TEF Canada results are valid for 2 years. For Express Entry, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) requires them to be less than 2 years old when you create your profile and when you submit your permanent residence application. The starting point of those 2 years is not worded the same way everywhere: to be safe, count from the date of your test.
Two years, but from which date?
On this point, the TEF's publisher contradicts itself. Its TEF Canada, TEF Québec and TEF IRN pages, as well as its registration conditions, start the validity period from the date the certificate is issued. Its home page devoted to the TEF, however, refers to the date on which the test was taken.
IRCC and Québec's immigration ministry do not specify the reference date. Between the test date and the certificate date, the gap is usually a few days, since the publisher announces results within 1 to 10 business days. Counting from the test date protects you in every case.
So write the date of your test in your calendar, then the anniversary date two years later. That is your real deadline for submitting any application.
What IRCC requires for Express Entry
According to IRCC, your test must be less than 2 years old at two points: when you create your Express Entry profile, and when you submit your permanent residence application after an invitation. A test that is valid at the time of the invitation but has expired by the time you apply is not enough.
If your results expire between the invitation and the application, you have to retake the test before applying, according to the IRCC rules reviewed by our research. For the draws reserved for French speakers, IRCC also specifies that the test must be less than 2 years old. Our review of Express Entry French draws details these rounds.
A recent test is not enough if it does not reach the right level. Before booking a date, measure where you stand: take a listening comprehension mock test under exam conditions. Mock tests marked “Free” are available with a free account.
Québec, citizenship and France
Each procedure applies the 2-year rule in its own way:
- Québec: a TEF Canada is accepted if it is 2 years old or less on the date of the application, according to the publisher and the Government of Québec.
- Canadian citizenship: according to the IRCC Help Centre, expired results are accepted if they were used for your permanent residence application.
- France: the TEF IRN, used for residence permits and naturalisation, is also valid for 2 years, according to the publisher.
For Québec, the thresholds differ from the federal ones: our article on the French level for the PSTQ and the PEQ details them program by program.
Planning your dates without unpleasant surprises
The Express Entry timeline does not depend on you alone: nobody can predict the date of an invitation. The older your test is when you create your profile, the greater the risk of seeing it expire before you submit your application.
| Step | What to check |
|---|---|
| Test date | Safe starting point for the 2 years |
| Receiving the results | 1 to 10 business days according to the publisher, sometimes longer depending on the centre |
| Creating the Express Entry profile | Test less than 2 years old |
| Invitation | Check the expiry date of your results |
| Submitting the permanent residence application | Test still less than 2 years old |
If the expiry date is approaching, plan a new sitting ahead of time. You need to allow at least 20 days between two sittings, plus your centre's registration deadline and the time it takes to get the results. Our article on retaking the TEF Canada details these rules.
Your certificate remains accessible
The TEF Canada certificate is digital: you receive an email with a link to a digital vault, and there is no paper version. According to the publisher, the certificate is kept for 10 years. This storage period does not extend its validity for immigration purposes, which remains 2 years.
Tests taken before December 11, 2023 followed an old scoring grid. They are now more than 2 years old and can no longer be used for Express Entry. Our article on TEF Canada results explains how to read the current certificate.
Frequently asked questions
My TEF expires after the invitation: what should I do?
According to IRCC, your results must be valid on the day you submit your permanent residence application. If they expire before then, retake the test and use the new results. Plan ahead for the minimum of 20 days between two sittings and for the time it takes to get the results.
Is my 2023 TEF Canada still valid?
No: if it was taken in 2023, it is now more than 2 years old. It can no longer be used for Express Entry. For citizenship, expired results are still accepted if they were used for your permanent residence application, according to IRCC.
Can the validity of the TEF be extended?
No extension appears in the rules reviewed by our research. Only a new test gives you new results, which are in turn valid for 2 years.
Is the validity the same for the TCF Canada?
Yes, the TCF Canada is also valid for 2 years, from the date the results are issued, according to France Éducation international. Our TEF or TCF Canada comparison presents the other differences between the two tests.
In short
Count the 2 years of validity from your test date and check them at each stage: profile, invitation, application. To take the test at the right time, prepare in advance: complete a writing mock test, then look at the subscription, which gives access to the other mock tests. Our article on CLB 7 (NCLC 7 in French) on the TEF Canada sets out the scores to aim for.
Réussir Mon TEF is an independent practice platform. It is not affiliated with Le français des affaires (CCI Paris Île-de-France), which designs the TEF, or with any immigration authority. Our mock tests are original: they are not official test papers.