What is Francisation Québec?
Francisation Québec opened on June 1, 2023, inside the Ministère de l’Immigration, de la Francisation et de l’Intégration (MIFI). It is the one government door for French courses offered to people 16 and older who live in Quebec, to people who plan to settle there, and to businesses.
Courses are free, with no admission or tuition fees. The government notes you may pay a small amount for materials, some activities or cultural outings. Classes run across Quebec at universities, CEGEPs, community organizations and school service centres or school boards.
Who can take the courses for immigrants
For the full-time and part-time courses for immigrants, you must meet all three conditions: you were born outside Canada, you are 16 or older, and you live in Quebec. Separate courses exist for people who are Canadian by birth or by descent.
Are you a temporary worker or student? You can apply and receive financial assistance, but you must keep to the conditions of your status. Quebec warns that breaking them could cost you that status or lead to a refusal of future entry to Quebec or elsewhere in Canada. If you are unsure what your permit allows, check with IRCC.
International students must be enrolled in a study program recognized by the Government of Canada, and that program must stay their main activity. They can apply once that enrolment is confirmed.
Full-time, part-time, online or at work
Each format has its own schedule. Classroom courses follow the Quebec scale of French proficiency levels: beginner (levels 1 to 4) and intermediate (levels 5 to 8).
- Full-time: 25 to 30 hours a week, Monday to Friday, usually for about 10 weeks, in person or remotely if needed. You must be free during the day, Monday to Friday.
- Part-time: 6, 9, 12, 16 or 20 hours a week, in sessions of 10 or 11 weeks, during the day or evening, on weekdays or weekends.
- Online: self-paced courses at the intermediate and advanced levels, or online with support from teaching staff at an adult education centre, who assess your progress. For beginners, Québec.ca also names the free platform francais-enligne.quebec.
- Job-specific courses: usually two 3-hour classes a week (sometimes 9 hours) for 11 weeks, by distance.
- In the workplace: your employer can set up courses during paid working hours.
Financial assistance during your courses
These are the amounts Québec.ca lists in October 2026 for full-time courses. You ask for the participation allowance on the same form as your admission application by answering yes to the financial assistance question.
- Participation allowance: $230 a week. You cannot get it if you already receive, for example, employment insurance, social assistance (including social solidarity, Objectif emploi or basic income), CNESST benefits, Quebec parental insurance or SAAQ income replacement, or if you are an asylum claimant.
- Childcare: up to $25 per training day per child, using form A-0593-CF, handed in to the school office. Only one parent can claim it if both spouses take courses.
- Transport: $25 a week, only if you receive one of the incomes that rule out the $230 allowance, and not for distance courses.
- Part-time: the only aid described is for childcare, $9 per child for a class of 3 hours or more, if you take at least 4 hours of French a week.
Deadlines, taxes and the number you need
Ask for assistance at the start of your session. Otherwise you have 60 days after the session begins, and that deadline applies to all three full-time allowances.
To receive any financial assistance you need a Social Insurance Number (SIN) from Service Canada. If you do not have one, an Individual Tax Number (ITN) or Temporary Tax Number (TTN) from the Canada Revenue Agency is accepted.
You must report the allowances on your tax returns to Revenu Québec and the Canada Revenue Agency. No tax is withheld at source, and you receive tax slips. Plan for this when you file your returns.
How to register with Francisation Québec
You register online on the Apprendre le français platform, reached from quebec.ca/francais. Courses can start at any time of the year.
- Choose the format that fits you (full-time, part-time, online or job-specific) and check your availability.
- Have proof of your immigration status ready, or your individual reference number, shown for example on your CSQ, your CAQ, an asylum claimant document or a letter from MIFI.
- Have your SIN, ITN or TTN on hand if you want financial assistance.
- Fill in the online admission form. You can save it and finish it later, and you can name your preferred training location.
- Watch the inbox of your online file: you get a message confirming you are eligible, then a second one with the location and start date of your course.
- For a first application, courses usually start within 50 working days after MIFI receives your form.
- An interview of 15 to 60 minutes, oral and written if needed, is sometimes used to assess your level.
- If you are found ineligible, you receive the decision and can ask for a reconsideration.
- Information line: 514 864-9191 (Montreal area) or 1 877 864-9191 (elsewhere in Quebec, toll-free).
How francisation helps with work and immigration
French is the official and common language of Quebec, and the normal language of work. Québec.ca states that knowledge of French is an essential criterion for permanent immigration to Quebec, and that the level required depends on the program.
Your progress is assessed during the course and at the end of each session. Québec.ca says these results can serve as proof of your French skills for a Canadian citizenship application. If you want to work in a regulated profession, the professional order also requires you to pass the French exam of the Office québécois de la langue française.
Did you take courses at a partner language school abroad before arriving? A refund of up to $1,800 is possible, with conditions, once you have your CSQ or first CAQ. Your spouse and dependent children aged 16 or older qualify under the same conditions. The course must have been completed in the 3 years before you got your CSQ or first CAQ, or between then and your arrival in Quebec. You file the request once you live in Quebec, within 2 years of your arrival.
Common mistakes to avoid
A few slips cost newcomers money or their place in class.
We don't provide legal opinions; for advice on your file, contact an RCIC-verified consultant or a lawyer.
- Missing the 60-day window after the session starts to ask for financial assistance.
- Forgetting to report the allowance on your tax returns.
- Taking a distance course while outside Quebec, which can cost you the course or the assistance.
- Missing classes: attendance is mandatory, and repeated absences can cost you the course or the allowance.
- Adding French classes without checking the conditions of your study or work permit.