say St. Clair international students

Gurasees Singh, who is pursuing computer system technician networking at St. Clair College, is also eyeing online French programs. 

He said while the government has increased PR pathways under education and health-care streams, he would not qualify.

"But because we are IT professionals, we definitely need to consider French. We won't be able to get into trades or health pathways. So, French is the only option that becomes feasible for us," he said.

Singh said many data and networking companies also prefer bilingual candidates and learning French is an asset overall.

"French is one of the best options right now," he said.

His friend and classmate, Abhoo Kabil, agrees. He is also considering French-related immigration pathways.

"Some people I know have succeeded in French," he said. "It would be great scope for becoming a permanent resident of this country."

Better French, more points: Immigration lawyer

Lou Janssen Dangzalan, a Toronto-based immigration lawyer, said he has been advising his clients for two years now to learn French as one of their backup plans to improve the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores.

CRS is a ranking system used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for immigrants applying for a permanent residency, using factors like age, level of education, English proficiency and work experience. Every two weeks, IRCC draws a CRS rank and applicants with that score or higher are invited to submit documents to receive a permanent resident card.

"The most apparent reason being if you pursue French as a second language, essentially you stand to increase your CRS points, and that increases your chances to get drawn," he said. 

"The other thing is that you receive the possibility of being classified as a Francophone under Express Entry and that means that you could benefit from Francophone category based selection, which has a lower cutoff score."

He said that's what he advised a client of his, a year and a half ago, and it "significantly increased" his points for PR.

"I've successfully been trying to convince more and more of the people who consult with me or who are clients with us to pursue French as an alternative, as their ultimate backstop."

Dangzalan said many international students, holding postgraduate work permits which have a limited validity maximum of three years, are opting for this route.

If one speaks French at a Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) level equivalent to five out of 10, Dangzalan said they can qualify for a Francophone mobility work permit. 

"People should aim for a minimum of five and then work their way up to seven. [Higher] the points that you get as a matter of bilingualism for your CRS under Express Entry, increases dramatically by a factor of 50 points."

Dangzalan suggests immersing in the language and not just approaching it as "a requirement for immigration."

Better career opportunities: newcomer

For others like Amangel Bhullar, a PhD student at the University of Windsor, it's about getting access to better opportunities, especially governmental jobs that need French speaking candidates.

Speaking about international students and work permit holders learning French "to be competitive in the PR process." Bhullar said it is "surely an edge."

The 32-year-old became a citizen in 2022 and said in the present job market, knowing an extra language gives the competitive edge.

"I'm learning French, which could help me open doors in my R&D, research and the government side of things," she said.

"Nowadays, I see a lot of bilingual jobs are coming up. Since the job market is changing and they're looking for more competitive people, I am learning French to keep myself in the competition."

Bhullar said her only hurdle with French is learning correct pronunciations and that it might take her three years at Boreal College to be fluent enough.

"Increasing trend" across the province: Boreal College 

Simon Goulet, the campus director at Windsor's Boreal College, said their seven campuses across the province have been feeling the increasing demand for French programs from newcomers.

"We are seeing an increase right now in international students registering into our French as second language program," he said.

Province wide, he said there is a "222 per cent increase in registrations of international students in the program."

"That's good news. There's a lot of interest in learning French for many reasons. Immigration is one, but also there's a curiosity for official languages as well and a desire to partake in that."

Goulet said many newcomers are realizing that being fluent in French is an advantage in Canada.

"Our program is really focused on conversational skills, so it's more so the speaking and listening components," he said.

"But it's only one part of the puzzle. You need to find that immersion outside too."

Due to the rising interest, Goulet said their Windsor site will soon join the suite of Hamilton, London, and Sudbury sites to offer French examinations required by IRCC.