Newcomers

Are You New to Ontario?

Welcome to Ontario’s French-language education website, and welcome to Ontario! In this section, you will find useful information regarding Ontario’s French-language education network. You will also find links to other useful information that will help you integrate more easily into your new community.

Moving to a New Country or Province Presents Many Challenges

While this requires a lot of effort, these challenges also represent necessary steps to help you get integrated into your chosen community.

The governments of Canada and Ontario offer a wide variety of resources to help you find the information you need and ease your adaptation process.

Regardless of where you come from, you will find useful information on our website about the education system in Ontario and, more specifically, about French-language education.

The Education System in Ontario

In Ontario, four school systems are publicly funded: the French-language public system, the French-language Catholic system, the English-language public system and the English-language Catholic system.

The French-language education network has an excellent reputation. It offers a continuum of learning from early years to postsecondary education including, training programs.

Enrolment Process

French-language schools encourage applications from families that are new to Ontario.

Constantly striving to be welcoming and inclusive, all French-language education school boards have reviewed their admission policy in 2009 as follows:

to ensure that boards include in their policies effective methods for recruiting eligible students;
to make the admission process at French-language schools as streamlined as possible for newcomers who are French-speaking;
to make provisions for possible admission of newcomers who speak neither French nor English to French-language schools;
to standardize the rules governing the operation of admission committees to ensure fairness across the province;
to increase accountability and transparency in the French-language education system to improve public confidence.

Document: Policy Statement and Guidelines on the Admission, Welcoming, and Support of Students in French-Language Schools in Ontario

For more information, please refer to the section "Admission Criteria". You may also consult the documentation: French-Language Schools Open Doors to New Students, available in the following eight languages:

Programs and Services for Newcomers

French-language education in Ontario is a leading organization renowned for its innovative programs and services. To facilitate the intergration of students and their families, the following services and resources are available.

Curriculum : Actualisation linguistique en français (ALF)

This program is intended for students enrolled in French-language schools who speak little or no French. Based on their particular needs, these students receive individual instruction.

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/fre/curriculum/elementary/alf18curr2010.pdf

http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/fre/curriculum/secondary/alf912curr2010.pdf

Programme d’appui aux nouveaux arrivants (PANA)

PANA is designed for newly arrived students and allows them to familiarize themselves with their new environment: It introduces them to Canadian society and addresses their individual needs in terms of writing, reading and speaking skills.

http://www.elfontario.ca/en/programs-and-services.html

Francophone Immigration Networks (RIF)

The following three Francophone Immigration Network aim to support immigration within the French-speaking communities in Ontario.

https://www.immigrationfrancophone.ca/en/

Le Réseau de soutien à l'immigration francophone de l'Est de l'Ontario: http://rsifeo.org/?lang=en
Le Réseau de soutien à l'immigration francophone pour le Nord de l'Ontario: http://reseaudunord.ca/
Le Réseau de soutien à l'immigration francophone du Centre-Sud-Ouest de l'Ontario: http://www.reseausoutien.org/

Francophone Immigration in Canada: