After the exam
TEF results and validity
Getting the score is the easy half. Two timing rules and one data-entry rule cause more refused and delayed applications than any amount of weak French.
The Express Entry timing trap
Being valid when you enter the pool is not enough. IRCC requires the result to be less than two years old when you complete your Express Entry profile and still less than two years old when you submit the permanent-residence application. If your certificate expires in the gap between the two, the application can be refused. If you are sitting in the pool with a result approaching two years, book a retake before you get an invitation, not after.
Reading your certificate
Your certificate shows a calibrated score out of 699 for each component, plus a CEFR level. It also shows an “Équivalence ancien score / Old score equivalence” field.
Both IRCC and CCI currently instruct TEF Canada candidates to use that old-score-equivalence value where the IRCC form asks for it, rather than substituting the raw 0–699 number. This is counter-intuitive enough that people get it wrong constantly. Read the form field carefully and enter exactly what it asks for.
Neither number is your NCLC level. To find that, run each score through the score calculator, which applies IRCC's skill-specific conversion.
Validity by purpose
| Purpose | Rule |
|---|---|
| General use | Two years from the test date |
| Express Entry | Under two years at profile creation AND at PR submission |
| Canadian citizenship | Qualifying expired results can still be accepted |
| Quebec (MIFI) | Generally two years old or less at submission |
Common questions
How long do TEF results take?
CCI states results are normally transmitted within 1 to 10 business days after the test, delivered electronically through a secure online system rather than as a paper certificate. Its own journey overview summarises this as roughly two weeks.
How long is a TEF result valid?
Two years for most purposes, including Quebec, where MIFI generally requires results to be two years old or less when you submit.
What is the 'old score equivalence' on my certificate?
It is a second set of numbers printed alongside your 0–699 scores. IRCC's online systems currently instruct TEF Canada candidates to enter that Équivalence ancien score value where the form asks for it, rather than the new raw score. Entering the wrong one is among the most consequential data-entry errors in the whole process.
Can I use an expired TEF result?
For Express Entry, no. For Canadian citizenship, yes - IRCC states that qualifying previous language-test evidence may be used even if the TEF result has expired.
In development
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- All four skills in real exam format
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- Results in NCLC, per skill