A spouse or partner's French can add up to 20 CRS points: 5 points per skill at NCLC 9 or higher, through the spouse language factor. It can never earn the 25 or 50 French bonus points, and it doesn't make the couple eligible for French-category draws. Those depend only on the principal applicant's own French.
So if your partner is the stronger French speaker, the real question is often not "how many points does their French add?" but "should they be the principal applicant?" This guide explains the rules from canada.ca, then scores real-looking couples both ways so you can see when swapping pays off.
Spouse French in the CRS
- Max points for the spouse's language
- 20
- Points per skill at NCLC 9+
- 5
- Max for all spouse factors
- 40
- French bonus from a spouse's French
- 0
How spouse language points work
When you have a spouse or common-law partner who is coming with you to Canada (and isn't already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident), the CRS scores their education, language and Canadian work experience too, in a section worth up to 40 points.
The language part is worth up to 20 points. Each of the four skills scores on its own:
| Spouse's level per skill | Points per skill | Four skills |
|---|---|---|
| NCLC/CLB 4 or lower | 0 | 0 |
| NCLC/CLB 5 or 6 | 1 | 4 |
| NCLC/CLB 7 or 8 | 3 | 12 |
| NCLC/CLB 9 or higher | 5 | 20 |
Three rules decide how your partner's French fits in:
- Only one language counts. The Ministerial Instructions score the spouse on their first official language only. A spouse with English CLB 9 and French NCLC 7 doesn't get both: they get points for one.
- The spouse chooses which one. Like the principal applicant, the spouse declares which official language is their first. Declare the one with higher levels.
- It must be an approved test, less than two years old. For French that's the TCF Canada or the TEF Canada. On the TEF, use the "Équivalence ancien score" column (see our TEF Canada score chart).
A spouse doesn't have to take a language test. Without one, the spouse language factor is simply 0.
Does the French bonus apply to the spouse?
No. The CRS "additional points" for French (25 points for NCLC 7+ in all four French skills, or 50 with CLB 5+ in English) are awarded on the principal applicant's test results. The Ministerial Instructions (section 32) tie them to the candidate's own French results, and the CRS criteria page lists no French bonus in the spouse section.
The same goes for French-language category draws. IRCC's eligibility rule is that the candidate has French test results with at least NCLC 7 in all four abilities. A spouse with NCLC 10 French doesn't change who gets invited in a French round.
Here's a side-by-side of how the same French result counts, depending on who holds it:
| Same French result, NCLC 7 in all four | Principal applicant (English first) | Accompanying spouse |
|---|---|---|
| Language points from French | 12 (second official language) | 12 (spouse's first official language) |
| French bonus | 25 or 50 | 0 |
| French-category draws | Eligible | Not eligible |
Worked example 1: the spouse with English and French
An illustrative example, calculated with the CRS grid on canada.ca. Arjun is 32, with a bachelor's degree, three years of skilled work outside Canada and English CLB 8. Meera is 30, with a master's degree, two years of skilled work outside Canada, English CLB 9 and French NCLC 7 in all four skills. Neither has worked in Canada.
Arjun as principal applicant, Meera as spouse:
- If Meera declares English as her first official language (CLB 9): her language points are 20, and the couple scores 353.
- If she declares French (NCLC 7): her language points drop to 12, and the couple scores 345. Her stronger language is the right choice.
Meera as principal applicant, Arjun as spouse:
- Meera claims English CLB 9 as her first official language and French NCLC 7 as her second: 12 second-language points plus the 50-point French bonus. Arjun's CLB 8 English adds 12 spouse language points.
- The couple scores 494, and Meera can enter French-category draws.
Swapping is worth 141 points for this couple. Only part of that is French: Meera is younger, has a master's degree and CLB 9 English, which raise her core and transferability points. But 62 of those points (12 second-language + 50 bonus) exist only because the French speaker is the principal applicant.
Worked example 2: the French-speaking spouse
Another illustrative example. Sofia is 34, with a bachelor's degree, three years of foreign work experience and English CLB 9. Her husband Luc, 33, also has a bachelor's degree and three years of foreign work experience. His French is NCLC 9 in all four skills, and he has no English test.
