Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has confirmed that the TOEFL Essentials exam will soon be recognized as an official English-language test option for permanent residency applicants. The move expands the range of approved assessments available to foreign nationals seeking to immigrate under Canada’s economic programs.
The Educational Testing Service (ETS), which administers the TOEFL exams, has now been designated as an approved testing organization. While the test is not yet live for immigration use, IRCC said official guidelines will be updated once rollout dates and testing centres are finalized.
The policy change will apply to applicants under Express Entry — including the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class — as well as the Atlantic Immigration Program and most Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs). Individual provinces and territories, however, will retain discretion over how and when to implement the new option.
TOEFL Essentials is a 90-minute test designed to measure listening, reading, writing, and speaking skills through real-world, task-based activities. Administered at secure testing centres globally, it provides instant results for listening and reading sections, with full score reports issued within six days. Test takers can also send their results to an unlimited number of institutions at no extra cost.
Once fully introduced, TOEFL Essentials will join CELPIP, IELTS, and Pearson PTE Core as one of four officially accepted tests for immigration. As with other assessments, IRCC will evaluate scores using the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) scale.