New Language Requirements Under the Revised Federal Skilled Worker Program – CLB to IELTS

Posted on October 17, 2012 by CICS Immigration Team

Qualifying for the Federal Skilled Worker Program will require meeting minimum language requirements under rules that will be put in place in early 2013

New language requirements under the new Federal Skilled Worker program

CLB to IELTS Conversion

Citizenship and Immigration Canada has released more details about the new Federal Skilled Worker program, which will be launched in January of 2013, and it includes changes to how language proficiency is assessed. In an interview with CICS News, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) Alex Khadempour said applicants would need to focus more on language under the new rules:

“If you are looking to apply for the new Federal Skilled Worker program, it’s best to start by understanding the new language requirements and to write your exam as soon as possible so that you don’t miss the window of opportunity before the quota fills up.”

“CIC plans to significantly increase the maximum points awarded for proficiency in the English and French languages from 24 points to 28 points, making language the single biggest factor in an application’s chances of being accepted,” he added.

Details of the proposed changes

First Official Language:

According to a bulletin released by CIC, an applicant must prove a minimum proficiency in each of the four language abilities, speaking, listening, reading and writing, that is at the Canadian Language Benchmark 7 (CLB 7) level for English or is at the Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien 7 (NCLC 7) level for French, in order to qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC) program.

For the English language requirement, CLB 7 is equivalent to scoring 6 on the IELTS. For the French language requirement, NCLC 7 is equivalent to scoring 309, 248, 206 and 309 on the speaking, listening, reading and writing modules of the Test d’évaluation de français (TEF), respectively. 4 points are awarded for each of the four language abilities, meaning that all candidates that meet the mandatory minimums on all language abilities will have at least 16 points.

The bulletin also states that applicants will be awarded one extra point for each language ability for which they score CLB 8 or NCLC 8 and two extra points if they score CLB 9 or NCLC 9 (for a maximum of 24 points).

The IELTS equivalent to CLB 8 is 7.5, 6.5, 6.5 and 6.5 on Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The TEF equivalent to NCLC 8 is 349, 280, 233, and 349 on Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, respectively.

The IELTS equivalent to CLB 9 is 7.5+, 6.5+, 6.5+, and 6.5+ on Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking. The TEF equivalent to NCLC 9 is 349+, 280+, 233+, and 349+ on Listening, Reading, Writing, and Speaking, respectively.

Second Official Language:

The number of points awarded for proficiency in a second official language will be reduced from 8 to 4 under the new rules, making focusing on studying a single language a more viable strategy for those seeking to qualify for immigration to Canada.

276 thoughts on “New Language Requirements Under the Revised Federal Skilled Worker Program – CLB to IELTS”

Satish Boddu on August 30, 2013 at 11:19 pm said:

My IELTS SCORE is as below , please suggest whether am i eligible for FSW-P Canada.

Listening—7.5,
Speaking—7.0,
Reading—7.0,
Writing—6.0
Please tell my CLB score …..!
Please sugget me , i am very confused about points calculation.

Reply ↓
myna on September 2, 2013 at 2:17 pm said:

Dear Sir,

I had recently taken IELTS exam , I received 7.5,6.0,5.0 and 7 and over all is 6.5.
Am staying in Canada for more than a year.Would like to know ,if I need to take exam again or an I eligible for FSW. Does , my scores make any changes if English is my “Second official language” ? Kindly suggest asap

Thank you

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Ashish on September 23, 2013 at 6:36 am said:

I got the following scrore,
Listening: 7.5
Reading, Writing & Speaking: 6.5. Could you please tell me what CLB level i meet and how much i would be getting. I see i meet CLB 8, so will i be given 1 point extra as mentioned above??? If so on total what would be my point 20/24?

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rogelio on November 17, 2013 at 7:53 pm said:

Hi, my over all score is 5.5,…listening 5.5,reading 4.5,writing 6.5, speaking 6.0…im qualified for the butcher work?

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gagandeep kaur on November 24, 2013 at 10:51 pm said:

Respected Sir
I want to confirm about my eligibility for canada under skilled worker .I got 6 brands in overall IELTS Exam. but in each I got Listening=6.5 speaking 6, reading= 4.5 and in writing = 6.0.Please check about my eligibility.

