Before anything else, read this, because it is the most expensive mistake you can make with TEF Canada.
In this guide
- What TEF Canada is
- How many tests you sit depends on why you are applying
- What each test actually involves
- Converting your TEF score to NCLC
- What score you actually need
- How TEF Canada converts into points
- How to book
- Getting your results
- The two year rule
- If you tested between December 2023 and May 2024
- If you have a disability
- Common mistakes
- Questions people actually ask
Your TEF Canada certificate shows your results in more than one column. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada only accepts the scores in the column marked "Équivalence ancien score" (previous score equivalency). The certificate ALSO shows a column marked "Score / 699". Do not enter those numbers into your Express Entry profile. IRCC states plainly that they are not compatible with its system, and that if you do not enter the correct scores, it may refuse your application (canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/express-entry/documents/language-test.html).
People lose applications over this. It is a data entry error with permanent consequences.
And one more rule that catches people out before they even sit down: all your tests must be taken on the same day, or your certificate will not be recognised by the Canadian authorities (lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr). You cannot retake one weak module and staple that score onto three results from an earlier sitting. If you want a better score in one skill, you sit the whole thing again.
At KGraph Immigration we have guided more than 10,000 clients through the Canadian system, with a 98% success rate and a 4.9 Google rating. French is the single biggest lever most candidates have in Express Entry, and TEF Canada is the most common way to prove it.
Category: Language Tests
What TEF Canada is
TEF Canada is the Test d'évaluation de français. It is administered by CCI Paris Île-de-France through Le français des affaires, and it has been recognised by IRCC since 2002. It is one of two French tests IRCC accepts for Express Entry, the other being TCF Canada.
Your certificate reports a score for each part on a scale of 699, and it also reports the NCLC equivalence level for each part. NCLC is the French counterpart to the Canadian Language Benchmarks. IRCC works in NCLC levels, not raw scores.
How many tests you sit depends on why you are applying
This is the part most guides get wrong. Immigration and citizenship are not the same test.
| Applying for | Tests you must take |
|---|---|
| Immigration to Canada (Express Entry and other federal economic programs) | All 4: reading, listening, writing, speaking |
| Canadian citizenship | Only 2: listening and speaking |
If you only need citizenship, do not pay for four modules. And in both cases, every test you sit must be on the same day.
What each test actually involves
Exact format and timings, from the test owner (lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr).
| Test | Content | Duration | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading comprehension (compréhension écrite) | 40 questions | 1 hour | Multiple choice. Correct answer +1, wrong or blank 0 |
| Listening comprehension (compréhension orale) | 40 questions | 40 minutes | Multiple choice. Correct answer +1, wrong or blank 0 |
| Written expression (expression écrite) | 2 sections | 1 hour | Section A, 25 minutes: continue an article, minimum 80 words. Section B, 35 minutes: express and justify a point of view, minimum 200 words |
| Oral expression (expression orale) | 2 sections | 15 minutes total | Section A, 5 minutes: obtaining information. Section B, 10 minutes: presenting an argument to convince |
Note the marking on the multiple choice papers: a wrong answer scores the same as no answer, zero. There is no negative marking. So never leave a question blank. Guess.
Converting your TEF score to NCLC
This is IRCC's official conversion table. Use the "Équivalence ancien score" numbers from your certificate.
| NCLC level | Speaking (expression orale) | Listening (compréhension de l'oral) | Reading (compréhension de l'écrit) | Writing (expression écrite) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 393 to 450 | 316 to 360 | 263 to 300 | 393 to 450 |
| 9 | 371 to 392 | 298 to 315 | 248 to 262 | 371 to 392 |
| 8 | 349 to 370 | 280 to 297 | 233 to 247 | 349 to 370 |
| 7 | 310 to 348 | 249 to 279 | 207 to 232 | 310 to 348 |
| 6 | 271 to 309 | 217 to 248 | 181 to 206 | 271 to 309 |
| 5 | 226 to 270 | 181 to 216 | 151 to 180 | 226 to 270 |
| 4 | 181 to 225 | 145 to 180 | 121 to 150 | 181 to 225 |
What score you actually need
| Program | Minimum |
|---|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker, first official language | NCLC 7 in all four abilities |
| Federal Skilled Worker, second official language | NCLC 5 in all four abilities |
| Federal Skilled Trades | NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, NCLC 4 in reading and writing |
| Canadian Experience Class, NOC TEER 0 or 1 | NCLC 7 in all four abilities |
| Canadian Experience Class, NOC TEER 2 or 3 | NCLC 5 in all four abilities |
| Canadian citizenship | CLB 4 in speaking and listening |
| Mobilité Francophone | CLB 5 |
How TEF Canada converts into points
For the Federal Skilled Worker Program, your first official language is worth a maximum of 24 points.
