Written by Gabriela Estrada

Foreigners who dream of studying or working in Canada and have a particular taste for provinces such as Quebec or Ontario should know how to place their French language level on a scale of proficiency, as this will give them clarity about what kind of job they can look for, in which province exactly, which immigration route gives them the most opportunities or whether they will achieve their goal of graduating from a French-speaking Canadian university. The designation with letters and numbers, as in the case of B2, is a good way to know how high or not your level of French is, although for Canada there is a different particular scale. Let's see below the characteristics of a B2 level of French, its international context, its equivalence on the Canadian scale and its immigration benefits.

What does a B2 level in French mean?

Before describing the competencies of the B2 level French speaker, it is necessary to mention the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), which is internationally recognized for describing language proficiency. This reference offers a scale designed for any European language, so it can be applied to describe your competencies in French, English, German, etc. The levels are classified into A1, A2, B1, B2, C1 and C2.

A B2 level of French means high intermediate or advanced intermediate, i.e. the user can converse fluently with native Canadians in academic, professional and everyday life settings.

How does the level of French B2 benefit immigration to Canada?

A French-speaking foreigner is a potential legal immigrant to Canada, and if he/she has the B2 level, even more so, because it means that he/she can be taken into account in provincial and federal immigration routes, for example, Express Entry. 

• This fast-track entry has the category French language proficiency and frequently launches invitation rounds for French speakers.
• Speaking upper-intermediate French and demonstrating it in a job interview, for example, can secure you a job. 
• The B2 level of French opens doors for success if you apply for the Mobilité Francophonea migration route exclusively for foreigners who speak French and who can enter the program even with a conversational level, of course, other requirements must be met. Learn more here.

Is the European reference framework B2 used in Canada?

It is good to remember that the European MERC framework is a reference point to evaluate the linguistic competence of European languages, however, Canada has its own language leveling scale, this is the recognized CLB (Canadian Language Benchmark) or NCLC (Niveau de compétence linguistique canadien), which is used to measure linguistic skills in English and French. Hence, a CLB 7 level in French, for example, is equivalent to a DELF B2 level. 

Foreigners interested in Canada should focus on the CLB scale to classify their language level for immigration purposes, the MERC or other are referential and it is useful to know them, in fact, they are used to locate the leveling of their language proficiency, but the Canadian scale is the one officially used in the country. 

How is the B2 level of French for Canada demonstrated?

As explained above, the upper-intermediate French B2 is equivalent to a CLB 7, and this level is demonstrated by taking the TEF Canada or TCF Canada exam.

The TEF (Test d'évaluation de français) evaluates linguistic competence in French for immigration to Canada.

The following are the equivalences of CLB to TEF scores equivalences of CLB with TEF scores are presented below:

• CLB 7: oral comprehension (310); written comprehension (249); oral expression (310) and written expression (249).

How useful is the B2 level of French in Canada?

Foreigners who speak French B2 (CLB 7) can: 

• Communicate easily in daily life, also at work, as well as interact with the local community.
• Improve job opportunities, as many employers value language skills in the country's two official languages, English and French.
• Meet the requirement for some immigration programs and to obtain Canadian citizenship.

Undoubtedly, knowing the language levels and their respective frameworks, characteristics and equivalences is important to connect with the migratory purposes desired by the user. French is a beautiful and widespread language in Canada and students who are learning this language surely have great possibilities of making a difference in their lives, since the immigration doors will be open for them to undertake a trip to one of the best countries in the world. 

Planeta Immiland highly recommends taking online or in-person courses and always looking for the highest level, as well as involving the couple and the children so that the migration of the entire family nucleus is easier.

Achieve level B2 (CLB 7) and more with our language school; we have an offer aimed at students interested in the new Canadian immigration program Mobilité Francophone. Also, we have an offer to become part of our Conversation Clubwhich will give you an enormous confidence in speaking French together with other fellow students willing to learn different accents, intonation and rhythm of the French-speaking world. Write to us here and we will be happy to help you with whatever you need.

With love,

Planet Immiland