Express Entry7 min read
Mobilité Francophone: NCLC 5 Work Permit Guide
Mobilité francophone lets French speakers work outside Quebec without an LMIA. You need NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, not CLB 7. Full 2026 guide.
Free checklist · Work permit
Mobilité Francophone work permit: requirements and document checklist
Everything you and your employer need for a C16 work permit outside Quebec: who qualifies, how to prove your French, what the employer files, and the documents to gather. Checked against canada.ca.
- Eligibility exactly as IRCC states it
- The French scores that count (NCLC 5)
- Employer steps and worker documents
- Steps from job offer to work permit
Download free PDF
PDF · free · no sign-upChecked October 6, 2026
Quick answer
To get a Mobilité Francophone (C16) work permit, you need a job offer in any TEER category (except primary agriculture in TEER 4 and 5) in a province or territory outside Quebec, and proof that your French speaking and listening are at NCLC 5 or higher. Your employer submits the offer in the Employer Portal under code C16 and pays the $230 compliance fee. Check your scores with the NCLC score converter.
Mobilité Francophone eligibility: do you qualify?
These are IRCC's conditions for applications made on or after 15 June 2023. Tick each one before you or your employer spend any money.
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It is NCLC 5 in two skills, not CLB 7 in four
Many websites still quote the old rule. Before 15 June 2023, IRCC asked for NCLC 7 and limited jobs to TEER 0 to 3. Today it is NCLC 5 in speaking and listening only, in any TEER except primary agriculture in TEER 4 and 5. NCLC 7 in all four skills is a different target: it is what you need for French-category Express Entry draws and bonus CRS points (see language requirements by program).
How to prove French for Mobilité Francophone
IRCC accepts TEF or TCF speaking and listening results, a college or university's written confirmation of a program in French, or other documents showing education in French. If you use a test, these are the minimum scores for NCLC 5.
| Skill | TCF Canada | TEF Canada (Équivalence ancien score) |
|---|---|---|
| Listening (NCLC 5) | 369 / 699 | 181 / 360 |
| Speaking (NCLC 5) | 6 / 20 | 226 / 450 |
From IRCC's equivalency tables. On a TEF certificate, read the "Équivalence ancien score" column, not "Score / 699". Not sure of your level yet? Take the free French level check, or compare the two tests in TCF Canada vs TEF Canada.
What the employer must do (C16 offer of employment)
Your employer does this before you can apply. Send them this list if they have never hired through the program.
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Mobilité Francophone documents: the worker's checklist
What you upload with an employer-specific work permit application. Your online document checklist in your IRCC account has the final word for your country.
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From job offer to work permit: the steps
Before job hunting
Check your French level
Make sure you are at NCLC 5 in speaking and listening. Book a TCF Canada or TEF Canada at one of the test centres if you do not have recent results.
Job search
Find a job outside Quebec
Any TEER except primary agriculture in TEER 4 and 5. Tell the employer they do not need an LMIA under C16.
Employer
Employer submits the offer
Through the Employer Portal under code C16, with the $230 compliance fee. They send you the offer of employment number and the signed offer.
1 to 3 weeks
Gather your documents
Passport, proof of French, job offer, proof of funds and anything your online checklist asks for.
Your IRCC account
Apply online
From outside Canada, answer that you will stay temporarily. From inside Canada, answer yes to having a written job offer. Pay the $155 fee.
After you apply
Give biometrics if asked
Follow the biometrics instruction letter and book a visa application centre appointment quickly.
Decision
Get your permit
From outside Canada, approval brings a port of entry letter of introduction (not the permit itself): show it at the border and the officer issues your work permit the day you arrive. From inside Canada, you can start work once IRCC notifies you of the approval.
Can my spouse and children come?
The Mobilité Francophone pages add no special family rule, so IRCC's general family open work permit rules apply. Your spouse or common-law partner can get an open work permit only if you work in any TEER 0 or 1 job, or in one of the TEER 2 or 3 occupations IRCC lists, and your own permit is valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives your partner's application.
Since 21 January 2025, dependent children are no longer eligible for an open work permit under this measure. If your job is TEER 4 or 5, plan for your spouse to qualify on their own. Our Mobilité Francophone guide covers the path from this permit to permanent residence, and French-speaking PNP streams are worth a look once you are working.
Common Mobilité Francophone mistakes
- Secure NCLC 5 in speaking and listening first, then aim for NCLC 7 in all four skills for permanent residence.
- Check the offer of employment number with your employer before you start the application.
- Enter the TEF "Équivalence ancien score" if IRCC asks for your scores.
- Keep a copy of your French test result: it stays valid for 2 years and can count again in Express Entry.
- Check the NOC code and TEER of your job before planning around a spouse's open work permit.
- Don't apply before the employer has submitted the offer and paid the compliance fee.
- Don't look for a job in Quebec under this program.
- Don't send only reading or writing scores: IRCC wants speaking and listening.
- Don't prepare for CLB 7 just for this permit if NCLC 5 already gets you there.
- Don't assume your children get open work permits: they no longer do under this measure.
Keep a copy
Download the PDF to print it or keep it on your phone. Prints cleanly on A4 and Letter.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Sources
Last checked against official sources on Oct 6, 2026. Rules change: always confirm on canada.ca before you submit anything.
- IRCC: Francophone mobility, who can applyModified 2026-04-20 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Francophone mobility, how to applyModified 2026-04-21 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Hire French-speaking or bilingual workers outside QuebecModified 2026-04-28 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Work permit from outside Canada, who can applyModified 2026-05-25 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Guide 5487, applying for a work permit outside CanadaModified 2026-05-27 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Francophone mobility, after you applyModified 2026-07-28 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Open work permits for spouses and dependent childrenModified 2026-06-12 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Fee listModified 2026-09-21 (opens in a new tab)
- IRCC: Language test equivalency chartsModified 2026-06-22 (opens in a new tab)
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