TCF Canada for Express Entry, minimums and CRS points

Yes. IRCC accepts TCF Canada as proof of French for Express Entry, alongside TEF Canada. The result must be less than 2 years old, and the programs with a high bar ask for NCLC 7 in all four skills.

Which tests IRCC accepts

For French, IRCC takes TEF Canada and TCF Canada. For English it takes CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. TCF Québec is not on the list. See TCF Canada or TCF Québec.

IRCC uses NCLC for French results and CLB for English ones. The score chart converts your TCF Canada scores.

Language minimums by program

Program	Language minimum
Federal Skilled Worker	NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities in the first official language. A second official language needs CLB or NCLC 5 if you want to claim points for it.
Canadian Experience Class, TEER 0 or 1 job	NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities
Canadian Experience Class, TEER 2 or 3 job	NCLC 5 in all 4 abilities
Federal Skilled Trades	Speaking and listening NCLC 5, reading and writing NCLC 4

The 2-year limit applies twice

Your results must be less than 2 years old twice, when you complete your profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. If they have expired by then, the application is refused. TCF Canada is valid for 2 years from the date results are issued, and that date is printed on the attestation.

IRCC’s page says only “less than 2 years old” and does not say which date it counts from. If you are waiting for an invitation, check the validity date on your attestation and keep a margin. More in results, validity and retakes.

You enter your results by skill in your Express Entry profile. The system may also ask for the certificate number and test PIN, so have the attestation in front of you before you start.

CRS points for language

The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores each ability separately. For your first official language, the points per ability are as follows.

Level	Without spouse	With spouse
Below NCLC 4	0	0
NCLC 4 or 5	6	6
NCLC 6	9	8
NCLC 7	17	16
NCLC 8	23	22
NCLC 9	31	29
NCLC 10 and above	34	32

That adds up to a maximum of 136 points without a spouse and 128 with one. A second official language earns, per ability, 0 points up to CLB 4, 1 point at CLB 5 or 6, 3 points at CLB 7 or 8 and 6 points at CLB 9 or above. The maximum there is 24 points without a spouse and 22 with one.

French bonus points

With NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills, you also get one of these bonuses.

• 25 points if your English is CLB 4 or lower, or you have no English test.
• 50 points if you also have CLB 5 or higher in all four English skills.

Worked example

Take a single person whose first language is French, with NCLC 7 in all four skills and no English test.

Item	Calculation	Points
First official language	4 abilities × 17	68
French bonus (NCLC 7 or higher, no English)	flat	25
Language total	68 + 25	93

At NCLC 8 in all four, it becomes 4 × 23 = 92, plus 25 = 117. These are language points only. Age, education, experience and the rest are added on top, so 93 is not a full CRS score.

Skill transferability

Language also feeds the transferability points. Education combined with CLB 7 or higher in all first-language abilities (one or more under 9) gives 13 or 25 points depending on the credential, and 25 or 50 with CLB 9 or higher in all four. Foreign work experience with CLB 7 or higher also counts. IRCC’s CRS criteria page has the full grid.

A CRS change on 3 November 2026

IRCC’s notice on its CRS page says the CRS changes from 3 November 2026. Points for Canadian work experience and job offers change, and the LMIA requirement for job offers is removed. Invitation rounds are paused for up to two weeks while profiles are recalculated. The notice does not mention a change to language points. Check the CRS page before relying on any number here.

The French-language proficiency category

This category invites candidates with NCLC 7 in all 4 French abilities who meet the round’s instructions. In 2026 up to 27 October there were 12 rounds and 60,500 invitations, with the lowest score invited ranging from 382 to 435. The latest round, on 27 October, issued 5,000 invitations at 407.

Those are past rounds, and IRCC does not publish future cut-offs. See NCLC 7 at TCF Canada for more, and IRCC’s page for the rounds.