TEF Canada: the complete guide to the exam, scores and results

TEF Canada is the French exam most Express Entry candidates sit, and this guide covers all of it from the official pages: who runs it, who needs it, the 4 sections and their timings, how the scores reach IRCC, when results arrive, how long they last, how to register, and how TEF Canada differs from TEFAQ and TEF IRN. For the score-to-level conversion, use the TEF Canada score chart. Still deciding between the 2 accepted exams? Read TEF vs TCF Canada. For what a level is worth, see CLB 7 in French and CLB 5 in French.

What is TEF Canada?

TEF Canada is a French-language exam for people applying to immigrate to Canada or to become Canadian citizens. It is run by Le français des affaires, the language arm of the CCI Paris Ile-de-France (the Paris chamber of commerce), and the exam body says it has been recognised by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) since 2002 [6]. IRCC’s own Express Entry page names CCI Paris Ile-de-France as the body that administers TEF Canada [1].

TEF Canada is one of 2 French tests IRCC accepts for Express Entry; the other is TCF Canada [1]. Both are read by IRCC as a level on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC), the French name for the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB), one level for each of 4 abilities: speaking, listening, reading and writing [1].

TEF Canada is one version of a family of exams called the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF). The exam body lists 4 others: the general TEF, TEF Études for study in France, TEF Québec (TEFAQ) for immigration to Québec, and TEF IRN for residence and naturalisation in France [17]. Only TEF Canada is the version IRCC names for Express Entry [1]. The differences are set out further down.

Who needs TEF Canada?

Anyone who wants French counted in a federal immigration application, and anyone aged 18 to 54 who wants French to serve as their language proof for citizenship.

Express Entry. IRCC requires an approved language test for every Express Entry candidate, and TEF Canada is one of the 2 approved French tests [1]. Three rules make the French result matter:

• The additional points for French. IRCC awards 50 points for NCLC 7 or higher in all 4 French abilities with CLB 5 or higher in all 4 English abilities, and 25 points for NCLC 7 or higher in all 4 French abilities with English at CLB 4 or lower or not tested [2].
• The French-language proficiency category. Category-based rounds for French require “a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities” on the NCLC [3]. It is 1 of 10 categories IRCC lists on the page dated 22 June 2026 [3].
• The per-ability points. With French as the first official language, each ability earns 17 points at CLB 7 and 34 at CLB 10 or more for a candidate without a spouse or partner (16 and 32 with one) [2]. As a second official language, each ability earns up to 6 points [2].

The exam body’s own page adds that NCLC 7 in every section is the level for Express Entry and NCLC 5 the level for Mobilité Francophone, and sends candidates to IRCC for the rule that applies to their program [7].

Citizenship. Applicants aged 18 to 54 must show they can speak and listen in English or French at CLB level 4 or higher [4]. For a TEF Canada taken on or after 1 July 2012, IRCC’s citizenship page accepts a result of B1 or higher in listening and speaking [5]. Only those 2 sections are required, and IRCC accepts the results “even if they’re expired” [5].

Québec. The exam body states that TEF Canada is recognised by Québec’s immigration ministry (MIFI) for a Québec application, provided the certificate is less than 2 years old [15]. Québec’s own requirements are on the MIFI site and are outside this guide.

What is the TEF Canada exam format?

For immigration, TEF Canada has 4 compulsory sections, all taken on the same day. For citizenship, it has 2. The counts and timings below are the exam body’s [6][7].

Total time. The exam body gives no total. Adding its 4 section times gives 2 hours 55 minutes for the immigration version and 55 minutes for the citizenship version (listening and speaking) [7].

Same day. “All tests must be taken on the same day for your certificate to be recognized by the Canadian authorities” [7].

Citizenship version. Listening (40 questions, 40 minutes) and speaking (15 minutes, same 2 sections) only [6][7].

On the day. Reading, listening and writing are done on a computer; speaking is face to face with an examiner and is systematically recorded so that a second evaluator can assess it [8]. The supervisor checks your identity document and your invitation, and you confirm your personal details, which then appear on your certificate [8]. No dictionary or reference material is allowed, no scrap paper during the reading, listening and speaking sections, phones must be off, and nobody may leave the premises during the computer-based sections [8]. Latecomers are not admitted once a section has begun [8].

Can you take TEF Canada online?

Not from home, as far as the official pages go. The exam body describes the reading, listening and writing sections as “computer-based” and the speaking section as face to face with an examiner [8], and it says to register “at one of our 500 official test centers in over 110 countries” [9]. None of its TEF Canada pages describes a version taken outside a centre. “TEF Canada online” in practice means the computer-based sections at an approved centre, plus the online candidate account where registration and results are handled [11][13].

How is TEF Canada scored?

Each section is scored on a scale from 0 to 699 points [10]. In reading and listening, each correct answer earns 1 point, with no penalty for a wrong or blank answer, and the raw total is converted to a calibrated score that allows for the difficulty of the questions set [10]. Writing and speaking are marked by 2 independent evaluators against standardised grids (communication, vocabulary, grammar, organisation, fluency and so on) and also converted to a calibrated score [10].

Your results certificate shows, for each section, the score, a CEFR level from A1 to C2 (or “<A1” if A1 was not reached), and a CLB level from 1 to 12 [10].

