Francophone Mobility Program: French Level Needed and How to Prove It

The Francophone Mobility Program requires French at NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening, proven by TEF Canada or TCF Canada results or by proof of education completed in French. It is for French-speaking foreign nationals with a job offer outside Quebec in TEER 0 to 5, low-skilled primary agriculture excluded, as of IRCC's program delivery page dated 23 June 2026. This is a language guide, not legal advice: it covers which French skills are tested, which TEF and TCF scores equal NCLC 5 and NCLC 7 in those two skills, what proof IRCC accepts, how far a typical candidate is from NCLC 5, and a six-week plan for those two skills. Rules change, so confirm the current requirements on IRCC's Francophone Mobility page before you book a test.

What the Francophone Mobility Program is

Francophone Mobility is a stream of the International Mobility Program. It lets an employer outside Quebec hire a French-speaking foreign national without a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), under exemption code C16, which is why it is also called the C16 work permit. The job can be in any TEER category from 0 to 5, except low-skilled primary agriculture, and it must be located outside Quebec; remote work for a Quebec employer is not eligible. The language of work does not need to be French: IRCC checks that you can speak and understand French, not that the job is in French.

The public policy behind the stream has applied since 15 June 2023, and IRCC's program delivery page, last modified 23 June 2026, states no end date. Search interest shows that many people are asking whether the program is ending. As of September 2026, IRCC's page does not say so, but public policies can be amended or withdrawn, so read the page itself before you spend money on a test, and treat any end date quoted on a forum as unverified until IRCC publishes it.

The French requirement: NCLC 5 in speaking and listening

IRCC sets the bar at moderate French proficiency, defined as NCLC 5 or higher in speaking and listening. NCLC is the French counterpart of the CLB scale, so a CLB 5 French score means the same thing. In CEFR terms, NCLC 5 sits roughly in the B1 band: a working level, well short of the NCLC 7 that Express Entry French points require.

Reading and writing are not assessed for this stream, and a higher level also qualifies: NCLC 6, 7 or above meets the requirement. IRCC assesses each ability on its own and never averages them, so NCLC 6 in listening does not compensate for NCLC 4 in speaking; both skills have to reach 5. A full TEF Canada or TCF Canada sitting still tests all four abilities and your certificate will show four results, but only speaking and listening count here. A reading or writing result below NCLC 5 changes nothing for this stream, so give your preparation time to the two skills that matter.

TEF Canada scores for NCLC 5 and NCLC 7 in speaking and listening

IRCC converts TEF Canada with the old score scales: speaking out of 450 and listening out of 360. The table covers the two assessed skills, from the NCLC 5 minimum up to NCLC 8, so you can see your margin.

Since the 2025 format change, the TEF Canada certificate issued by Le français des affaires reports each test out of 699 and shows an "Équivalence ancien score" column beside it. IRCC uses the old scales, so read that old-score column, not the 699 figure, when you check whether you have reached NCLC 5. IRCC warns that entering the 699-scale number in an Express Entry profile is wrong and can lead to refusal. The full four-skill chart is in our TEF score chart, and the CLB converter does the lookup for you.

TCF Canada scores for NCLC 5 and NCLC 7 in speaking and listening

TCF Canada reports listening on a 699-point scale and speaking out of 20, with no old-score column. Speaking is the narrow one: NCLC 5 is a single score, 6 out of 20, and NCLC 7 is 10 or 11.

A speaking score of exactly 6 clears the line with no margin at all, which is one reason to aim for 7 or above before you book the real sitting.

What counts as proof

IRCC's program delivery page, modified 23 June 2026, lists the ways to show moderate French proficiency; whichever route you use, it has to cover speaking and listening. Book the right test: TEF Canada, not TEF IRN, which is the French naturalisation version and not the Canadian test. Our TEF IRN page explains the difference.

