NCLC (Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens) is Canada's national standard for French ability, the counterpart of the CLB (Canadian Language Benchmarks) for English. IRCC uses NCLC to set the language requirements of its immigration programs.
What NCLC measures
According to the Centre for Canadian Language Benchmarks (CCLB), NCLC is a descriptive scale of 12 levels, from basic to advanced, across 4 skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. NCLC is not a test. You get an NCLC level by taking a test IRCC accepts and converting your scores with IRCC's tables.
French tests IRCC accepts
- TEF Canada (Test d'évaluation de français), run by the Paris Île-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
- TCF Canada (Test de connaissance du français), run by France Éducation international.
TEF Canada conversion (tests taken after December 10, 2023)
| NCLC | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 546–699 | 558–699 | 546–699 | 556–699 |
| 9 | 503–545 | 512–557 | 503–545 | 518–555 |
| 8 | 462–502 | 472–511 | 462–502 | 494–517 |
| 7 | 434–461 | 428–471 | 434–461 | 456–493 |
| 6 | 393–433 | 379–427 | 393–433 | 422–455 |
| 5 | 352–392 | 330–378 | 352–392 | 387–421 |
| 4 | 306–351 | 268–329 | 306–351 | 328–386 |
TCF Canada conversion
| NCLC | Reading | Writing | Listening | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 549–699 | 16–20 | 549–699 | 16–20 |
| 9 | 524–548 | 14–15 | 523–548 | 14–15 |
| 8 | 499–523 | 12–13 | 503–522 | 12–13 |
| 7 | 453–498 | 10–11 | 458–502 | 10–11 |
| 6 | 406–452 | 7–9 | 398–457 | 7–9 |
| 5 | 375–405 | 6 | 369–397 | 6 |
| 4 | 342–374 | 4–5 | 331–368 | 4–5 |
How to read your scores
- Each skill is converted separately. Your NCLC level for a skill is the row whose range contains your score.
- "NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities" means your weakest skill must also reach NCLC 7.
- Example: TEF Canada listening 400 and speaking 430 give NCLC 6 in both, which meets the C16 requirement of NCLC 5 in listening and speaking.
NCLC needed for each pathway
| Pathway | French requirement |
|---|---|
| C16 work permit | NCLC 5 in listening and speaking |
| FCIP (permanent residence) | NCLC 5 in all 4 abilities |
| Express Entry French-language rounds | NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities |
| Extra CRS points for French | NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities |
Note Test results used for IRCC applications are valid for 2 years. TEF Canada has 3 conversion tables by test date (before September 30, 2019; October 1, 2019 to December 10, 2023; after December 10, 2023); use the one for your test date on IRCC's page.
TEF Canada and TCF Canada
From zero to NCLC 5: a learning roadmap
How long it takes and what it costs