Is DELF or DALF accepted for Canada PR? What counts, and what to do with your diploma

If you hold a DELF or DALF and want Canadian permanent residence through Express Entry, the answer is short: IRCC does not accept it. For French, the approved tests are [TEF Canada](/exams/tef-canada) and [TCF Canada](/exams/tcf-canada), and only those two. The good news is that the French you learned for the diploma is exactly what those tests measure.

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French tests IRCC accepts for Express Entry

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CRS points for a DELF or DALF

2 years

How long a TEF or TCF Canada result is valid

IRCC's language testing page for Express Entry lists the approved tests by name. For English: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. For French: TEF Canada (Test d'évaluation de français) and TCF Canada (Test de connaissance du français). The list is the whole list. A test that is not on it can't be entered in your profile.

The citizenship column comes from IRCC's citizenship language page, which is wider than the Express Entry list (details in TEF and TCF Canada for citizenship). The Québec column is covered in TEF AQ and TCF Québec vs TEF/TCF Canada. Rules for both change, so confirm on the official page before you rely on a diploma.

IRCC gives points by NCLC level per skill: listening, reading, writing and speaking each get their own number. TEF Canada and TCF Canada report a separate score for each skill, and IRCC publishes a table that converts each score to an NCLC level (TEF chart, TCF chart).

A DELF or DALF works differently. It is a pass-or-fail diploma at one [CEFR](/glossary#cefr) level, based on a total across the four skills. Two people with a DELF B2 can have very different writing or speaking. That doesn't fit a points system that needs NCLC 7 in every skill. There is also a time difference: DELF and DALF are valid for life, while IRCC wants a language result less than 2 years old when you create your profile and when you apply for PR (how validity works).

• Canadian citizenship. IRCC's citizenship list accepts DELF at B1 or higher and DALF. So once you are a permanent resident, your diploma can serve as language proof when you apply for citizenship.
• Québec. Québec runs its own selection and accepts DELF and DALF among other French tests. Express Entry and Québec are separate systems, so a Québec-only result does nothing for your CRS.
• Study and work. Schools and employers may accept a DELF or DALF as proof of French. That is their choice, so check with the institution.
• Your own planning. It is a good sign of where you stand. A DELF B2 means you passed a B2 exam, and NCLC 7 is a very strong B1 edging into B2 (see CEFR vs NCLC vs CLB).

For the Francophone Mobility work permit, IRCC asks for NCLC 5 in speaking and listening, and its page does not name DELF as proof. Most people use a TEF or TCF Canada result there too. See Francophone Mobility and French PNPs.

Québec is one place a DELF or DALF can count. See the French tests and levels Québec accepts for the PSTQ.

You are probably close, but not guaranteed. A B2 pass is a strong base for NCLC 7, the level that unlocks the French bonus and French category draws. The risk is one weak skill: DELF lets a strong skill carry a weaker one, and IRCC does not.

1. 1Find your weakest skillLook at your DELF section marks (each is out of 25). The lowest one is the skill to train first. A quick check with the French level self-assessment helps if your diploma is old.
2. 2Choose TEF Canada or TCF CanadaBoth convert to the same NCLC scale. The formats differ: TCF writing and speaking are scored out of 20, TEF uses longer scales. The TEF or TCF quiz and TEF vs TCF Canada help you pick.
3. 3Learn the target per skillFor NCLC 7 on TCF Canada: listening 458, reading 453, writing 10, speaking 10. On TEF Canada: 249, 207, 310 and 310 (ancien score). Details in the NCLC 7 score guide.
4. 4Practise the format, not just the FrenchTiming and task types are different from DELF. Do at least two timed mocks before the real test. Our TEF Canada mock and TCF Canada mock cover listening and reading. TCF tasks are covered in TCF Canada writing tasks.
5. 5Book the seat earlySeats at popular centres sell out. Check TEF Canada dates and TCF Canada dates and plan backwards from when you want to enter the pool.