TCF Canada guide · updated
Your TCF Canada results expire: the two-year rule
A good TCF Canada score only counts if it is still valid at the right moment. Many candidates find out too late: here is the rule, and how to choose your test date.
The rule: less than two years old, twice
IRCC is clear: your results must be less than two years old when you complete your Express Entry profile, and again when you submit your permanent residence application. If you apply with expired results, your application is refused.
The timeline that catches people out
Take a candidate who sits the TCF Canada and gets NCLC 7 in all four skills:
- Month 0 Takes the test: NCLC 7 in every skill.
- Month 3 Creates an Express Entry profile. The results are 3 months old: all good.
- Month 15 No invitation: the profile expires after 12 months. A new one is created.
- Month 23 An invitation finally arrives: 60 days to submit the application.
- Month 25 The application goes in… with results more than two years old. Refused.
The score was good. The date is what sank the file.
Your results are about to expire: what to do
- You have an invitation: submit your application before your results expire, even if some of the 60 days are left.
- You are in the pool without an invitation: retake the TCF Canada in time and update your profile with the new results.
- You cannot apply in time: decline the invitation rather than submit an application that will be refused, then come back with new results.
When should you take the TCF Canada?
- When a mock exam gives you NCLC 7 in all four skills, with a margin.
- When your other documents are moving: valid passport, educational credential assessment (ECA), proof of work experience.
- Not too early: if your profile may stay in the pool for a long time, your results can expire before the invitation.
Each sitting costs money and a hard-to-get slot (226,000 FCFA in Cameroon, see the breakdown), so take it once, at the right time.
Before you book the TCF Canada
Measure your level in the real format.
Module 1 is free, with no sign-up: exam format, NCLC scale and strategies, explained in English. The mock exam covers all four tests in the official timing and converts your results to NCLC.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the TCF Canada valid?
Two years for IRCC. Your results must be less than two years old when you create your Express Entry profile and when you submit your permanent residence application.
What happens if my TCF results expire after my invitation?
If you submit your application with expired results, IRCC refuses it. Apply before they expire, or decline the invitation and retake the test.
How long does an Express Entry profile stay in the pool?
12 months. Without an invitation it expires, and you must create a new one, with language results that are still valid.
Sources
This topic is also covered in a short video (in French) on our TikTok account @prepatcfcanada.