Niveau7
Sign inStart free

Francophone Mobility program: the NCLC 5 French requirement, your family and the road to PR

For a Francophone Mobility work permit applied for on or after June 15, 2023, IRCC asks you to prove French speaking and listening at NCLC 5 or higher; reading and writing aren't required. You prove it with TEF or TCF results, or with proof of a college or university program in French. On the TCF Canada, NCLC 5 in speaking is 6 out of 20; on the TEF Canada it starts at 387 out of 699 (226 in the old-score column).

What IRCC asks for

IRCC's Francophone Mobility eligibility page (page details dated April 20, 2026) says you must "be able to prove that your speaking and listening skills in French are at an intermediate level", equivalent to NCLC level 5 or higher. Before June 15, 2023, the bar was NCLC 7 in all four TEF or TCF tests.

The other conditions:

  • Where: you must live and work in one of the 9 provinces or 3 territories outside Quebec.
  • Which jobs: any TEER category, except primary agriculture occupations in TEER 4 and 5.
  • Permit type: an employer-specific work permit with an LMIA exemption (code C16).
  • Employer steps: before you apply, your employer submits the job offer in the IRCC Employer Portal under LMIA-exemption code C16, pays the $230 employer compliance fee, and gives you the 7-digit offer of employment number.
  • Your fees: IRCC's program page lists $155. Unless you're exempt, you also give biometrics, which IRCC lists at $85 for an individual applicant.
  • You must also meet the general work permit requirements.

How you prove your French: IRCC's how-to-apply page (dated April 21, 2026) asks for "speaking and listening Test d'évaluation de français (TEF) or Test de connaissance du français (TCF) results" showing NCLC level 5 or higher. Instead of a test, you can send "a written confirmation from a college or university for a program in French" (a transcript or an official letter of completion) or "other documents that show education in French". IRCC adds: "You don't need to prove you can read or write in French to be eligible for this LMIA exemption."

What NCLC 5 means on each test

These are the NCLC 5 bands for the two abilities Francophone Mobility looks at, from IRCC's Express Entry equivalency tables and CCI Paris Île-de-France's TEF table. "NCLC 5 or higher" means at least the bottom of the band.

Test Speaking: NCLC 5 band Listening: NCLC 5 band
TCF Canada 6 / 20 369–397 / 699
TEF Canada, score on the certificate (/699, since Dec 11, 2023) 387–421 330–378
TEF Canada, "Équivalence ancien score" column 226–270 / 450 181–216 / 360

Worked lookups (by Niveau7, from the tables above):

  • TCF Canada: speaking 6/20 and listening 380/699 → NCLC 5 in both. Meets NCLC 5.
  • TCF Canada: speaking 5/20 and listening 420/699 → speaking is NCLC 4 (4–5/20), listening NCLC 6. Speaking falls short by one point.
  • TEF Canada: speaking 401/699 and listening 365/699 → NCLC 5 in both. Meets NCLC 5.
  • TEF Canada: speaking 470/699 and listening 320/699 → speaking NCLC 7, listening NCLC 4 (268–329). Listening falls short.

Full tables for all four abilities: TEF Canada score chart and TCF Canada score chart.

Your spouse and children

IRCC's Francophone Mobility "after you apply" page (dated July 28, 2026) says: "If your spouse or common-law partner or your dependent children want to work in Canada, they may be able to apply for an open work permit." It also says your dependent children can go to school or university while you work in Canada, and may need a study permit.

The Francophone Mobility pages don't set special family rules, so IRCC's general rules for the family of a foreign worker apply (IRCC's family eligibility page, dated June 12, 2026). If you are not yet on a pathway to permanent residence:

  • Spouse or common-law partner: since January 21, 2025, they may get an open work permit only if your job is in TEER 0 or 1, or in a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation on IRCC's list, and your own permit is valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives their application.
  • Dependent children: since January 21, 2025, they are no longer eligible for an open work permit under this measure.
  • TEER 4 or 5 jobs: since January 21, 2025, family members are not eligible for an open work permit under this measure.

Different rules apply if you are already on a pathway to permanent residence (for example, with a provincial nomination): check IRCC's family eligibility page. IRCC's page on work permits for family members lists a $155 work permit fee and a $100 open work permit holder fee.

From Francophone Mobility to permanent residence

IRCC's "after you apply" page says: "If you want to stay in Canada longer, apply for permanent residence as soon as you meet the eligibility criteria." The Francophone Mobility pages don't name a specific program (as of November 1, 2026).

Express Entry is one route, and IRCC also runs a pilot for French-speaking communities:

  • Canadian Experience Class (IRCC eligibility page, dated October 16, 2026): at least 1 year of paid work in Canada (1,560 hours) in the 3 years before you apply, in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, gained "while authorized to work under temporary resident status". You must plan to live outside Quebec. The language minimum, in all four abilities, is NCLC 7 for TEER 0 and 1 jobs and NCLC 5 for TEER 2 and 3 jobs (IRCC's Express Entry language page).
  • French-language proficiency draws: NCLC 7 in all four abilities, and you must be eligible for one of the three Express Entry programs. As of October 27, 2026, there were 12 French draws in 2026, with 60,500 invitations and cutoffs from 382 to 435. NCLC 7 in all four French abilities also adds 25 or 50 CRS points.
  • Francophone Community Immigration Pilot (IRCC pilot page, dated April 30, 2026): it "offers permanent residence (PR) to skilled workers who want to work and settle in rural remote Francophone-minority communities". The 6 communities are the Acadian Peninsula (NB), Sudbury, Timmins and the Superior East Region (ON), St. Pierre Jolys (MB) and Kelowna (BC). You need a job offer from a designated employer in the community, at least 1 year (1,560 hours) of related work experience in the past 3 years, and an approved language test.