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- Doyin on August 12, 2014 at 4:14 pm said:
  
  I am afraid you need to re-take the test
  
  Reply ↓
Michael on November 26, 2013 at 1:09 am said:

Sir,

I got speaking 7.5, writing 6.5, listening 6.0 and writing 5.5 in IELTS.
How does these scores translate to CLB for FSWP Canada?

Your candid reply would be greatly appreciated!

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Sajjad on November 26, 2013 at 1:36 am said:

Hi

Can any body tells me that this new language requirement also applied on old application filed before this new rule …I am worried because my overall band is 5.5 and I also get PR approval on March 2012

Please help me

Thanks

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Faryal uzma on November 28, 2013 at 4:44 pm said:

Please can someone calculate following points for me i am really confused,
Listing 8.5 Reading 9.0 Writing 7.0 Speaking 6.5
please let know know how much points he will score out of 24,
I am not sure if we can mix if reading falls in CBL 9 and speaking falls in CBL 8
so we point respective Reading 6 and Speaking 5.. can we mix CBL for each ability
If you can’t give me details just score the above IELTS points i would really appreciate

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Timi on November 30, 2013 at 5:22 am said:

Sir I got 4 all my ielts exam. Is it valiable to go in Canada because I have applied for immigration visa in Canada. Is sufficient this score please write to me. Thank you very much

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Freeman on December 4, 2013 at 5:56 pm said:

Please,I got a reply from cqnada to do ielts since 2011 July.I did it and scored
L-5.5
T-5.5
W-6.5
R-6.5.
I want to do another IELTS,please hope the letter of 2011 can still be used?
Freemsop@rocketmail.com
Thanks

Reply ↓
sabahat naz on December 10, 2013 at 12:33 am said:

I got overall 6 band in ielts:
speaking 6
reading 6.5
listening 5.0
writting 7.0
should i eligible for FSW or do i take ielts again? pls suggest.
Thanks

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Abiyu on December 28, 2013 at 3:03 am said:

hi I got an IELTS Score of
Listening 7.0
Reading 7.0
Writing 6.5
Speaking 6.5
What will be my CLB Level

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Goavrdhan on January 31, 2014 at 7:53 am said:

Hi, my over all score is 6,…listening 6,reading6,writing 5.5, speaking 6.0…Will I qualif for CEC for software engineer.

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- CICS Immigration Editor on February 15, 2014 at 1:16 am said:
  
  Not. You must have at least 6 in every ability.
  
  Reply ↓
Bud on February 22, 2014 at 5:50 am said:

Hello,
It’s a useful website.

Please let me know what is the minimum requirement in IELTS and French language for Self Employed category.

Thank you beforehand.

Reply ↓
vibs on March 6, 2014 at 11:12 am said:

Hi,

I am trying to migrate to Canada and in ielts my score is L- 6.5 , R- 5.5 , W- 7, S- 7… After re-taking in writing section it is 5.5 and in other sections its 6 above..

Can we combine 2 ielts results?? as i scored 6 above in each module, but 2 different exams.

Also, my real brother is holding a PR, and am not falling short of points required for immigration ( i.e. 67)

Is there any alternative for above scores?? as my agent is saying 6 is required in each module in one exam, and we cannot combine 2 ielts results..

or i have to re-take exam?? please advise its urgent..

Best Regards,
Vibs

Reply ↓
- CICS Immigration Editor on March 6, 2014 at 10:53 pm said:
  
  They only accept 1 exam and each ability must be above 6.0
  
  Reply ↓
reigns on March 14, 2014 at 8:52 am said:

i don’t understand what the second language means. for me english is my first language.

can someone tell me what second language means

Reply ↓
- Khandaker Akramul Huda on March 15, 2014 at 5:17 am said:
  
  English n French is required for Canada immigration.
  (Which one you know better, select that first Language)
  if English first for you, French is Second for you.
  if French is first for you, English is Second for you.
  
  Reply ↓
Wasif on March 22, 2014 at 6:31 am said:

I got 6.5,6.5,7 and 5.5 can i apply for FSW in 2014 intake my overall score is 6.5.

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Sameer khan on March 28, 2014 at 2:48 am said:

Hi,

I am mechanical engineer with 5 years of International Exp,I got IELTS bands as follows,
L-7.5
R-6
S-7.5
W-6

Am I eligible for FSWP Canada ?

