TEF Canada Test Centres

There are 94 accredited TEF locations across 11 provinces and territories. Quebec has by far the most, followed by Ontario. Several organisations — Alliance Française, Collège Boréal, Cégep de Valleyfield and Collège Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière among them — run more than one site under a single accreditation.

Any accredited centre produces the same, equally valid result, so choose on practicality: how soon a seat is free, how far you have to travel, and whether the centre offers the exact version of the test you need. Big-city centres run more sittings but sell out faster; smaller regional centres often have space when Montréal and Toronto do not.

Rarely. Most Canadian centres take registrations online only and explicitly say they cannot book you in by phone or at reception. Use the booking link on the centre page, or the centre’s own registration page where it has one.

TEF Canada is the four-skill version accepted by IRCC for permanent residence and citizenship. TEFAQ (also written TEF Québec) is used for Québec immigration programs and is commonly taken as speaking and listening only. Most Canadian centres are accredited for both, but you book them as separate exams.

Centres set their own fees. Across Canada the full four-skill TEF Canada is typically about $390 CAD. A handful of centres, including McGill, charge per module instead, which can be cheaper if you only need to resit one skill.

Two years from the date you sat the test. IRCC will not accept a result older than that at the time your application is submitted, so plan your sitting around when you expect to apply.

The accrediting body requires a gap between two sittings of the same test — commonly quoted as 20 to 60 days depending on the centre and the version. Check with your centre before booking a resit, because a booking made too soon can be cancelled.