How we research, verify and correct

Our sources

Primary sources only. For immigration rules, draws and targets we use canada.ca: IRCC program pages, Ministerial Instructions, the rounds-of-invitations page and its official data file, news releases and published consultation documents. For test formats, scoring and result validity we use the test owners: France Éducation international for the TCF Canada and CCI Paris Île-de-France for the TEF Canada.

Secondary sources are leads, not evidence. If a number appears only on a third-party site, such as a news outlet, a consultancy or a forum, we don't publish it. If it matters to readers, we may mention that it has been reported and say clearly that IRCC has not confirmed it.

Our own data. The Express Entry draw tracker is generated from IRCC's official rounds data file, and our NCLC conversions use the tables IRCC publishes for each test. Each tool says which table it uses.

Verification and dates

Every page that states an immigration fact carries a last verified date: the day someone on the editorial team checked each number against its source. It is different from the published date and the updated date, which are shown separately.

We re-check tools monthly, evergreen guides and articles at least quarterly, and anything touched by a policy change immediately.

Dates are always absolute (for example, 1 October 2026). We don't write "recently" or "last week", because pages are read long after they are written.

Unconfirmed and proposed changes

IRCC often consults before it changes a rule, and other sites often report proposals as if they were decided. We label each item by status: in force (published by IRCC with an effective date), announced (IRCC has said it will happen, with or without a date) or proposed (a consultation or discussion paper only).

We never give an implementation date that IRCC has not published. When a proposal could affect our tools, such as the French bonus in the CRS calculator, the tool keeps using the rules in force and the change is explained in a dated news item.

How we cover news

Each news item covers one dated event and follows the same structure: what changed, who it affects and what to do now, followed by the official sources. Draw items are published after IRCC posts the round, using the numbers from its official data.

News items are never rewritten silently. If something changes after publication, we add a dated note to the item's update log and change its modified date. If a new event follows, we publish a new item and link the two.

Corrections

If we get something wrong, we fix it as soon as we have confirmed the correct information on an official source. Material corrections, meaning anything that could change a reader's decision, are noted on the page with the date and what changed, and listed below.

To report an error, email us at the address in the contact section with the page link and, if you can, the official source. We reply to every correction request.

Corrections log

No material corrections have been logged as of October 5, 2026.

How we use AI

Scoring and feedback. Writing and speaking answers in the practice tests can be scored by an AI model against the published marking criteria of each test. The result is always labelled as an estimate. It is a practice aid, not an official result, and it can be wrong. If AI scoring is unavailable, we show a clearly labelled rough estimate instead.

Audio. Listening exercises use synthetic French voices generated from scripts we write.

Writing and research. We may use AI tools to help draft or translate content. Every immigration fact is then checked by the editorial team against the official source before publication, and the editorial team is responsible for everything we publish. We don't let AI invent sources, people or numbers.

Authors and reviewers

Content is published under the NCLC French editorial team byline. We only name a person as an author or reviewer when that person is real, has agreed to be named and has the qualifications we state. We never invent experts.

NCLC French does not give legal or immigration advice. For advice on your own case, use a licensed professional.

Independence

NCLC French is not affiliated with IRCC, France Éducation international or CCI Paris Île-de-France. We don't accept payment to publish or change editorial content. Paid plans unlock more practice and AI feedback; they never change what our guides, tools or news say.