A Guide to the Federal Skilled Worker Program (Part 2)

This guide is going into detail on the Federal Skilled Worker Program. Part One went over the details of the minimum requirements for skilled work experience, and in Part 2, we are going to cover the language requirements.

Immigration Canada looks at the following to evaluate your language skills, in English or French:

• writing
• reading
• listening
• speaking

In order to be eligible for Express Entry, you must prove your English and French language ability by:

• taking an approved language test
• getting the minimum results required by your program
• including the results when you submit your Express Entry profile

Approved language tests

You must take one of the following approved language tests:

• English
  • CELPIP: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program
    • you must take the CELPIP-General test
    • Immigration Canada does not accept the General-LS test for Express Entry
  • IELTS: International English Language Testing System
    • you must take the General Training option
    • Immigration Canada does not accept the Academic option for Express Entry
• French
  • TEF Canada: Test d’évaluation de français, including:
    • compréhension de l’écrit
    • compréhension de l’oral
    • expression écrite
    • expression orale
  • TCF Canada: Test de connaissance du français, including:
    • compréhension de l’écrit
    • compréhension de l’oral
    • expression écrite
    • expression orale

The minimum scoring for both English and French in all language abilities are as follows:

Source: Language requirements — Skilled immigrants (Express Entry)

A recent change to the language requirement is that you can now also earn up to 30 additional Express Entry points for strong French language skills (even if French is your second language), so keep this in mind if you have experience speaking French.

If you want specific tips on preparing for the IELTS exam, see our guide over here. And check out Part 3 of this guide where we discuss the education requirements for the Federal Skilled Worker Program.

And if Express Entry might be a good fit for you, make sure to sign up for our free immigration portal here to get even more help.