Ottawa, Nov 8 (IANS): Canada's Quebec province has denied immigrant status to a French citizen because she was unable to demonstrate adequate French-language proficiency, a media report said on Friday.

Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking province, rejected Emilie Dubois' application apparently because part of her university thesis was in English, the BBC said in the report.

Dubois came to Quebec from France in 2012 and completed a doctorate at a French-language university.

The 31-year-old biology graduate was applying to settle under a provincial programme for foreign students that requires applicants to display a strong ability in the language.

"If someone who is French and born in France, going to a French-speaking university and doing everything in French and they are still denying this, it's nonsense," she told the BBC.

Despite passing a French test to prove her language ability earlier this year, she received a rejection letter stating that she had not completed her education entirely in French, including her thesis.

On her thesis, Dubois told the BBC: "This is how scientists are communicating - they are sharing knowledge and this is done mostly in English-speaking journals."