| NCLC level | Points per ability |
|---|---|
| 7 | 4 |
| 8 | 5 |
| 9 and above | 6 |
Add your four abilities for your subtotal. If French is your second official language and you reach NCLC 5 or above in all four abilities, add 4 points. Fall below NCLC 5 in even one ability and you get zero for your second language. It is all four or nothing.
This is why French is such a powerful lever. Strong French can also qualify you for French language category based draws, which have had significantly lower cutoffs than general draws.
How to book
- Find your nearest approved centre using the official centre finder (lefrancaisdesaffaires.fr/en/trouver-un-centre-agree/). There are roughly 500 official centres across more than 110 countries.
- Register directly with that centre. You do not book through IRCC and you do not need a third party agent.
- Pay the centre. Fees are set by each individual centre rather than centrally, so the price varies by country and by centre. Confirm the exact fee with your centre before committing.
- Prepare, at home, online, or at a test centre.
- Sit all your tests on the same day.
Registering means you accept the centre's registration and examination conditions, so read them before you pay.
Getting your results
Results arrive in approximately 2 weeks. The testing organisation issues an electronic copy showing your score and the NCLC equivalence level for each component.
The two year rule
Your certificate is valid for 2 years from the date of issue.
For Express Entry, your results must be less than 2 years old at two separate moments:
- when you complete your Express Entry profile, and
- when you submit your application for permanent residence
Both. Not one or the other. If you apply for permanent residence with expired language results, IRCC will refuse your application.
If your results will expire while you are sitting in the pool, your options are to retake the test, to apply before they expire, or to decline an invitation and go back into the pool.
If you tested between December 2023 and May 2024
If you took TEF Canada between 11 December 2023 and 6 May 2024, check your profile now.
CCI temporarily modified the NCLC scoring to reflect raw scores during that window. That change has since been reverted to the scoring grid IRCC currently uses. If you were affected, CCI emailed you with your updated score.
You must update your Express Entry profile with the corrected scoring. If you do not, and you are invited to apply, your application could be refused on the basis of incorrect language scores. If you have been invited but not yet submitted, update your scores now, and if you no longer meet the criteria, decline that invitation.
If you have a disability
If a disability prevents you from completing one or more sections, IRCC provides a language averaging tool to produce averaged scores for the abilities you could not complete. Use those averaged scores in your profile. IRCC will verify both the averaged scores and the test results you submit.
Common mistakes
- Entering the Score / 699 numbers instead of the Équivalence ancien score column. IRCC may refuse your application for it. This is the big one.
- Splitting your tests across different days. All tests must be sat on the same day or the certificate will not be recognised by Canadian authorities.
- Trying to retake just one weak module. You cannot combine a new score for one skill with older scores for the others. It is the whole test again.
- Paying for four modules when applying for citizenship. Citizenship needs only listening and speaking.
- Leaving multiple choice questions blank. A wrong answer scores zero, exactly the same as no answer. There is no penalty for guessing, so never leave one empty.
- Assuming any TEF works. It must be TEF Canada specifically.
- Letting results expire mid process. Valid at profile creation AND at submission, or the application is refused.
- Ignoring the December 2023 to May 2024 rescoring. Some profiles are still carrying the wrong scores today.
- Falling below NCLC 5 in one ability as a second language. One weak skill wipes out the entire 4 point bonus.
Questions people actually ask
Prepared by KGraph Immigration. Last updated July 2026. General information, not legal advice.
