Applying for citizenship
Citizenship language requirement: is your proof enough?
Enter your age when you sign and your speaking and listening levels: you see at once whether the requirement applies and whether you meet it.
Is my language result enough?
Language requirement
Met
| Level needed | CLB/NCLC 4 in speaking and listening |
| Speaking | enough |
| Listening | enough |
Reading and writing are not assessed for citizenship.
For Canadian citizenship, applicants aged 18 to 54 on the day they sign must show they can speak and understand English or French at CLB/NCLC 4 or higher. Only speaking and listening are assessed; reading and writing are not. The proof goes in with the application, and IRCC accepts four kinds. A secondary or post-secondary diploma, certificate or transcript from a program taught in English or French, in Canada or abroad, is often the simplest. An approved test works too, with these minimum results for listening and speaking: CELPIP-General 4 / 4, IELTS General Training 4.5 / 4.0, PTE Core 28 / 42, TEF Canada B1 and TCF Canada B1. Government-funded language training (LINC or CLIC) completed at CLB 4 or above is accepted, as are certain provincial programs. Applicants under 18 and those aged 55 or over send no language proof. In other words, the proof is a document you gather before signing, not an exam set by IRCC.
Do I have to take the test?
Test and language proof
Not required
| Ages concerned | 18 to 54 |
| Why | 55 or over |
| Still required | 1,095 days, taxes, record |
Questions, counts and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Who needs to prove it
The requirement depends on your age on the day you sign the application. Between 18 and 54, proof is part of the file. Outside that band, no proof is asked: children apply without it, and so do adults aged 55 or over. The same age band applies to the citizenship test, as the second calculator on this page shows. The level is CLB/NCLC 4 in speaking and listening, on the Canadian Language Benchmarks or their French counterpart, the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens.
Four ways to prove your level
- Education in English or French. A secondary or post-secondary diploma, certificate or transcript from a program taught in one of the two languages, in Canada or abroad.
- An approved test. One of the five tests in the table below, with at least the scores shown.
- Government-funded language training. LINC (in English) or CLIC (in French) at CLB 4 or above. A certificate is needed for training on or after November 1, 2012; for January 2008 to October 2012, a box on the form lets IRCC check it electronically.
- Provincial programs. British Columbia ELSA, Saskatchewan EAL, Manitoba programs, Nova Scotia PENS, Ontario ESL or FSL certificates dated December 2013 or later, and Quebec MIFI or MEES training at level 4 of the Échelle québécoise.
Approved tests and minimum results
| Test | Listening / speaking needed | Note |
|---|---|---|
| CELPIP-General | 4 / 4 | tests from April 1, 2014 |
| IELTS General Training | 4.5 / 4.0 | Academic not accepted |
| PTE Core | 28 / 42 | |
| TEF Canada | B1 | tests from July 1, 2012 |
| TCF Canada | B1 |
Only listening and speaking scores matter here. A weak reading or writing score in the same test does not stop you, because those skills are not assessed for citizenship. A test you passed for permanent residence may already be enough, provided it is one of the five and meets the dates above.
Choosing the cheapest valid proof
Before paying for a test, look at what you already have. A diploma from a program taught in English or French, even from your home country, settles the question without a new exam. So does a LINC or CLIC certificate, or one of the provincial certificates. A test makes sense when none of these apply, and then any of the five will do: pick the one offered closest to you, in the language you are strongest in. Costs of a test are not IRCC fees; the fee calculator lets you add yours to the household total.
Language and the citizenship test
The language proof and the knowledge test are separate. The proof shows you can communicate; the test checks what you know about Canada. IRCC’s language rules concern only the first. Applicants who fail the test three times meet a citizenship official at a hearing, where language is assessed again with spoken questions. Practising with our mock test in the language you will use on the day helps on both fronts. The full list of accepted proof is on IRCC’s page of approved tests, and the page on age exemptions explains what changes at 55.