Canada is a top choice for people around the world who want to live, study, or work abroad. If you're planning to apply for Canadian Permanent Residency (PR), it’s important to know the minimum IELTS score you need. In this article, you will get the details related to the Canada immigration IELTS band.
The study and work opportunities available in Canada, attract students from across the world. It is known to all that the Canadian economy is strong and offers a high standard of living to live in a multicultural society. These are the top reasons behind international students choose to stay in Canada after completing their higher education. If you are one of those who want to have a Canadian permanent residency, then you must know the required IELTS score for Canada.
To apply for permanent residency in Canada through Express Entry, the minimum IELTS score to get Canadian PR is 6.0 & above. Candidates also need to have a minimum language proficiency of CLB 7 (the Canadian Language Benchmarks), which is a minimum of 6.0 for each section of the IELTS.
Skilled workers who want to get PR visa of Canada should have at least CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) level 7. In this article, we will brief you on the IELTS Score for Canada and how that IELTS score impacts your PR.
- IELTS Band Requirements for Canada PR
- Minimum IELTS Score for Canada PR
- What is CLB in IELTS?
- IELTS Score for Canada PR
- IELTS Score for Canada (8777 IELTS Score)
- 8777 IELTS Score Preparation
IELTS Band Requirements for Canada PR
| Program |
Minimum IELTS Requirement |
|---|---|
| Express Entry (FSWP) |
CLB 7 = IELTS 6.0 in each skill |
| Federal Skilled Trades (FSTP) |
CLB 5 (Speaking, Listening), CLB 4 (Reading, Writing) |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC) |
CLB 5–7 depending on TEER level |
Minimum IELTS Score for Canada PR
Skilled immigrants who wish to settle and work permanently in Canada apply through express entry. It is mandatory eligibility that one should have proficiency to speak in English. The minimum IELTS score for Canada PR express entry is an overall 6.0 band. 10.0 Band in the IELTS exam is the best score.
Canada PR Express Entry
Express Entry has three immigration programs:
- Canadian Experience Class for skilled workers with Canadian work experience
- Federal Skilled Worker Program for skilled workers with foreign work experience
- Federal Skilled Trades Program for skilled workers who are qualified in a skilled trade
Before applying for the Express Entry program, you must check your eligibility. If you are eligible, you will be ranked in the Express Entry Pool on the basis of your points obtained according to the CRS (Comprehensive Ranking System). On the Comprehensive Ranking System or CRS, you will receive a score on a 1200-point scale. The table given below provides information about the various assessment criteria on which your score will be calculated:
| Assessment Criteria |
Maximum Score |
|---|---|
| Marital Status |
It will decide the maximum points for the criteria mentioned below |
| Age |
110 |
| Level of Education |
150 |
| Language Proficiency |
160 |
| Canadian Work Experience |
80 |
| Skill Transferability |
100 |
| Additional Points |
600 |
Note: A score that is above 450 is considered ‘good’ on the CRS.
What is CLB in IELTS?
CLB stands for Canadian Language Benchmarks. The score that you obtain on the IELTS examination is converted to the CLB equivalent by the Canadian immigration authorities. Before you understand the minimum IELTS score for Canada PR, first understand the relation between your IELTS score and your desired Canada PR. Every CLB level corresponds to a certain score that is added to your CRS points under the Language Proficiency criteria. The following tables will help you understand how the minimum IELTS score for Canada PR:
First, the relationship between your IELTS score and CLB level is established:
| CLB Level | Listening | Reading | Writing | Speaking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 or Above |
8.5-9.0 |
8.0-9.0 |
7.5-9.0 |
7.5-9.0 |
| 9 |
8.0 |
7.0 |
7.0 |
7.0 |
| 8 |
7.5 |
6.5 |
6.5 |
6.5 |
| 7 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
6.0 |
| 6 |
5.5 |
5.0 |
5.5 |
5.5 |
| 5 |
5.0 |
4.0 |
5.0 |
5.0 |
| 4 | 4.5 |
3.5 |
4.0 |
4.0 |
Then, you receive points on the CRS based on your CLB level.
| CLB Level |
Without Spouse |
With Spouse |
|---|---|---|
| Less than 4 |
0 |
0 |
| CLB 4 or 5 |
24 |
24 |
| CLB 6 |
32 |
32 |
| CLB 7 |
68 |
64 |
| CLB 8 |
92 |
88 |
| CLB 9 |
124 |
116 |
| CLB 10 or More |
136 |
128 |
IELTS Score for Canada PR
Now that you have a clear idea about the relationship between your IELTS score, CLB level, and CRS score, you must understand that by getting a high IELTS score you are essentially boosting your CLB level and consequently your CRS score, which will help you get a higher rank in the Express Entry Pool.
