About a hundred programs have been developed to attract immigrants, separately on the federal level and in provinces. But those, who speak French, have additional advantages.
French is one of the official languages of Canada, spoken by about a third of the population. Strengthening this language is one of the ways to achieve ethnic and cultural diversity on the federal level. Let’s find out the advantages of knowing this language, where should to go within Canada, and how this whole process works.
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The country has megacities that are full of life, theaters and universities, and sparsely populated regions that need workers in agriculture or mining. Therefore, before choosing a new place of residence, it is useful to know how people live and work in this area.
When people talk about French Canada, they usually mean Quebec first. This is the largest province with the biggest percentage of the French-speaking population: about 80% of residents call French their native language. Moreover, it is the only official language here.
Quebec is worth paying attention to for several other reasons. On the one hand, it is one of the most developed and prosperous provinces. The economic and cultural center is Montreal with 1.7 million people. It is also the second largest city in the country. The city of Quebec has 500,000 people. The University of Quebec is the largest one in Canada. Quebec has a developed economy with a high share of the service sector. Thus, there is a large number of jobs that require specific qualifications, but also good opportunities for studying and starting your own business.
On the other hand, Quebec is known for the persistent desire for maximum independence from the center, even to the point of periodic attempts to secede. One consequence of this is an internal immigration strategy. Many federal programs do not apply to Quebec; instead, the province has its own rules that partially repeat the national ones. That is, participation in Quebec programs gives special opportunities.
The only official language is English, but the maximum number of French-speaking Canadians outside of Quebec lives here. However, they make up less than 5% of the total population of the province. The main centers of Francophonie are located in the areas adjacent to Quebec. Mainly, in the Eastern part, including the capital of the country Ottawa. At the same time, the authorities of Ontario encourage the relocation of French-speaking foreigners.
Ontario is the geographical, economic, and political center of the country. Therefore, there are many jobs for a variety of specialists, great opportunities for business and education, and better access to scientific and cultural institutions.
New Brunswick is the only subject of the confederation in which both English and French are declared official. French is considered to be the native language of about a third of its inhabitants. However, moving there, especially for residents of large cities, can be a disappointment.
The province is located in the South-East of Canada and is washed by the Atlantic ocean. The population is small, almost the entire territory is covered with forests, and the climate is quite harsh. The economy is based on agriculture and forestry, mining and cargo shipping.
French is one of the official languages in the Сanadian territories, which is the name of administrative divisions in the Far North near the Arctic circle. Despite the extremely harsh climate and low population (a significant proportion of indigenous population is here, and several native American languages are among the official ones), moving here can attract adventurous people, who are not afraid of the polar night and temperatures below -30C.
In fact, this is exactly what Jack London was writing about during the gold rush at the end of the XIX century. The legendary Klondike river is located in the Yukon, and to this day it remains the most developed and promising of the three polar territories. Moving here makes sense, because in recent decades a lot of attention has been paid to the economic development of server regions, which means that there are new jobs that relatively few people are willing to take.
Canada is waiting for immigrants and tries to select the best of the best. Numerous programs are designed to meet the varying needs of provinces and territories, address the lack of specific personnel, or the desire to strengthen specific groups. This diversity allows entrepreneurs, artists and skilled workers to find a place for themselves.