Yes, you can meet the Atlantic Immigration Program (AIP) language requirement entirely in French. IRCC accepts TCF Canada and TEF Canada. With a job offer in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, you need NCLC 5 in all four abilities. With a job offer in TEER 4, you need NCLC 4. Results must be less than 2 years old when you apply.
That's a much lower bar than Express Entry's French bonus (NCLC 7), and the AIP has no CRS score to compete on. What decides your case is a job offer from a designated employer in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island or Newfoundland and Labrador. This guide gives the exact TCF and TEF scores, shows where French really helps in Atlantic Canada, and lays out the steps.
AIP language rules
- Job offer in TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 (all 4 abilities)
- NCLC 5
- Job offer in TEER 4 (all 4 abilities)
- NCLC 4
- Maximum age of results when you apply
- 2 years
- Provinces: NB, NS, PEI, NL
- 4
How the AIP works
The AIP is a permanent residence program for skilled workers and recent graduates of a post-secondary institution in Atlantic Canada, living abroad or in Canada as temporary residents. It's employer-driven:
- Each province designates employers. Designation is free for the employer.
- A designated employer makes you a job offer.
- A settlement service provider helps you build a settlement plan, which your employer submits with an endorsement application to the province.
- The province issues an endorsement certificate (and, if you need one, a letter to support a work permit while you wait).
- You apply for permanent residence with IRCC.
For the PR application, IRCC's checklist asks you to: hold a valid job offer from a designated employer, have qualifying work experience (recent Atlantic graduates may be exempt), have the right level of education for the job offered, prove your language abilities with an approved test, show settlement funds (not needed if you already live and work in Canada on a valid work permit) and have a settlement plan.
The job offer
IRCC's job-offer page says the offer must be:
- full-time (at least 30 hours a week) and non-seasonal;
- for at least 1 year from the time you become a permanent resident for TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3, or permanent with no set end date for TEER 4;
- at the same or a higher skill level than your qualifying work experience.
The TEER of this job offer sets your language level. Find it in the National Occupational Classification before you book a test.
The AIP language requirement
| TEER of your job offer | Minimum level (all 4 abilities) | Accepted French tests |
|---|---|---|
| TEER 0, 1, 2 or 3 | NCLC 5 (French) or CLB 5 (English) | TCF Canada, TEF Canada |
| TEER 4 | NCLC 4 (French) or CLB 4 (English) | TCF Canada, TEF Canada |
Points to remember:
- All four abilities count separately. Listening, reading, writing and speaking each need the level. One skill below it and you don't qualify.
- Only the Canada versions count. IRCC lists TEF Canada and TCF Canada. The TEFAQ, TCF Québec, DELF and DALF aren't on the AIP list.
- French or English is your choice. You need one approved test, not both.
TCF Canada scores
IRCC uses its standard TCF Canada table. NCLC 5 is highlighted; the row below it is NCLC 4:
| NCLC | Listening /699 | Reading /699 | Writing /20 | Speaking /20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10+ | 549–699 | 549–699 | 16–20 | 16–20 |
| 9 | 523–548 | 524–548 | 14–15 | 14–15 |
| 8 | 503–522 | 499–523 | 12–13 | 12–13 |
| 7 | 458–502 | 453–498 | 10–11 | 10–11 |
| 6 | 398–457 | 406–452 | 7–9 | 7–9 |
| 5 | 369–397 | 375–405 | 6 | 6 |
| 4 | 331–368 | 342–374 | 4–5 | 4–5 |
TCF Canada: listening and reading out of 699, writing and speaking out of 20. Source: IRCC equivalency table.
In short: NCLC 5 starts at 369 listening, 375 reading and 6/20 writing and speaking. NCLC 4 starts at 331, 342 and 4/20.
TEF Canada scores: use the /699 table
The AIP page publishes TEF Canada tables split by test date, and for recent tests they use the certificate's /699 scores. That's different from Express Entry, which uses the "Équivalence ancien score" column. For a test taken after 10 December 2023:
TEF Canada score /699 → NCLC (tests from 11 Dec 2023)
| NCLC | Listeningout of 699 | Readingout of 699 | Writingout of 699 | Speakingout of 699 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | 615–699 | 615–699 | 619–699 | 642–699 |
| 11 | 573–614 | 573–614 | 577–618 | 592–641 |
| 10 | 546–572 | 546–572 | 558–576 | 556–591 |
| 9 | 503–545 | 503–545 | 512–557 | 518–555 |
| 8 | 462–502 | 462–502 | 472–511 | 494–517 |
| 7 | 434–461 | 434–461 | 428–471 | 456–493 |
| 6 | 393–433 | 393–433 | 379–427 | 422–455 |
| 5 | 352–392 | 352–392 | 330–378 | 387–421 |
| 4 | 306–351 | 306–351 | 268–329 | 328–386 |
| TEF Canada (/699) | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCLC 5 (TEER 0–3) | 352 | 352 | 330 | 387 |
| NCLC 4 (TEER 4) | 306 | 306 | 268 | 328 |
Speaking has the highest cut-off at both levels, so it's usually the skill to protect. For a deeper look at both TEF columns, see the TEF Canada score chart; the TCF version is the TCF Canada score chart. To convert your own results, use the NCLC score converter.
Two worked examples
Illustrative examples, converted with IRCC's tables.
