Candidates applying for Permanent Residence to Canada and for Canadian Citizenship, are required to prove language skills by taking a language test approved by Canada immigration authority – Immigration, Refugees, Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
Permanent Residence
There are two English language tests and two French language tests offered by third parties that are recognized by Canadian authorities:
- English: CELPIP General test and IELTS General Training
- French: TEF Canada and TCF Canada
Other versions of these tests are not accepted for Express Entry.
Points are awarded for language proficiency when applying for permanent residence, under the Express Entry system or under provincial programs. The scores required depend on the different programs under which a candidate is applying.
To measure the language levels, the immigration authorities use the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French.
The language abilities tested are:
- speaking/expression orale
- listening/comprehension de l’oral
- reading/comprehension de l’écrit
- writing/expression écrite
Below you will find charts which convert scores received under third party language examinations into the corresponding language level.
