Photo: Université de Saint Boniface campus. Credit: Supplied by Juan Pablo Fernández.
About 15 international students from nine countries are expected to begin classes at Université de Saint-Boniface this fall through a federal pilot offering eligible Francophone graduates a pathway to permanent residence.
Robert Daudet, director of student recruitment at the Université de Saint-Boniface, estimated that another five to 10 prospective students from the Democratic Republic of the Congo had deferred their studies until January because of Canada’s Ebola-related immigration measures. He said he did not have an exact figure.
The Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot was launched by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada in 2024 to attract and retain French-speaking international students in Francophone communities outside Quebec. Université de Saint-Boniface is the only participating institution in Manitoba.
The program is open to citizens of specified countries that are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie in Africa, the Middle East and the Americas. Participants who complete eligible programs at participating post-secondary institutions outside Quebec may apply for permanent residence, provided they meet the program’s other requirements.
To qualify for a place in the pilot at USB, applicants must attain at least a B2 level in reading, writing, listening and speaking on either the TCF Canada or TEF Canada French-language test. They must also be living outside Canada when they apply.
In an interview conducted in French, Daudet said that education and healthcare are among the sectors facing labour shortages in Franco-Manitoban communities.
Daudet’s quotations were translated from French by the author.
“People often talk about needs in healthcare, including nursing and other health professions, and in education, including teachers. Those are two areas we hear about often, but really, there are needs across the Francophone community.”
Daudet said approximately 15 students with confirmed study permits were expected to begin classes in September, representing nine countries.
Daudet said USB has been upfront with students that permanent residence is not guaranteed, even though the program is intended to provide participants with a pathway to it.
“The intention of the program is eventually to obtain permanent residence. If students comply with the conditions of their study and work permits, the chances are very good that they will receive permanent residence. But the final decision always rests with IRCC.”
The public policy establishing the permanent-residence pathway is scheduled to expire on Nov. 30, 2032, but IRCC states that it may be revoked at any time without prior notice.
Although IRCC did not clarify whether admitted students would be protected if the policy were revoked, it confirmed that graduates who apply for permanent residence will be eligible to apply for an open work permit while their applications are processed.
“FMCSP participants can apply for permanent residence upon graduation. Applications are subject to standard eligibility, admissibility and verification requirements. FMCSP graduates will be eligible to apply for an open work permit to begin working in Canada while IRCC processes their permanent residence application,” Communications Advisor Mary Rose Sabater said in an e-mail.
“Applications under this PR pathway are expected to open in winter 2027. Additional details will be published as they become available.”
Daudet said studying in Winnipeg allows students to complete their programs in French while improving their English. USB’s continuing education division also offers English-language courses.
Daudet also explained that USB works closely with Accueil francophone, which helps Francophone newcomers settle in Winnipeg and find housing.
“Being able to work closely with organizations such as Accueil francophone, which offers support with the transition to housing and connections with school divisions, and to have those conversations before students have even left their country of origin, helps a great deal.”
“I hope it stops being a pilot program and becomes something permanent in the future,” Daudet said.
Applications for the fall 2027 intake of the FMCSP at the Université de Saint-Boniface will open in October of this year.
Graham McDonald, U Multicultural Journalism and Media Arts Centre