How Long Are TEF Canada and TCF Canada Results Valid?

IRCC's page on Express Entry language results says your results must be less than 2 years old on two separate dates:

• the day you complete your Express Entry profile, and
• the day you submit your permanent residence application.

The second date is the one people forget. A result that was fine when you entered the pool can be too old by the time you are invited and ready to apply. IRCC states that if you apply with expired results, your application will be refused.

The testing organisations use the same two-year period. Le français des affaires, which runs the TEF Canada, says results are valid for two years. For the TCF Canada, France Éducation international sets the same two-year validity on its attestation. Both tests are approved by IRCC for Express Entry.

Rules change. This page reflects IRCC's Express Entry language-results page as of October 2026. Check it again before you book a test or file.

Think of your result as a clock that starts around test day. Use the date printed on your certificate as the start. Everything else in your Express Entry plan has to fit inside it: waiting for results, entering your profile, waiting in the pool, being invited, and preparing your application.

Because nobody knows when an invitation will come, the safest habit is to count forward from test day, not backward from the expiry date. If you test in March 2026, plan as if you must have filed before March 2028, with a few months of safety margin, not on the last week.

IRCC lists three options if your results will expire before you can apply:

1. 1Retest. Take the TEF Canada or TCF Canada again and update your profile with the new result.
2. 2Apply before they expire. If you already have an invitation and can file a complete application in time, do it.
3. 3Decline the invitation and return to the pool. IRCC says that if you decline, you go back into the Express Entry pool. You can be invited again only if you are still eligible and the cutoff allows it.

An invitation to apply is valid for 60 days only. If you neither apply nor decline, the invitation expires and your profile is removed from the pool. That is why you should check your result dates as soon as an invitation arrives, not after you have gathered your other documents.

A retest can change your score in either direction. IRCC notes that your CRS score can drop if your results expire or if you score lower after a retest, so recalculate before you decide.

There is no single right answer, but these rules of thumb follow directly from the validity rule:

• Don't test too early. If you test months before you are ready to use the result, you spend part of the two years for nothing.
• Don't test too late either. Test centres run on fixed session dates, and some fill quickly. Look at dates in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary or Ottawa before you commit to a plan.
• Test when your weakest skill is ready. French bonus points need NCLC 7 in all four abilities, so one weak skill decides the result. Convert practice scores with the NCLC calculator first. NCLC results here are estimates; only the official certificate counts.
• Keep your certificate safe. You may be asked for the certificate number and test PIN when you enter results in your profile.

Not sure which test? Our TEF vs TCF comparison explains the format and scoring of each.

• Checking validity only once. Your results are checked when you complete your profile and again when you apply. Put both dates in your calendar.
• Waiting for an invitation before thinking about expiry. The invitation window is 60 days. If your result expires inside it, you will not have time to book, sit and receive a new test.
• Forgetting the unit of time. Two years from the test is not "two years from when I get my invitation". Count from the date on your certificate.
• Retesting without comparing. A new result replaces the old one in your profile. If you retest and score lower in one skill, your CRS score can go down. Practise first so the second attempt is better, not just newer.
• Taking the wrong test. Both TEF Canada and TCF Canada are approved, but you must use the Canada versions. Check that you register for "TEF Canada" or "TCF Canada", not another variant.

If you are still deciding how much time you need before your test, work backwards: pick the session date, then leave time for each skill. The TEF Canada speaking guide and TCF Canada speaking guide show what the hardest module asks of you.

IRCC says that for the TEF Canada you should enter only the scores in the "Équivalence ancien score" column of your results. Do not enter the "Score / 699" results in your Express Entry profile.

IRCC also warns anyone who took the TEF Canada between December 11, 2023 and May 6, 2024 to check whether their scores were changed. If they were, update your profile; otherwise your application could be refused.