IRCC measures French with the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC), the French counterpart of the CLB. Reaching NCLC 7 in all four abilities earns 25 or 50 additional CRS points (50 if your English is also CLB 5+ in all four abilities) and makes you eligible for French-language proficiency category-based rounds. The two accepted French tests are TEF Canada and TCF Canada.
NCLC minimums by program
| Program | French as first official language |
|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class | NCLC 7 (TEER 0 or 1 jobs) or NCLC 5 (TEER 2 or 3 jobs), all 4 abilities |
| Federal Skilled Worker | NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities |
| Federal Skilled Trades | NCLC 5 speaking and listening; NCLC 4 reading and writing |
Scores needed for NCLC 7
TCF Canada
| Ability | NCLC 7 range |
|---|---|
| Reading (compréhension de l'écrit) | 453–498 |
| Writing (expression écrite) | 10–11 (out of 20) |
| Listening (compréhension de l'oral) | 458–502 |
| Speaking (expression orale) | 10–11 (out of 20) |
TEF Canada
TEF Canada results show two sets of numbers, and this matters. On its Express Entry language page, IRCC says your level is based on the "Équivalence ancien score" column and that you should enter only those scores in your profile — not the "Score / 699" column, which IRCC says isn't compatible with its system at this time. IRCC publishes a separate chart for the /699 scale (tests taken after December 10, 2023) on another canada.ca page.
| Ability | NCLC 7: Équivalence ancien score (enter in Express Entry) | NCLC 7: Score / 699 |
|---|---|---|
| Reading | 207–232 | 434–461 |
| Writing | 310–348 | 428–471 |
| Listening | 249–279 | 434–461 |
| Speaking | 310–348 | 456–493 |
Our TCF to NCLC converter uses IRCC's TCF chart. The TEF to NCLC converter uses IRCC's /699 chart, so for your Express Entry profile check the ancien-score column on your results against IRCC's Express Entry table. If you took TEF Canada between December 11, 2023 and May 6, 2024, IRCC says you may need to update your profile with rescored results.
CRS points for French
| French result | Additional points |
|---|---|
| NCLC 7+ in all 4 abilities and CLB 5+ in all 4 English abilities | 50 |
| NCLC 7+ in all 4 abilities and CLB 4 or lower in English (or no English test) | 25 |
These are on top of the points French earns as your first or second official language. As a second official language, each ability is worth up to 6 points, to a maximum of 22 (with a spouse) or 24 (without). See your total in the CRS calculator; for English, use the CLB calculator.
French-language proficiency draws
French-language proficiency is one of IRCC's current categories for category-based selection. To be eligible, IRCC says you must have French test results showing at least NCLC 7 in all four abilities and meet all requirements in the instructions for that round. You must also be eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs.
In these rounds IRCC ranks only candidates who meet the category and invites the top-ranking ones, so cut-offs have often been lower than in other rounds. In IRCC's data, the French-language rounds on October 16 and October 27, 2026 each issued 5,000 invitations, with minimum scores of 435 and 407. Every round is listed on our French-language draws page, and there's more background in our French draws guide.
Test validity
Like English results, French results must be less than 2 years old when you complete your profile and when you submit your application. IRCC refuses applications submitted with expired results.
Sources: IRCC — Language test requirements (Express Entry), IRCC — Find your language level based on test results, IRCC — CRS criteria, IRCC — Category-based selection, IRCC — Express Entry rounds data.