Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program: Language testing

From Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

On this page

• How to prove your language ability
• Language tests you can take
• How to find your language level based on your test results

How to prove your language ability

To immigrate through the Rural and Northern Immigration Pilot Program, you must prove your ability in English or French.

To do so, you must take an approved language test. The test shows your abilities in writing, reading, listening and speaking.

To measure your levels, we use the

• Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for French

You must

• schedule your test and pay the fees
• have results that are less than 2 years old when you apply
• include the results of your test when you apply
  • if you don’t include them, we’ll send your application back to you without processing it
• meet the minimum language requirements of your job offer when you apply

The minimum language requirements are based on the NOC TEER category of your job offer

• job offer in TEER 0 or 1: CLB/NCLC 6
• job offer in TEER 2 or 3: CLB/NCLC 5
• job offer in TEER 4 or 5: CLB/NCLC 4

Don’t ask for your language test results to be sent directly to us. Submit your test information with your application. Keep your original test in a safe place. We may ask for it later.

Language tests you can take

You can take any of these approved language tests

English

• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP)
  • you must take the CELPIP-General Test
  • we don’t accept the CELPIP General-LS Test
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
  • you must take the IELTS General Training option
  • we don’t accept the IELTS Academic option

French

• TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) – You must submit results from these TEF tests as proof of your French-language skills
  • Compréhension écrite
  • Compréhension orale
  • Expression écrite
  • Expression orale

We’ll accept TEF results if you wrote your test before March 1, 2020. If you wrote the test on or after March 1, 2020, you need to provide TEF Canada test results.

• TCF Canada : Test de connaissance du français (French only) – You must submit results from these TCF Canada tests as proof of your French-language skills
  • Compréhension écrite
  • Compréhension orale
  • Expression écrite
  • Expression orale

How to find your language level based on your test results

Use your test results to find your CLB or NCLC level in the tables below