professional 1 said:
Page 37 inside the schedual :
If ... Then the officer will ...
the material submitted satisfies
the officer that the applicant has
the proficiency levels claimed
• award language points for the proficiency levels claimed,
according to the chart provided in Section 11.3.
the material submitted satisfies
the officer that the applicant has
demonstrated language
proficiency of at least
Benchmark level "4" but not the
proficiency levels claimed
• inform the applicant in writing that they have not
demonstrated compliance with the Benchmarks at the levels
claimed.
• offer the applicant the opportunity to undergo and submit the
results of a designated language test within a certain time
period.
• For applications received on or after April 10, 2010, at the
CIO, do not offer the applicant the opportunity to undergo
and submit the results of a designated language test
If the designated test option is not pursued by the applicant:
• inform the applicant that they have satisfied the officer of
some language proficiency but have not demonstrated
compliance with the Benchmarks for the levels they have
claimed and award the maximum points that are appropriate
for the submission.
the evidence provided does not
demonstrate a Benchmark level
of at least "4"
• award 0 points.
the applicant does not provide
any evidence to satisfy the
officer that demonstrates a
benchmark level of at least “4”
• award 0 point
Full section about this,
you can see it is appplicable if you decide to submit written evidence only...
11.10. Other written evidence
If the applicant provides a written explanation and supporting documentation in lieu of test results,
officers must assess it against the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000, and/or the Niveaux de
compétence linguistique canadiens.2006 R79(2) establishes the following equivalencies between
the four proficiency levels and the Canadian Language Benchmarks:
Proficiency level Benchmark equivalencies
High Benchmark 8 or higher
Moderate Benchmark 6 or 7
Basic Benchmark 4 or 5
No proficiency Benchmark 3 or lower
Thus, for purposes of assessment of proficiency levels, it is Benchmarks 4, 6, and 8 that are of
key importance, as they are the thresholds of the three levels for which points can be awarded.
Refer to the following quick reference chart to access the appropriate Canadian Language
With these detailed descriptors, officers will assess whether or not the applicant’s evidence in
writing satisfies them that they possess their claimed proficiency levels in English and/or French.
If … Then the officer will …
the material submitted satisfies
the officer that the applicant has
the proficiency levels claimed
• award language points for the proficiency levels claimed,
according to the chart provided in Section 11.3.
the material submitted satisfies
the officer that the applicant has
demonstrated language
proficiency of at least
Benchmark level "4" but not the
proficiency levels claimed
• inform the applicant in writing that they have not
demonstrated compliance with the Benchmarks at the levels
claimed.
• offer the applicant the opportunity to undergo and submit the
results of a designated language test within a certain time
period.
• For applications received on or after April 10, 2010, at the
CIO, do not offer the applicant the opportunity to undergo
and submit the results of a designated language test
If the designated test option is not pursued by the applicant:
• inform the applicant that they have satisfied the officer of
some language proficiency but have not demonstrated
compliance with the Benchmarks for the levels they have
claimed and award the maximum points that are appropriate
for the submission.
the evidence provided does not
demonstrate a Benchmark level
of at least "4"
• award 0 points.
the applicant does not provide
any evidence to satisfy the
officer that demonstrates a
benchmark level of at least “4”
• award 0 points.
The onus is on the applicant to satisfy the officer of claimed language proficiency.
Given the detailed nature of the Canadian Language Benchmarks 2000 and the Niveaux de
compétence linguistique canadiens 2006 it should be clear that, in most cases where language
proficiency is not patently obvious from the applicant’s background, self-serving declarations, thirdparty
testimonials and/or other claims not supported by detailed and objective evidence will be of
little probative value in establishing high or moderate proficiency.
