News & Events

Language proficiency streamlined for Skilled Workers and Canadian Experience Class
On March 10, 2010, The Government of Canada announced that it is streamlining the process for assessing the language proficiency skills of the applicants to the Federal Skilled Worker and Canadian Experience Class. This announcement is expected to reduce application processing delays.
Beginning April 10, 2010, applications received by Citizenship and Immigration Canada will be assessed based on the documentation submitted at the time. Applicants will no longer be given an opportunity to provide additional documents supporting their language proficiency.
All applicants are encouraged to submit independent, third-party language test results which give applicants a clear indication of their ability before they apply. Currently, if an immigration officer is of the opinion that an applicant has not adequately proved his/her language proficiency with the written submission, they may give the applicant an opportunity to provide results of a third party test, like the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test.
English or French language ability is one of the strongest predictors to determine an immigrant’s success in the Canadian job market. For Canadian Experience Class, applicants must meet language requirement based on the job they do. For Federal Skilled Workers, upto 24 points can be awarded for their language ability on a selection grid worth 100 points.