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srinivas on March 28, 2014 at 2:32 pm said:

Primary applicant
L-6.5
R-6.0
W-6.5
S-6.5
Overall-6.5( Will I get 18 Points Here)

Spouse
L-5
R-3.5
W-5
S-6
Overall-5 (My wife will contribute 5 Points Here)

Can you please help

Reply ↓
- Mike on April 26, 2014 at 8:04 pm said:
  
  I have scored L-6.5 R-6.5 W-6.5 and S-6.5 overall 6.5 please let me know how many points i will get for canada pr score I think it should be 19
  
  Reply ↓
B Bh on April 27, 2014 at 2:31 am said:

Dear Sir,

I have scored minimum 6 in each band in IELTS GT, However, my score is around 65. My wife have scored, overall 4.5 but it is in the range of CLB 4, is it valid. With additional 5 points with her score, it makes 71 points. Please suggest.

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Hardik Patel on April 28, 2014 at 10:23 pm said:

Hi…..
I am going to plan for FSW canada visa. Is there need to give IELTS exam both of us ? How much minimum score i required ?

I am confused after visiting visa consultant. One said that you both required IELTS exam. other said that you only required.

Please guide me so i can start my process asap.

Thanks

Reply ↓
- CICS Immigration Editor on April 29, 2014 at 9:59 am said:
  
  It depends on how many points you have. You can get 5 points for spouse’s IELTS on top of the applicant’s. If you would like a consultation, please contact us so we can set one up.
  
  Reply ↓
Philipp on April 29, 2014 at 1:44 pm said:

Im English and have been all my life (im 30) and i was obviously educated in english.
Do i really need to take the IELTS and submit this as part of the FSK application?

Thanks

Philip

Reply ↓
- CICS Immigration Editor on April 30, 2014 at 12:21 pm said:
  
  Yes you do. Everyone must.
  
  Reply ↓
Ogungbade alice on April 30, 2014 at 11:01 am said:

Hi, I scored the following marks in my previous ielts exams,can I still proceed with immigration under the federal skilled workers plan? Listening 5.5 reading 6 speaking 6, writing 5.5

Reply ↓
- CICS Immigration Editor on April 30, 2014 at 12:20 pm said:
  
  You need at least 6.0 in each ability to be able to apply.
  
  Reply ↓
  - dhari on June 18, 2014 at 6:55 am said:
    
    Hi ,
    But the Official Site say 5 Score minimum !!!
    
    Reply ↓
    - CICS Immigration Team on June 18, 2014 at 2:16 pm said:
      
      No. It’s 6.
      
      Reply ↓
milad on May 2, 2014 at 11:14 pm said:

hi sir/madam

my ielts score is :
listening 7.5
reading 8
writing 6.5
speaking 6.5
please tell me my point for language. its really confusing for me. 20 or 21?
thank you in advance.

Reply ↓
Amandeep Singh on May 6, 2014 at 11:44 pm said:

My IELTS score is
FullName AMANDEEP SINGH
Listening 6.00
Reading 7.50
Speaking 6.00
Writing 6.50
OverAllBandScore 6.50

How many points i will score in total against this

Reply ↓
sidhu on May 7, 2014 at 9:01 am said:

Do my wife also has to go for ielts to get 5 points and if so than how many bands she has to score ??

Reply ↓
- Doyin on August 12, 2014 at 3:53 pm said:
  
  Your wife needs to score 4 points in each of the 4 language skills. that adds up 5 points for your general score for FSW
  
  Reply ↓
Waqas on May 8, 2014 at 3:17 am said:

I scored 6.5 over all band in IELTS.
L 6.5
R 6.5
S 6.5
W 6

How many point will i get for language 16 or 18?

Reply ↓
chandra on May 13, 2014 at 1:13 pm said:

Dear Sir,

I have got
Listening : 7
Reading :7
Writing: 8
Speaking : 6 in CELPIP, what is my CLB level and am I eligible to apply for Federal Skilled Worker. please let me know.

Regards,
Chandra.c

Reply ↓

276 thoughts on “New Language Requirements Under the Revised Federal Skilled Worker Program – CLB to IELTS”

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