TOEFL Essentials and Express Entry: Approved Over a Year Ago, Still Not Accepted (2026)
TOEFL Essentials is not an accepted Express Entry language test. According to an internal IRCC memo released under the Access to Information Act, IRCC’s delegated authority approved it in August 2025, but as of September 2026 the official Express Entry accepted-tests list still shows only five: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core for English, and TEF Canada and TCF Canada for French. You cannot use a TOEFL score in an Express Entry profile today.
That gap between approved and accepted is where people lose money. If you book TOEFL Essentials now because an ad or a coaching centre told you it counts for Canadian immigration, you will hold a valid, respected English score that the Express Entry system will not let you enter. Your profile needs one of the five accepted tests, and nothing about the TOEFL approval changes that this year.
Which language tests does Express Entry accept in 2026?
Express Entry accepts exactly five language tests right now. This is the list that governs your profile, no matter what any test provider advertises.
Language | Accepted test | Notes |
|---|---|---|
English | CELPIP-General | The CELPIP-General test only (not General-LS) |
English | IELTS General Training | The General Training option only (not Academic); IELTS One Skill Retake is not accepted |
English | PTE Core | The PTE Core option only (the newest accepted English test) |
French | TEF Canada | Test d'evaluation de francais |
French | TCF Canada | Test de connaissance du francais |
Source: IRCC, Express Entry: Language test results (canada.ca). Verified September 2026 (page updated June 22, 2026).
Your results must be less than two years old when you complete your profile and again when you submit your application for permanent residence. TOEFL, in any format, is absent from this table. That is the whole answer to "is TOEFL accepted in Canada for PR" for economic immigration: not yet.
Approved versus accepted: what actually happened with TOEFL Essentials
Here is the part that confuses almost everyone, and it is worth slowing down on because the two words are not the same thing.
Under section 74 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, the Minister may designate a testing organization and approve its test, but only after the organization proves its expertise and provides an equivalency between its scores and the Canadian Language Benchmarks. The same section requires IRCC to make the list of approved tests available to the public, and it makes the results of an approved test conclusive evidence of your language ability for Express Entry classes. In plain terms: approval is a policy decision; the accepted-tests list is the operational reality you actually use.
An internal IRCC decision memo, released under the Access to Information Act, shows the department’s delegated authority approved the designation of ETS and the approval of TOEFL Essentials on August 5, 2025. So the approval is real. The backstory is telling: ETS first submitted the academic TOEFL iBT for immigration use in 2019 and 2020, and it did not proceed because it is an academic test. ETS then built TOEFL Essentials specifically for Canadian economic immigration and submitted it in January 2023. An external panel of language experts found it met the criteria for approval, with one caveat worth remembering: the test had not yet been in use anywhere in the world, so some criteria would need further evaluation once it went live.
None of that puts a score into your profile. Approval cleared the policy gate. It did not add a sixth option to the list you saw in the table above.
Why isn’t TOEFL Essentials accepted for Express Entry yet?
This is the question no government FAQ and no "coming soon" blog answers, and the internal memo answers it directly: the bottleneck is not policy or law. It is an IT release.
The same memo states that IRCC cannot accept TOEFL Essentials results until changes are made to GCMS, the department’s case-management system. The functional unit submitted an intake request to the operational GCMS coordination team in June 2024, and more than a year later its inclusion in the relevant system release was still not confirmed, with senior management needing to advocate for the change to be prioritized. Beyond GCMS, the Express Entry Profile Builder, the Come to Canada tool and the program delivery instructions all have to be updated before a score can flow through. There is also a quieter problem: the memo notes that funding for this kind of IT work was previously drawn as needed rather than reserved in advance, and after the file moved between sectors, the sector now responsible would need to identify the money. When nobody owns the budget line, the release does not get scheduled.
So the honest status is this: approved, funding-unclear, unscheduled. That is why a test approved over a year ago still is not on the list, and why there is no published date for when it will be.
Now the objection you are probably holding: "But ETS’s own website, and half a dozen immigration sites, say TOEFL Essentials is accepted for Canadian immigration or available soon." They are describing the approval, and in some cases repeating a 2025 announcement that has not aged well. Marketing language is not IRCC’s accepted-tests list, and section 74 makes the published list the thing that counts. Until TOEFL Essentials appears on the canada.ca Express Entry page and the Profile Builder actually lets you enter a TOEFL score, "approved" does not help you.
Not sure which of the five accepted tests fits your English or French profile best? That is a 30-minute question, and you can ask Ansari Immigration’s licensed RCIC directly for $80 rather than guessing. Book a consultation
Did you see TOEFL Essentials advertised as "approved for Canadian immigration" and assume you could use it for Express Entry? Tell us what you were told and where, in the comments (keep it general). It helps other readers spot the same trap.