Sofia as principal applicant:
- Without a language test for Luc: 386 points.
- With Luc's NCLC 9 French counted as his first official language: 406 points. His French adds the maximum 20.
Luc as principal applicant, French as his first official language:
- With no English test: 436 points, including the 25-point French bonus, and Luc can enter French-category draws.
- If Luc also reaches CLB 5 in all four English skills: 465 points. The bonus doubles to 50, and English adds 4 second-language points.
Here, Sofia's strong English and Luc's strong French are worth about the same as language points. What tips it is the bonus and the category, which only follow the principal applicant.
Compare your couple both ways
Enter both partners below. It starts with Sofia and Luc's example: change any field to try your own situation. Each level applies to all four skills. Use the links to open either case in the full CRS calculator with everything filled in.
Which of you should be the principal applicant?
Enter both partners. We score the couple both ways with the CRS grid.
- Partner A applies, partner comes along406 CRS pointsCan't enter French-category drawsOpen Partner A's case in the full calculator
- Partner B applies, partner comes along436 CRS pointsCan enter French-category draws (NCLC 7+ in all four)Open Partner B's case in the full calculator
Partner B as principal applicant scores 30 more points.
Estimate: each level applies to all four skills, the spouse is scored on their stronger official language, and no PNP, Canadian study or sibling points. Only the principal applicant's French earns the French bonus or opens French-category draws.
When to swap the principal applicant
You decide which partner is the principal applicant. Before you swap, check these points:
- Who has NCLC 7+ in all four French skills? If it's the partner who would otherwise be the spouse, swapping can add 25 or 50 bonus points and the French-category draws. Nothing else in the CRS does both.
- Is that partner eligible for a program? The principal applicant must qualify for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program on their own: their own work experience, their own language results. Our FSW points calculator checks the 67-point grid.
- Age and education. Age points drop each year from 30 and fall sharply after 40. A younger principal applicant with similar education often scores more.
- Canadian work experience. A principal applicant earns up to 70 points for it (with a spouse); a spouse earns at most 10. Canadian experience is usually worth more in the principal applicant's hands.
- First-language strength. Skill transferability points are based on the principal applicant's first official language. A partner with CLB or NCLC 9 in all four earns the top tier.
The CRS score improver can then tell you what one change, such as the French partner moving from NCLC 6 to NCLC 7, would add for the principal applicant you choose.
Should your spouse take a French test?
If your partner will be the accompanying spouse, a French test only helps through the 20-point spouse language factor, and only if French is their stronger official language:
- NCLC 5 or 6: 4 points. Probably not worth a test fee unless every point counts.
- NCLC 7 or 8: 12 points.
- NCLC 9 or higher: 20 points, the maximum.
If your partner already has a stronger English result, a French test adds nothing for them as a spouse. The better question is whether they should be the principal applicant, with the French test feeding the bonus.
Other spouse details worth knowing
- Sibling points. The 15 CRS points for a sibling in Canada can come from either partner's sibling (aged 18 or over, a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, living in Canada).
- When you're scored as single. If your spouse or partner is not coming with you, or is already a Canadian citizen or permanent resident, you're scored on the "without spouse" columns, with no spouse factors.
- Results expire. Every language result, the principal applicant's and the spouse's, must be less than two years old when you create the profile and when you apply for permanent residence.
What to do next
Find out where the French speaker stands
Whoever has the French should take the free 10-question French level test. It takes a few minutes.
Take a full timed mock test
A free mock test gives a score per skill. Convert it with the NCLC score converter: NCLC 7 in all four is the line that makes swapping worthwhile.
Score your couple both ways
Use the comparison above, then the full CRS calculator for the exact totals, and the CRS score improver to find the next best gain.
Train the weakest skill
The bonus needs NCLC 7 in every skill. Read our guide to French CRS points and NCLC 7 on the TCF Canada, practise with the TCF Canada practice test, and see our plans for scored feedback on writing and speaking.
For the bigger picture on French and permanent residence, start from French for Express Entry. If the French speaker is already well past NCLC 7, see what NCLC 9 adds.