As for the minimum IELTS score for Canada PR is CLB level 7, which translates to a minimum of 6 on each section of the IELTS. However, the IELTS score might vary depending on what profession you wish to pursue in Canada, for e.g., in order to practice law you will need a minimum score of 7 in each section of the IELTS.
Even though there are other factors that decide your rank in the Express Entry Pool, your IELTS score is something that you can work on. The higher the score, the higher the CLB level, and consequently, the higher the rank in the pool.
Let us now look at the IELTS score for Canada PR with respect to the different programmes under the Express Entry system:
- IELTS Score for Canada PR Federal Skilled Worker Programme: For the Federal Skilled Worker Programme, you require CLB 7 or more.
- IELTS Score for Canada PR Federal Skilled Trades Programme: For the Federal Skilled Trades Programme, you require at least CLB 5 for speaking and listening and at least CLB 4 for reading and writing.
- IELTS Score for Canada PR Canadian Express Class: For the Canadian Experience Class, you require at least CLB 5 for TEER 2 or 3 and at least CLB 7 for TEER 0 or 1.
In addition to the IELTS score for Canada PR, students must also be aware of the IELTS score for Canadian universities and IELTS 5.5 band universities in Canada. It is important to be aware of every eligibility criterion to make necessary preparations.
IELTS Score for Canada (8777 IELTS Score)
8777 IELTS Score means that you are scoring 8 on the IELTS Listening section, 7 on the IELTS Reading section, 7 on the IELTS Writing section, and 7 on the IELTS Speaking section. The reason why the 8777 IELTS score becomes important is that it puts a candidate on the CLB 9 level. Thus the candidate will have an 82-point advantage over the person who is on the CLB 8 level:
- 32 points on the language ability
- 50 points on Skill Transferability and Foreign Work Experience
Thus, a candidate must try to score high on the IELTS to boost his/her chances of obtaining a Canadian PR. Even though you can obtain a Canada PR with a low IELTS score, you must realize that you are increasing your chances of getting a PR with a high IELTS score.
8777 IELTS Score Preparation
There are no “tricks”, “shortcuts”, “top 5 words”, etc. to achieve a good score on any examination. You must understand the pattern of the examination and must work hard for it. You must refer to authentic resources for IELTS, revise them, and give mock tests. Some of the resources are mentioned below:
- Official IDP IELTS Website.
- The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS
- Cambridge IELTS Books 1 to 16
- Barron’s IELTS Superpack
- IELTS Prep App by the British Council
It is advised that candidates take their IELTS preparation very seriously as it can be an important factor in deciding their Canada PR application and ranking in the Express Entry Pool.
Also Read:
With 8777 IELTS score; a candidate can reach CLB 9 level. This will give an additional 82-point advantage to the candidate as compared to the candidate who is on CLB 8 level.
32 points on the language ability
50 points on Skill Transferability and Foreign Work Experience (considering two or more post-secondary programme credentials and above 3 years of foreign work experience)
Although achieving an 8777 on the IELTS test is not a prerequisite because other variables are taken into account when determining your CRS score, doing well on the test will be beneficial. Moreover, you have control over your IELTS score. Your age cannot be changed, and getting another degree takes time. Therefore, your the greatest chance is to achieve a high IELTS score.
The minimum IELTS Score for Canada PR application is overall 6.0 band. It means your score in any section of exam should not be less than 6.0 band. Your IELTS score will be converted to CLB score to access your application. This process is slightly different than Canada Study Visa process.
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There are multiple factors that determine your Canada PR score. IELTS is one of those factors. Although obtaining a high score in this exam is not mandatory, if you obtain a good score on IELTS, your overall score for Canada PR increases. This is so because language proficiency is considered significant in the immigration procedure. Besides, the IELTS score is something that you can work on and use to score well. Therefore, a higher language score will increase your probability of getting selected during the immigration process.