On August 11, IRCC published the criteria to determine whether to approve language testing organizations or not. 

IRCC needs language tests for economic class PR applicants & SDS applicants to ensure that applicants meet the required French/ English language proficiency level. 

These language standards/measures are in place for IRCC to confirm that a candidate is well-placed to integrate into Canada. Moreover, when it comes to economic class applicants, a language test score can impact your overall human capital score, which is used by federal & provincial pathways to rank applicants. Under the federal Express Entry system, the highest-ranking applicants are invited to apply for PR. 

The language testing organizations’ criteria must be met to earn IRCC designation. This is a notable development since IRCC previously acknowledged no such criteria, thus making it a challenge for additional language tests to be offered to economic class as well as SDS applicants. 

However, in the absence of such criteria, language testing organizations aren’t sure which requirements they need to meet to be approved by IRCC. 

IRCC’s Criteria To Obtain Designation As Language Testing Organizations 

IRCC’s website lists the four points as the main criteria: 

  • Expertise

A test should be suitable for IRCC purposes by evaluating/ assessing proficiency in the four skill areas, i.e., listening, writing, reading, & speaking in English/ French at all levels from basic to high proficiency. 

  • Reliability

A test must produce similar scores among applicants with similar language proficiency. The various test versions must be at the same difficulty level every time a test/ examination is written. 

  • Integrity/ Security

A designated testing agency must meet the security standards concerning logistics for preparing test sites, registering applicants, test ranking & marking, giving results, etc. Sufficient anti-fraud mechanisms must be in place for a test to get approved.

  • Availability     

A designated testing agency for IRCC purposes must be able to make tests available to applicants in all parts of Canada & abroad where there is sufficient demand for third-party language testing. 

Which Test Results Are Approved By IRCC For Economic Class Immigration? 

There are currently five language testing agencies in total which IRCC approves.

  • English 

  • CELPIP General 
  • IELTS General Training 

  • French 

  • TEF Canada: Test d’evaluation de francais 
  • TCF Canada: Test de connaissance de francais 

IRCC has approved the PTE, i.e., Pearson Test Of English & it is anticipated to be accepted by IRCC as of late 2023. 

Which Tests Does IRCC Approve For The SDS? 

On August 10, IRCC began accepting four newly approved English language Tests for SDS: 

  • CELPIP General
  • Canadian Academic English Language 
  • Pearson Test Of English Academic 
  • TOEFL, i.e., Test of English as a Foreign Language Internet-Based Test 

Moreover, the English language tests mentioned below are also accepted by IRCC for SDS: 

  • IELTS General Training
  • IELTS Academic