You will need to prove your language proficiency in most of the immigration programs for Canada.
In the case of Express Entry, the requirements for language proficiency are:
| Federal Skilled Worker Program | Federal Skilled Trades Program | Canadian Experience Class | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Language Ability | Minimum CLB 7 in English or French for all four abilities (reading, writing, listening, speaking) | Minimum CLB 5 for speaking and listening, and CLB 4 for reading and writing in English or French | Minimum CLB 7 for TEER 0 or TEER 1 jobs or CLB 5 for TEER 2 or TEER 3 jobs in English or French |
You can claim points for first language and second language. You can choose either English or French as first language and other as second language depending on your proficiency. You can prove your language proficiency only by appearing in the approved tests.
The results of these tests will prove the level of your proficiency in the language. The test results must be less than 2 years old at the time of applying.
You can get points for your English language ability according to the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) and for your French language ability according to the Niveaux de Compétence Linguistique Canadiens (NCLC).