The three Ontario regions participating in the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (FCIP) have released their priority sectors and occupations for 2026.

All regions have removed certain occupations from eligibility, replacing them with newly-selected occupations that match evolving local labour demands.

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This article will detail the 2026 priority sectors and occupations of each Ontario region participating in the FCIP, including

• Timmins;
• Sudbury; and
• Superior East Region.

Foreign nationals need to meet French-language requirements and possess a job offer from a designated employer in a priority sector and occupation to qualify for consideration under the FCIP.

Timmins

Situated on the Mattagami First Nation Traditional Territory in Northeastern Ontario, Timmins, is prioritizing the same five sectors under the FCIP in 2026 as it did the year prior:

• Education, law and social, community and government services;
• Health;
• Business, finance and administration;
• Natural resources, agriculture and related production; and
• Trades, transport and equipment operators.

Under its community scoring grid, Timmins is allotting more points to those with a job offer in the final three priority sectors listed above (15 points vs 10 points).

Timmins is one of only two regions participating in both the FCIP and the Rural Community Immigration Pilot (RCIP)—the other being Sudbury. You can view the FCIP/RCIP boundary map for Timmins here.

In 2026, Timmins is allowing each designated employer to recommend up to five employees. There are nine recommendation intake periods scheduled throughout this year, which you can find here under “Step 3.”

To enter the FCIP candidate pool (and be eligible to be drawn), individuals must have a minimum score of 50 points. Draws are held once a month.

You can find the list of designated employers under the FCIP (16 at the time of this writing) by visiting this PDF, which was last updated on January 20, 2026.  

Sudbury

This year, Sudbury—located about 390 kilometers north of Toronto and known as the “City of Lakes”—is prioritizing six sectors (compared to five in 2025):

• • Health;
  • Natural resources, agriculture and related production;

• Trades, transport and equipment operators.
• Art, culture, recreation and sport;
• Business, finance and administration; and
• Education, law and social, community and government services.

In 2026, Sudbury is prioritizing two new sectors under the FCIP (“Art, culture, recreation and sport” and “Business, finance and administration”) and has removed one previously prioritized in 2025: “Natural and applied sciences.”

The FCIP (and RCIP) community boundaries for Greater Sudbury can be found here. Foreign nationals with a job offer from an employer outside these boundaries do not qualify under the FCIP.

Sudbury’s list of designated employers—currently 64 total—can be found here.

In Sudbury, the FCIP operates on a first-in, first-out basis. There are eight recommendation intake periods under which designated employers can submit an employee recommendation—with one already having occurred (February 17–20, three candidates recommended). See Sudbury’s official webpage for more details.

Consult with a lawyer at Cohen Immigration Law

Superior East Region

The Superior East Region is located along the northern shore of Lake Superior, and spans approximately 230 kilometers. It includes the communities of Chapleau, Dubreuilville, Wawa, White River, Hornepayne, Manitouwadge, and surrounding First Nations.

In 2026, the Superior East Region is prioritizing the following six sectors under the FCIP (compared to five in 2025):

• Education, law and social, community and government services;
• Health;
• Manufacturing and utilities;
• Natural resources, agriculture and related production;
• Sales and service; and
• Trades, transport and equipment operators.

The “Manufacturing and utilities” sector is a new addition this year, whereas all other listed sectors were also prioritized by the region in 2025.

At the time of this writing, the Superior East Region lists 10 designated employers for its FCIP, with the potential for new inclusions throughout the year.

Further information about intake periods, recommendation limits, and FCIP draws is not currently provided by the region.

About the Francophone Community Immigration Pilot

The FCIP, launched in 2025, was designed to promote francophone immigration to communities outside Quebec.

This is an employer-led permanent residence (PR) pathway, meaning it requires a qualifying job offer (from an employer that’s been designated by the community).

After a job offer has been given, the employer can recommend the foreign national to the community. If the community approves the foreign national, they will be given a recommendation certificate, and can apply to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) for PR.

Consideration under the FCIP requires meeting the following federal requirements, beyond having a qualifying job offer:

• Language proficiency: Demonstrate an Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) level 5 across all four language abilities.
• Work experience : Have at least 1,560 hours (one year) of related work experience in the last three years (job-offer dependent).
• Educational credential: Have at least a Canadian high school credential or foreign equivalent.
• Settlement funds: Demonstrate sufficient funds dependent on family size (not required for those already working in Canada).

Special two-year (closed) work permits are available under the FCIP for eligible individuals, allowing them to begin working in Canada while their PR application is being processed.

Consult with a lawyer at Cohen Immigration Law