So NCLC 5 in speaking and listening gets you the work permit, but every Express Entry route tests all four abilities, including reading and writing, which Francophone Mobility never tests: at least NCLC 5 in each for the Canadian Experience Class with a TEER 2 or 3 job, and NCLC 7 in each for the French draws. The details: Express Entry French category and NCLC 7 on each test.

Illustration by Niveau7 (not a real case): someone hired under C16 in a TEER 2 job who works full time for a year could meet the Canadian Experience Class work rule. They would still need a language test in all four abilities: NCLC 5 in each for the Canadian Experience Class, or NCLC 7 in each to enter the French draws.

What NCLC 5 sounds like, next to NCLC 7

Example written by Niveau7 (not a real candidate), on a TCF Canada Task 3-style question from our bank (tcf3-031): « L’hiver canadien est-il un obstacle pour les nouveaux arrivants, ou une occasion de découvrir un autre mode de vie ? »

  • Around NCLC 5: « Pour moi, l’hiver est difficile. Il fait très froid et il y a beaucoup de neige. Mais on peut faire du ski. Donc c’est un obstacle et une occasion. » Clear, on topic, simple sentences, few connectors, little development.
  • Toward NCLC 7: « À mon avis, c’est d’abord un obstacle, surtout la première année : il faut s’équiper, et les journées courtes pèsent sur le moral. Cela dit, ceux qui essaient la raquette ou le patin découvrent souvent une autre façon de vivre la saison. » A position, a reason with detail, then a nuance.

Which test for NCLC 5 speaking?

The two speaking tests differ in format: 15 minutes and two role-plays for the TEF Canada, 12 minutes and three tasks for the TCF Canada. Compare them in TEF vs TCF, then learn the format: TEF Canada speaking or TCF Canada speaking.

Aim for NCLC 5 with Niveau7

Practise the TEF or TCF speaking test with Niveau7 Do each task out loud, on the real clock, with an AI examiner who plays the part and never helps. Right after: an estimated NCLC (an estimate, not an official result), a level for each of the six criteria in Niveau7's report, and your three most useful fixes, on your own sentences. 7 days free, then a weekly or monthly plan, cancel anytime. Start your free week with the TCF · or with the TEF

Frequently asked questions

What French level do I need for the Francophone Mobility program?

NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening, for applications made on or after June 15, 2023. IRCC calls it an intermediate level. Reading and writing aren't part of the requirement.

Can my spouse get an open work permit?

Possibly. IRCC's Francophone Mobility pages say family members "may be able to apply". Under IRCC's general rules since January 21, 2025, a spouse or common-law partner qualifies only if your job is in TEER 0 or 1 (or a select TEER 2 or 3 occupation) and your permit is valid for at least 16 months after IRCC receives their application. Dependent children no longer qualify for an open work permit under that measure.

Can Francophone Mobility lead to permanent residence?

It is a temporary work permit, and IRCC's pages tell you to apply for permanent residence once you meet a program's criteria. One route is Express Entry: a year of skilled work in Canada can count toward the Canadian Experience Class, and NCLC 7 in all four French abilities opens the French-language draws. IRCC's Francophone Community Immigration Pilot is another, in 6 communities outside Quebec. See Express Entry French category.

How long is the work permit, and can I extend it?

IRCC's Francophone Mobility pages don't state a length or a maximum, three-year or otherwise (as of November 1, 2026); the permit is tied to your employer and your job offer. IRCC's general extension pages say to apply at least 30 days before your permit expires, that you can't extend a work permit beyond your passport's expiry date, and that if you apply before it expires you can keep working under the same conditions while IRCC decides.

How do I apply, step by step?

  1. Your employer submits the job offer in the IRCC Employer Portal under LMIA-exemption code C16, pays the $230 employer compliance fee and gives you the offer of employment number.
  2. You gather your proof of French (TEF or TCF speaking and listening results at NCLC 5 or higher, or proof of education in French) and the other documents IRCC's how-to-apply page lists.
  3. You apply for the work permit, pay the $155 fee and, unless you're exempt, give biometrics ($85).

Do I need to be from a French-speaking country?

IRCC's eligibility page doesn't list a nationality or country condition (as of November 1, 2026). What it asks for is French speaking and listening at NCLC 5 or higher, a job offer under C16 and a job outside Quebec.

Does the job have to be in French?

IRCC's Francophone Mobility pages don't say the job itself must be in French (as of November 1, 2026). What they require is your French speaking and listening at NCLC 5 or higher, and a job outside Quebec.

What TCF Canada or TEF Canada score is NCLC 5?

TCF Canada: 6 out of 20 in speaking and 369 to 397 out of 699 in listening. TEF Canada: 387 to 421 out of 699 in speaking (226 to 270 in the old-score column) and 330 to 378 in listening (181 to 216). Anything higher also meets "NCLC 5 or higher".

Can I work in Quebec with a Francophone Mobility work permit?

No. IRCC's eligibility page says you must live and work in one of the provinces or territories outside Quebec.

Does it have to be the TEF Canada or the TCF Canada?

IRCC's how-to-apply page asks for TEF or TCF speaking and listening results without naming a version (as of November 1, 2026). Express Entry accepts only TEF Canada and TCF Canada, with results less than 2 years old, so those versions make sense if you plan to use the same results for permanent residence.

Sources

Last checked: November 1, 2026.

Niveau7 is an independent practice tool. It is not affiliated with France Éducation International (TCF Canada), CCI Paris Île-de-France (TEF Canada) or IRCC.