TEF & TCF Canada in Latin America: Mexico, Brazil, Colombia

In Latin America, the TEF Canada and TCF Canada are run by Alliance Française centres (Alianza Francesa, Aliança Francesa). In Mexico City, the Alianza Francesa de México lists TEF Canada sessions throughout the year (14 in its 2026 calendar). In São Paulo, the Aliança Francesa offers both tests with online registration. In Colombia, Alliance Française de Medellín runs the TCF Canada.

If you speak Spanish or Portuguese, you start with a real advantage: French shares thousands of words and much of its grammar with your language. That makes NCLC 7, the level behind the 25 to 50 bonus CRS points and French-category draws, a realistic goal. This guide covers centres, booking, what transfers from your language and what doesn't, and a study plan.

Where to take the TEF or TCF Canada

Both tests count the same for IRCC. Your NCLC level decides your points, not the test's name. See TCF Canada vs TEF Canada for the format differences.

Our directory has pages for Mexico City and São Paulo, and you can search every centre on the test centre finder. Live dates are on the TEF Canada exam dates and TCF Canada exam dates calendars. To compare Brazil's price with other countries, see TCF Canada fees by country and centre.

Other cities and countries

The Federación de Alianzas Francesas de México lists official TEF centres in Cuernavaca, Mexico City, Monterrey, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí and Texcoco. Its page doesn't say which ones run the Canada version, so ask before you plan around one. For Argentina, Chile, Peru and the rest of the region, use the official finders: France Éducation international's TCF centre list and Le français des affaires' TEF centre finder (both in the sources).

How booking works

Mexico City. The Alianza Francesa de México publishes a yearly TEF calendar. For 2026 it listed 14 sessions, the last ones on 23 October, 6 November, 24 November and 11 December. You register by email at least 8 days before the session. The centre describes the TEF Canada as recognised by IRCC since 2002, with four tests for immigration and two (listening and speaking) for citizenship.

São Paulo. Registration is online only, through a form on each test page, and payment is by boleto, in a single instalment. Unpaid registrations are cancelled automatically. Tests take place at the Faria Lima unit.

Medellín. The TCF Canada registration form asks for a copy of your ID document. You are photographed on exam day for the TCF platform, and you must bring the same ID. After registration there are no refunds or postponements.

For a step-by-step walkthrough, see how to book the TEF Canada and how to book the TCF Canada.

Results, retakes and validity

Le français des affaires says TEF Canada results arrive within 1 to 10 business days of the test, as a digital certificate. For the TCF Canada, France Éducation international says 15 working days after it receives the session material; Medellín tells candidates to expect about a month. Both test owners currently set 20 days between sittings.

Results are valid for two years. For Express Entry, they must be less than two years old when you create your profile and when you submit your permanent residence application.

Why French is worth it for Latin American applicants

Many Latin American Express Entry candidates already have a strong English score. French adds points on top:

• Additional points: NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills earns 25 points, or 50 with CLB 5 or higher in all four English skills.
• Second official language: each French skill earns 1 point at NCLC 5–6, 3 at NCLC 7–8 and 6 at NCLC 9 or higher, up to 24 points (22 with a spouse).
• French-category draws: IRCC lists French-language proficiency first among its Express Entry categories, with NCLC 7 in all four abilities as the requirement. From February to mid-October 2026, their cut-offs ranged from 382 to 435, against 507 to 523 for Canadian Experience Class rounds (IRCC round data, rounds #394 to #450).

Try your own levels:

The CRS calculator shows your full score, and our guide to French CRS points explains each factor.

Your head start as a Spanish or Portuguese speaker

French, Spanish and Portuguese all come from Latin. That gives you more than an English speaker gets.

What transfers

• Vocabulary. A large share of French words have a close relative in your language: liberté, université, important, travailler. Reading usually progresses fastest.
• Grammar. Gendered nouns, verb conjugations by person, the subjunctive and two past tenses (a completed past and an imperfect) all work in broadly familiar ways.
• Nasal vowels come more easily to Portuguese speakers, who already have them.

What trips you up

• False friends. French constipé means constipated, not "constipado" (having a cold). Salir means to make dirty, not to go out (that's sortir). Exquis means exquisite, not "esquisito" (strange).
• Pronunciation. French writes many letters it doesn't say, especially at the ends of words. The vowel in tu doesn't exist in Spanish and is easy to confuse with the one in tout.
• Listening. Words run together in speech, so what you can read easily may be hard to catch at full speed. For many learners it is the hardest skill to bring up to NCLC 7.
• Grammar differences. French needs a subject pronoun (je, nous) where Spanish and Portuguese drop it. It uses partitive articles (du pain, de l'eau), and its past tense chooses between two auxiliaries, avoir and être.
• Mixing languages. Under pressure, Spanish or Portuguese words slip into French speech. Speaking practice under time limits is the cure.

A study plan

Start with a baseline

Take the free French level test, then a timed TEF Canada practice test or TCF Canada practice test. Knowing your weakest skill tells you where to spend your hours.

Estimate the hours

This planner uses Alliance Française de Lyon's estimate of course hours per CEFR level. It is one school's figure for learners in general, not an official rule. Spanish and Portuguese speakers may move faster through the early levels, so treat the lower end of the range as your realistic case.

Our zero to NCLC 7 timeline breaks the journey into stages, and the French study plan tool turns your weekly hours into a calendar.

Spend your time where it counts

1. Listening every day. Podcasts, French-language news and series with French subtitles. Short daily sessions beat long weekly ones.
2. Pronunciation early. Fix the sounds before bad habits set in. Record yourself reading aloud.
3. A false-friends list. Keep a notebook of the ones that catch you out.
4. Writing with structure. Learn the linking words the examiners look for. Our writing phrases collection is a good start.
5. Full mock tests six, three and one week before your exam. Both tests take close to three hours.

TEF or TCF?

If you can choose, our article TCF vs TEF: which is easier? compares every section. In short: the TCF has short writing tasks with strict word limits; the TEF has longer writing tasks with minimums only and two role-play speaking sections. This quiz suggests one in under a minute:

On the day, and costs beyond the fee

Both tests take most of a day. Plan for it:

• The TEF Canada puts reading, listening and writing on a computer, with the speaking test face to face. All four tests must be taken on the same day for IRCC to recognise the certificate. You type your writing with a virtual keyboard for accents, so practise typing French beforehand.
• The TCF Canada may be on paper or on computer, depending on the centre. Speaking is always face to face and recorded. No one is admitted once the listening test has started, so arrive early.
• Bring the ID you registered with. For the TCF, the centre photographs you on the day at IRCC's request.

Budget for more than the exam fee: preparation courses and books, travel and a hotel night if your nearest centre is in another city, and possibly a second attempt. Many candidates need a retake to reach NCLC 7 in every skill, so leave room in your Express Entry timeline too. The free exam day checklist covers what to bring.

Other country guides

Booking, fees and strategy differ a lot from one country to the next. We have the same guide for India, Nigeria, Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia and francophone Africa. For every centre and upcoming session worldwide, use our test centre finder.

Our take

For Spanish and Portuguese speakers, French is the most reachable second language for Canadian immigration. Use your head start in reading and grammar, put most of your effort into listening and speaking, and book your seat early: in Mexico City and São Paulo the sessions are regular, but elsewhere in the region you may have to travel.