New language Test for Canadian Permanent Residence Applicants.

Foreign nationals seeking to immigrate to Canada will have another testing option to prove their English language proficiency.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will accept the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) Essentials test in the future. IRCC is not currently accepting the test, but will update its official webpages once acceptance begins.

This change will enable foreign nationals under its permanent economic immigration programs to take this test in order to prove English language proficiency.

On 21 August, the Education Testing Service (ETS)—the organization that administers the TOEFL—announced that it had been added as a designated language testing organization by IRCC.

Per their news release, ETS is currently working with IRCC on “the steps leading up to acceptance [of the TOEFL Essentials] and will share timing and test location details once confirmed”.

Who is impacted by this change?

Per ETS’s official news release, the TOEFL Essentials test will be made available to candidates in IRCC’s permanent economic immigration programs.

This encompasses:

• Express Entry-managed programs

  • The Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP);

  • The Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP); and

  • The Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

• The Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP);

• Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs)*;

*Note that the PNPs are regional programs in which provinces and territories also have jurisdiction over program requirements. This may lead to selective uptake of the TOEFL Essentials test.

About the TOEFL Essentials test

The TOEFL Essentials test is designed to measure the four core English skills—listening, reading, writing, and speaking—through “practical, task-based activities that reflect real-life communication”.

The test lasts roughly 1.5 hours and will be available at a secure test centre in Canada or worldwide.