Citizenship and Immigration

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration met on November 25, 2025, to continue its study on Canada’s immigration system. Witnesses appearing by video conference were Bintou Sacko, Executive Director of Accueil francophone du Manitoba; Lysiane van der Knaap, Executive Director of Éducation internationale; Jérôme Carette, Director of Education Services, Adult Sector, at the Centre de services scolaire du Lac-Saint-Jean; and Odile René, Regulated Immigration Consultant for International Students at Éducation internationale.

Bintou Sacko noted a paradox in federal policy: while the government has increased the francophone immigration target to 10% by 2027, overall immigration levels are declining, and no additional resources have been provided for recruitment, integration, or retention. She highlighted a sharp increase in francophone asylum seekers in Manitoba without dedicated funding, and said newcomers face language and credential-recognition barriers that risk assimilation into anglophone communities. She recommended fully funding and expanding programs like Destination Canada, allocating stable, direct funding for francophone settlement services managed by francophone organizations, and making the express entry points system for francophones permanent.

Lysiane van der Knaap argued that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s post-graduation work permit eligibility rules, which since November 2024 have reduced eligible vocational training programs from 142 to 55, are stifling Quebec’s public vocational training network. She said all university degrees remain eligible, while trades with documented labour shortages—such as personal support workers, welders, and mechanics—are excluded, and a survey found a 50% or greater drop in admissions at 44% of training centres. She recommended restoring PGWP access for vocational programs that meet labour market needs and removing the 900-hour training threshold, which she called subjective and harmful to critical trades like personal support work.

Jérôme Carette testified that at his centre in Alma, international student registrations fell from 70 in 2023-24 to 29 in the current year, threatening programs such as machining, pharmacy technical assistance, and graphic design. He said placement rates are nearly 100% across all 15 programs, and local employers—including health authorities and a major welding firm—need far more graduates than the centre can supply. He noted that PSW training, which lasts 705 hours, does not lead to a PGWP, forcing graduates into a lengthy closed work permit process, and that restrictions on open work permits for spouses of vocational students further reduce program attractiveness.

Odile René did not deliver opening remarks but confirmed during questioning that vocational training centres monitor housing capacity locally before recruiting international students, and that the small numbers involved allow centres to provide direct settlement support.

During questions, Lysiane van der Knaap and Jérôme Carette agreed with Conservative MP Fred Davies that the PGWP changes disproportionately harm trades programs compared to university arts degrees, and that Canada’s major shipbuilding and infrastructure projects will require more skilled trades graduates. In response to Bloc Québécois MP Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe, van der Knaap said she would restore balance by basing PGWP eligibility on labour market data, eliminating the 900-hour criterion, and ensuring IRCC officers understand vocational training. Bintou Sacko, asked by Liberal MP Sameer Zuberi about visa barriers in francophone Africa, said that while visa grants have increased, unjustified refusals persist and recommended empowering stable francophone countries to issue more visas. She also told Liberal MP Salma Zahid that francophone communities need more investment in language training and prior learning recognition to retain newcomers.

The committee did not debate any motions or procedural matters during this meeting.