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How long do TEF Canada and TCF Canada results take?
Le francais des affaires sends TEF Canada results within 1 to 10 business days of your test, by email. France Education international transmits TCF Canada results to your test centre within 15 working days. Both attestations are valid for 2 years, and IRCC expects your result to still be valid when you apply.
Results timing matters more for French tests than most candidates expect, because Express Entry French-category draws run roughly monthly in 2026 and an expired attestation cannot be replaced overnight. This guide covers the official delivery windows, the 2-year validity rule, how to read your attestation, and the waiting periods if you need to retake. Every number below comes from Le francais des affaires, France Education international, or IRCC.
Key Takeaways
- TEF Canada results: 1 to 10 business days, delivered by email as a digital certificate.
- TCF Canada results: transmitted to your test centre within 15 working days.
- Both attestations are valid for 2 years from the results date.
- IRCC requires a valid result when you submit your Express Entry profile and when you apply.
- Retake waiting periods differ: 20 days for TEF Canada, 30 days for TCF Canada.
When do TEF Canada results arrive?
TEF Canada results are sent within 1 to 10 business days from the day you take the test, according to Le francais des affaires. You receive an email with a link to download your digital certificate, so check the inbox you used at registration, including the spam folder.
The certificate is the document IRCC asks for. Le francais des affaires keeps certificates on file for 10 years, which means you can recover a lost PDF, but you should still store your own copy the day it arrives. If nothing lands after 10 business days, contact your test centre first, since it manages your session record.
When do TCF Canada results arrive?
France Education international transmits TCF Canada results to your test centre within 15 working days of the session. Your centre then releases the attestation to you, either by email or pickup, depending on the centre. In practice, plan for about 3 to 4 calendar weeks between the exam and having the document in hand.
This is the single biggest timing difference between the two tests. TEF Canada can come back inside 2 weeks; TCF Canada usually cannot. If you are racing a draw date or a provincial nomination deadline, that gap can decide which test fits your calendar. The booking guide covers how far in advance seats fill in each format.
| Question | TEF Canada | TCF Canada |
|---|---|---|
| Results delivery | 1 to 10 business days, by email | Within 15 working days, via your centre |
| Validity for IRCC | 2 years | 2 years |
| Waiting period before a retake | 20 days | 30 days |
| Lost document | Certificates kept 10 years; re-download | Contact your test centre |
How long are results valid, and when does IRCC check?
Both attestations are valid for 2 years from the date on the document. IRCC requires the result to be valid on the day you submit your Express Entry profile and still valid when you apply for permanent residence after an invitation. A result that expires between profile and invitation is the classic trap: your profile drops out of the pool if you do not replace it in time.
Work backwards from your target draw. French-language category draws have run roughly monthly in 2026, including the July 9 round that invited 5,000 candidates. If your attestation has less than 6 months left, the safe move is to book a fresh sitting now rather than hope your invitation and application both land inside the window. IRCC also verifies scores directly with the test operators, a process we detail in how IRCC verifies French test results.
How do you read the attestation?
Your attestation shows one score per skill, not a single overall grade. TEF Canada reports listening, reading, writing, and speaking on numeric scales up to 450 or 360 depending on the skill; TCF Canada reports listening and reading on a 100 to 699 scale and writing and speaking on 0 to 20. IRCC converts each skill separately into an NCLC level, and your lowest skill sets what the result can do for you.
Do not eyeball the conversion. Enter your scores into the CLB conversion tool to see the exact NCLC level per skill, or read the full band tables in the CLB 7 French score guide. Percentages on practice tests are only a rough proxy; the official cut-offs are what count.
Unique insight: Among the candidates we coach, the costliest pattern is waiting for results before doing anything. With a 20 or 30 day retake gap plus a delivery window, a candidate who sits a timed mock in the week after the exam knows whether to pre-book the next session. Those who wait often lose 6 to 8 weeks against a draw calendar.
What if you miss your target level?
You can retake both tests, with different waiting periods: 20 days between TEF Canada sittings and 30 days between TCF Canada sessions. There is no limit on attempts, and IRCC only sees the result you submit, so a weaker earlier attestation does not hurt you. For a section-by-section improvement plan between attempts, follow the TCF Canada retake guide.
Before rebooking, diagnose which skill capped you. Most candidates fail their target on one skill, usually writing or speaking, while comfortably clearing the other three. A focused month on the weak skill beats a general revision pass. Run a timed TEF practice test or TCF practice test to locate the gap, then drill that section until your mock scores sit one band above the requirement.
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