Which column IRCC wants: “Équivalence ancien score”

TEF Canada certificates show more than one set of numbers, and IRCC wants only one of them. IRCC says your level “will be based on the ‘Équivalence ancien score’ (previous score equivalency)” and to “only enter the scores for each language ability from that column” [1]. Of the “Score / 699” column, IRCC says: “Don’t enter these results in your Express Entry profile” [1]. It warns that if the correct scores are not entered, it may refuse the application [1]. The exam body’s results pages say the same: use the “Equivalence ancien score” column in the IRCC portal [10][11].

For NCLC 7, the level the French points and the French category both require, IRCC’s ranges are [1]:

Each ability converts on its own; there is no overall level [1]. The TEF Canada score chart has every level from 4 to 10 and the rules for reading your certificate.

When do you get TEF Canada results, and how long are they valid?

The exam body gives 2 timings on 2 of its pages. Its “get your certificate” page says results arrive within 1 to 10 business days of the exam date [11]; its TEF Canada overview says “within approximately 2 weeks” [9]. Plan on the longer one.

Results come by email, with a link to an online digital safe from which you download the certificate; the exam body says no paper certificate is issued [11]. Your centre is told first and is your main contact about results [11]. The number at the bottom left of the certificate is split by a dash: the part before it is the certificate number for the IRCC form and the part after it is the PIN [10][11].

Validity. The exam body says the certificate is valid for 2 years from its date of issue [7][11]. IRCC’s rule for Express Entry is stricter in practice: results must be less than 2 years old both when you complete your profile and when you submit your permanent residence application, and an application made with expired results is refused [1]. For citizenship, expired results are accepted [5]. The exam body keeps certificates for 10 years, so save your own copy [11].

Appeals. An appeal must be filed within 30 days of the certificate’s issue date and is considered only for an anomaly or serious malfunction during the exam, which you should report to the invigilator on the day [10].

How do you register for TEF Canada?

You register with an approved centre, not with IRCC. IRCC says to schedule the test with an agency it has approved and to pay the costs [1]. The exam body’s registration page says to sign up for a session directly with one of its 500 official centres, found through its centre finder, and to do so as early as possible [13]. Once the registration is confirmed, the centre emails an invitation (convocation), which you present on the day with your identity document [13]. For TEF Canada, the identity document must be the one used in your immigration or citizenship application [12].

Fees are set by each centre and, in the exam body’s words, “can vary from one centre to another and with the number of sections” [13]. This guide lists no amounts; ask your centre or see the official registration page.

Taking it again. The exam body’s registration conditions say a candidate may not sit the same TEF section twice within 20 days, and that breaking this rule cancels the registration [12]. Its certificate page describes the same 20-day waiting period between 2 sittings and says there is no other limit on how often you may sit the exam [11]. Other websites quote other waiting periods; they are not the exam body’s pages.

Postponing. One postponement per candidate is accepted, for a justified absence reported within a month and approved by the exam body, with the new date within 6 months of the original [12]. Registration is otherwise final and an unexcused absence is not refunded [12].

TEF Canada vs TEFAQ vs TEF IRN: which TEF do you need?

Three TEF versions have Canada or immigration in their purpose, and they are not interchangeable.

Two points cause most of the confusion. First, the direction of recognition is one way: the exam body says TEF Canada is recognised by MIFI for Québec when the certificate is under 2 years old, but TEFAQ is not recognised by IRCC for a federal application [15]. Second, the “TEF changed in 2025” headlines concern TEF IRN, which the exam body says changed on 1 April 2025 to certify levels A1 to B2 [17]. The TEF Canada pages cited here describe no 2025 or 2026 change to its format.

For citizenship, IRCC’s page names TEF Canada and TCF Canada; it does not mention TEFAQ [5].

What are the official TEF Canada sample papers?

The exam body publishes sample papers for each section on its TEF Canada preparation page: a reading paper, a listening paper with its audio files, a writing paper and a speaking paper, all as downloads [14]. The same page links a training tutorial for each section and replays of its preparation workshops [14]. It also lists a training book and an online preparation platform, without saying whether they cost anything, and notes that some centres run preparation courses [14]. Start with the official preparation page.

How to prepare for TEF Canada, section by section, is a separate guide that is on its way; until then, the sample papers above are the place to begin.

Common mistakes

• Booking the wrong TEF. TEFAQ is not recognised by IRCC for a federal application, and TEF IRN is for France [15][16]. For Express Entry and citizenship, the exam is TEF Canada [1][5].
• Entering the “Score / 699” numbers in Express Entry. IRCC wants the “Équivalence ancien score” column [1].
• Sitting the 4 sections on different days. The certificate is recognised only if all sections are taken on the same day [7].
• Letting results age out. For Express Entry they must be less than 2 years old at profile and at application [1].
• Using a different identity document from your immigration file. The exam body’s conditions require the same document for TEF Canada [12].
• Expecting one overall level. IRCC converts each ability separately, and the French points and the French category need NCLC 7 in all 4 [1][2][3].
• Relying on a guide for exam facts, including this one. The exam body and IRCC update their pages. Compare their dates with the date at the top of this page.

Sources