Canada announces amended rules for proving language ability

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From November 1st 2012 all those aged between 18 and 54 who are applying for Canadian citizenship must provide proof of a sufficient level of competence along with their application or their applications will be rejected. The required level of language ability is not altered but, from 1st November, it will be necessary for applicants to provide objective proof of that ability.

Acceptable proof will be

• A certificate proving that the applicant has passed a test administered by an approved third party
• Evidence that the applicant has completed secondary, or higher, education in English or French
• Evidence that the applicant has achieved the required level in a Canadian government funded language training programme.

The required level is, and remains, Canadian Linguistic Benchmark/Niveau de compétence linguistique Canadien 4.

The Canadian Citizenship Act already provides that applicants for citizenship must be able to speak one of Canada's two official languages, English and French to an approved level but, up until now, it has been enough for applicants to assert that they have this ability. That assertion will then be tested during an interview with an official from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC).

Mr Kenney said on 28th September 2012, 'Research has consistently shown that the ability to communicate effectively in either English or French is a key factor in the success of new citizens in Canada. We believe that it is important for new citizens to be able to participate fully in our economy and our society.'

Applicants may still face an interview with CIC staff for a further assessment of their abilities. This interview will continue to form part of the assessment of the applicant's linguistic ability.

Applications received before 1st November 2012 will continue to be assessed under the existing regime.

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