NCLC 5 vs NCLC 7: which one you actually need

NCLC 5 and NCLC 7 belong to different programs. For the Francophone Mobility work permit, the line is NCLC 5 in speaking and listening. For Express Entry, the French-language proficiency category requires NCLC 7 or higher in all four abilities, and the CRS additional points for French (25 or 50 points, depending on your English results) also need NCLC 7 in all four. Federal Skilled Worker second official language points also use NCLC 5: 4 points if all four abilities reach it.

If your plan is a work permit now and permanent residence later, NCLC 5 in two skills opens the first door, but the second usually asks for NCLC 7 in four. Our CLB 7 in French guide covers that target, and since both TEF and TCF results are valid for two years, a candidate already close to NCLC 7 may prefer to prepare for it now rather than sit the test twice.

How far most candidates are from NCLC 5

Mocko's data gives a rough answer. On Mocko full-length mocks, about half of scored listening and speaking sections sit at CEFR B1 or above: TEF listening 54%, TEF speaking 50%, TCF listening 51% and TCF speaking 45%. NCLC 5 sits roughly in the B1 band, so roughly one candidate in two is already at or above the Francophone Mobility line on their first mock. The other half typically needs a focused block of listening and speaking work before booking, and speaking falls short more often than listening on both tests.

Source: Mocko full-length mock exams, completed sittings, 180 days to 9 September 2026, staff and test accounts excluded. Sections are graded by Mocko's AI scoring on the CEFR scale, so the NCLC bands are estimates, not official results, and the mapping from B1 to NCLC 5 is approximate. These are not pass rates: they show where candidates stand on a first full mock, and the TCF speaking figure rests on only 49 sections.

A six-week plan for speaking and listening only

Only two skills are tested, so all of your preparation time can go to them, and the formats set the targets. TEF listening is 40 multiple-choice questions in 40 minutes; TCF listening is 39 questions in 35 minutes, one correct answer out of four, with difficulty increasing. TEF speaking is 15 minutes face to face with an examiner: Section A (5 minutes) is obtaining information, where you ask the questions, and Section B (10 minutes) is arguing to convince. TCF speaking is 12 minutes in three tasks: a guided interview about you (2 minutes), a role-play where you ask questions to obtain information (5 minutes 30, including 2 minutes of preparation), and a point of view to defend (4 minutes 30).

Use the TEF listening practice and TEF speaking practice pages, or the TCF listening practice and TCF speaking practice pages, for the timed sets and the mocks. Every section comes back with a CEFR level, an NCLC estimate and written feedback on what to fix, all of it AI scoring rather than an official result. If your speaking estimate keeps landing at NCLC 5, Stuck at CLB 5 in TEF speaking describes the habits that hold candidates at that level.

Which test to book

Both tests are accepted for this stream, so choose on two things: date availability at a centre near you, and which speaking format suits you. Some candidates find the short TCF interview (two minutes, no preparation) an easier way in; others prefer the ten-minute TEF Section B, where an argument has room to develop. Our page on TEF vs TCF, which is easier goes through both formats section by section.

Timelines matter. TEF Canada results are sent within 1 to 10 business days of the test day, by email with a link to download the digital certificate; TCF Canada centres typically tell candidates to expect results in two to four weeks. Both are valid for two years, as of September 2026. If one skill misses NCLC 5, the TEF has a 20-day waiting period between two tests and TCF centres apply a minimum gap as well, so leave room for a second attempt.

Next step

Take the free TEF or TCF speaking and listening practice on Mocko and get an NCLC estimate for exactly the two skills this stream asks for. Start with TEF speaking practice or TCF speaking practice, or create a free account to run the free mini assessment; no card is needed. The estimate is AI scoring, not an official result, but it tells you whether to book now or do the six weeks first.

More TEF and TCF guides

• TCF Canada Score Chart 2026: NCLC and CLB Conversion Table
• TEF Canada Score Chart 2026: NCLC and CLB Conversion by Section
• TEF Canada Writing Samples: Section A and B Model Answers by NCLC
• TCF Canada Writing Tasks 1, 2 and 3: Sample Answers by NCLC Level
• TEF and TCF Canada Results: Timelines, Validity and Next Steps (2026)