Awa, TEF Canada, TEER 4 offer in Nova Scotia. Awa has an offer as a home support worker (TEER 4) from a designated employer. Her /699 scores: listening 320, reading 315, writing 280, speaking 340. That's NCLC 4 in all four: she meets the TEER 4 requirement. If her employer offered her a TEER 3 role instead, she would need NCLC 5, which means at least 352 in listening and reading, 330 in writing and 387 in speaking.
Arjun, TCF Canada, TEER 2 offer in New Brunswick. Arjun's scores: listening 380, reading 370, writing 6/20, speaking 7/20. That's NCLC 5, 4, 5 and 6. Reading is 5 points under the NCLC 5 cut-off (375), so he doesn't meet the requirement for a TEER 2 offer yet. Reading is often the fastest skill to move, with timed practice on long documents.
Where French helps in Atlantic Canada
The AIP doesn't award points for French. French helps in four practical ways.
1. It meets the requirement on its own
You don't need English for the AIP's language rule. If your French is stronger, a TCF or TEF result at NCLC 4 or 5 is all IRCC asks for.
2. Francophone and Acadian communities hire in French
New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, and the other three provinces have long-established Acadian and francophone regions. IRCC's Welcoming Francophone Communities initiative names eight communities in Atlantic Canada that are committed to welcoming French-speaking and bilingual newcomers:
| Province | Welcoming Francophone Communities |
|---|---|
| New Brunswick | Chaleur · Haut-Saint-Jean region · Kedgwick and Saint-Quentin · North-Eastern Acadia |
| Nova Scotia | Chéticamp region · Clare |
| Prince Edward Island | Évangeline region |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Labrador (Labrador City) |
The initiative exists to help French-speaking newcomers settle and integrate in these communities. They're also where everyday life and many workplaces run in French, so they're the natural place to start a French-language job search.
3. It opens other routes in the same region
French gives you options the AIP doesn't, sometimes with the same employer:
- New Brunswick Strategic Initiative: a provincial stream only for French speakers, at NCLC 5 in all four. See our New Brunswick guide for French speakers.
- Francophone Community Immigration Pilot: the Acadian Peninsula (New Brunswick) is one of the six participating communities, at NCLC 5 in all four. Our FCIP guide covers it.
- Mobilité francophone: a work permit without an LMIA, at NCLC 5 in speaking and listening. See the Mobilité francophone guide.
- Express Entry French draws: if you reach NCLC 7 in all four, French-language rounds and up to 50 bonus CRS points open. See French for Express Entry.
Side by side, the French entry bars look like this:
| Route | French minimum | Also needs |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic Immigration Program | NCLC 5 (TEER 0–3) or NCLC 4 (TEER 4), all 4 abilities | Job offer from a designated employer, endorsement |
| NB Strategic Initiative | NCLC 5, all 4 abilities | A New Brunswick connection (job, studies, interest letter or residence) |
| Francophone Community Immigration Pilot | NCLC 5, all 4 abilities | Job offer from a designated employer in a participating community |
| Mobilité francophone (work permit) | NCLC 5 in speaking and listening | Job offer outside Quebec |
| Express Entry French draws | NCLC 7, all 4 abilities | Eligibility for FSW, CEC or FST |
The French PNP streams tool lists the current provincial options, and the language requirements checker shows every program your levels meet.
4. It makes you a stronger candidate for bilingual jobs
Where an employer serves customers or patients in both official languages, an official TCF or TEF result is proof of a skill that's otherwise hard to show on a CV. Even where French isn't required, it's a concrete point to raise in an interview.
Do you need English as well?
Not for IRCC. The AIP's language rule is met with one approved test in English or French, at the level for your job offer's TEER.
Your job is a different question. Outside francophone communities, many Atlantic workplaces run in English, and your employer decides what language the job needs. Read the offer carefully: if it describes duties in English, you'll need workplace English whatever IRCC asks for.
If you're francophone and planning ahead, an English test can still pay off later. In Express Entry, a francophone with NCLC 7 French gets a 25-point bonus, or 50 with CLB 5 or higher in all four English abilities. Our guide to how many CRS points French is worth shows the full calculation.
Your step-by-step plan
Check the TEER of the jobs you want
The TEER of your job offer decides whether you need NCLC 4 or NCLC 5. Aim for NCLC 5 if you might be offered a TEER 0–3 role.
Measure your French for free
Take the 10-question French level test, then a full timed TCF Canada mock test or TEF Canada mock test. Convert the scores with the NCLC score converter.
Find a designated employer
Each province runs its own employer designation and AIP process: IRCC's AIP page links to all four. Francophone communities on IRCC's list are a good place to start a French-language job search.
Book the test with time to spare
The result must be less than 2 years old when you apply for PR, so time it with your job search. Find a session on the test centres page and compare TCF Canada fees and TEF Canada fees.
Get endorsed, then apply
After the job offer, complete your settlement plan, get the provincial endorsement and send your PR application with your TCF or TEF result.
Common mistakes
- Using the TEF ancien column. The AIP tables use the /699 score for recent tests. The ancien column is for Express Entry.
- Targeting NCLC 4 for a TEER 0–3 job. NCLC 4 only covers TEER 4 offers.
- Booking the two-module TEF. The citizenship version tests only listening and speaking. The AIP needs all four.
- Testing too early. A result that expires before you apply for PR can't be used.
- Aiming exactly at the cut-off. One mark lower in writing or speaking can drop you a level. Build a margin in your weakest skill.
If your weakest skill is speaking, practise with the TCF speaking practice or TEF speaking practice pages. For what NCLC 5 means in real life, read NCLC 5 French: scores and what it unlocks.