What this means for your Express Entry profile right now
Picture a candidate deciding, in September 2026, which English test to book. She reads that TOEFL Essentials is "approved for Canadian immigration," it is shorter and cheaper than the alternatives, and a test centre near her offers it next week. She books it, scores well, and then opens the Express Entry Profile Builder to enter her results, where the only English options are CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. There is no field for a TOEFL score. Her valid, well-earned result cannot be used, and she now has to book and sit an accepted test before she can even complete her profile, losing several weeks and a test fee she did not need to spend.
That is the failure mode this article exists to prevent. The rule to carry with you: the Express Entry accepted-tests page is the only list that matters for what you book, and it is where you should confirm the tests the day you schedule, because the moment TOEFL Essentials is added, this advice changes.
In practice, the people most at risk here are not careless applicants. They are careful ones who read something official-sounding, saw the word approved, and reasonably assumed it meant usable. The fix is boring but reliable: book only what the Express Entry accepted-tests page lists on the day you book.
What you should do instead
Book one of the five accepted tests, and choose based on how you actually perform, not on price or speed alone.
For English, your accepted options are CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training and PTE Core. If you are weighing them, our guide on which language test is easier walks through the practical differences, and the language test equivalency chart shows exactly how each score converts to a Canadian Language Benchmark.
For French, the accepted tests are TEF Canada and TCF Canada, and strong French can add meaningful points to your Express Entry score.
Know your target before you sit the test. Federal Skilled Worker candidates and Canadian Experience Class applicants in TEER 0 or 1 jobs need at least CLB 7, which for IELTS means a 6.0 in each ability, while Canadian Experience Class applicants in TEER 2 or 3 jobs need only CLB 5; our breakdown of the CLB 7 IELTS score shows the exact bands.
If you are still building your profile, our plain-language guide to how Express Entry works puts the language test in context with the rest of the process. Language is one of the biggest single levers in your score, so the test you pick and the level you hit matter more than most people expect.
Frequently asked questions about TOEFL Essentials and Express Entry
Is TOEFL accepted in Canada for PR?
Not for Express Entry economic immigration as of September 2026. The accepted tests are CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada and TCF Canada. TOEFL Essentials was approved in 2025 but is not yet on the accepted-tests list.
Does IRCC accept TOEFL for Express Entry?
No. Even though IRCC’s delegated authority approved TOEFL Essentials in August 2025, you still cannot enter a TOEFL score in an Express Entry profile, because the required system and guidance changes have not been completed.
What is TOEFL Essentials?
TOEFL Essentials is an English test that ETS built specifically for Canadian economic immigration, submitted to IRCC in January 2023 and approved for designation in August 2025. It is not the academic TOEFL iBT, which was never accepted for Express Entry.
Can I use TOEFL for Canada immigration?
Not for Express Entry right now. If you want a score you can actually use this year, book CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training or PTE Core for English, or TEF Canada or TCF Canada for French.
When will TOEFL Essentials be accepted for Express Entry?
There is no published date. An internal IRCC memo attributes the delay to pending changes in the GCMS system, the Profile Builder and program delivery instructions, plus unresolved funding, so treat any specific timeline you see online as unconfirmed until the test appears on the official list.
Where do I confirm the current accepted tests?
On IRCC’s official Express Entry: Language test results page. Because the list can change without notice, check it on the day you plan to book your test.
Related Posts
IELTS vs CELPIP: Which Test Is Easier for Canadian Immigration?: A practical comparison of the two most common accepted English tests to help you pick the one you will score highest on.
Canada Language Test Equivalency Chart 2026: How every accepted test score converts to a Canadian Language Benchmark, for English and French.
CRS Points Breakdown 2026: Where your language score fits in your total Express Entry ranking, factor by factor.
Get your language test decision right the first time
Clients come to Ansari Immigration after booking the wrong test, or sitting the right one at the wrong level, and losing weeks in the pool. A short review with the firm’s licensed RCIC settles which accepted test fits you and what benchmark you need, and you hear honestly whether to test now or wait, never a pitch. Express Entry representation is a flat CAD $3,000, all family included; a consultation is $80.
Which test are you leaning toward, and what is holding you back from booking it? Share it in the comments, and for advice on your specific case, use a consultation. For more on the programs this affects, see our Express Entry service page and permanent residence overview. Ansari Immigration is led by a licensed RCIC regulated by CICC.
This article is for general information only. It is not legal advice. Program criteria, requirements, processing times, and selection approaches can change without notice. Always confirm details on official government websites or consult a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) for advice specific to your situation.
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