Official Languages committee  If we look at the current situation as a whole, the biggest barriers for people arriving in official language minority communities have to do with the recognition of their prior learning. When we select candidates for immigration, whether under provincial or federal Express Entry

Official Languages committee  Of course. It's not a reality, unfortunately. There's also a lot of evidence that applications have been turned down for no financial reason whatsoever. Sometimes the files have not even been checked; all the evidence and documents have been provided, but the files have never be

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. As I said in my opening remarks, I think embassies need to work with French-speaking communities. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada must properly align its practices with francophone immigration objectives. I think Alain Dupuis and the Fédé

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. I'm going to name a few French-speaking countries in sub-Saharan Africa, but it's not an exhaustive list: Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Cameroon, Guinea, Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. None of these countries has consular capacity or what it takes to s

Official Languages committee  I think I mentioned two of these arbitrary criteria. First, if students say they want to stay in Canada after their studies, the officer refuses them the visa outright. If they have to present a career plan and the officer doesn't find it clear, he can refuse them a visa. In oth

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. At both the federal and provincial levels, governments are very involved in the settlement of immigrants who arrive here. Refugees are also part of the new arrivals. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada funds settlement services for conventio

Official Languages committee  If settlement services aren't better funded, they'll be discouraged. Our aim is to create a link with the French-speaking world. There's a lot of effort being put into recruiting francophones who can strengthen the demographic weight of francophone minority communities. When thes

Official Languages committee  That's right. While some embassies offer services to 16 countries, Canadian consulates located in other French-speaking African countries are unable to provide any services at all. In order for their application to be processed, nationals of certain countries are therefore oblige

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much for the question, Mr. Dalton. Earlier, I mentioned the reasons for arbitrary refusals to obtain visas and study permits in Canada. I think your question touches on exactly the two reasons for refusal that are really unfair. When students say they want to st

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, thank you very much for inviting me to appear today. My name is Bintou Sacko and I'm the director of Accueil francophone du Manitoba. This service is an initiative of the Société de la francophonie m