Adult learning: English as a second language
For immigrants and refugees looking to improve their English.
About the program
School boards located across Ontario provide language training classes. You can take beginner, intermediate and advanced-level classes.
Learning options
- in class
- online
Schedule options
- part-time or full-time
- daytime and evening
- Monday to Friday and weekends
Program length
- The length varies. You can start and end at different times. You can take as many courses as needed to reach your goals.
Eligibility
You must be a resident of Ontario. You must also be one of the following:
- naturalized Canadian citizen
- permanent resident
- protected person (including Convention refugee)
- refugee claimant
- provincial nominee approved through the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program
- person admitted under a federal caregiver program with a path to permanent residency
You may also be eligible for other federal government programs such as language training for your job.
This program might be good for you if you:
- came to Canada as an immigrant or a refugee
- want to improve your English skills to better communicate in your everyday life
- need to improve your English skills to find a job or go to school
- need to prepare for an English test such as the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
Program cost
This program is free.
Note: Service providers may charge a small fee for materials.
How to register
- Contact your nearest language assessment centre to get an assessment of your language skills in English or French. These centres are also known as CLARS Centres, which stands for Coordinated Language Assessment and Referral System Centre.
- Once you receive the results of the assessment, you will be given a list of programs for which you are eligible that you can choose from.
- Register for the course you want to take.
Language assessment centres
| Organization | Address |
|---|---|
| Achēv (Ajax) | Ajax Welcome Centre 458 Fairall Street, Ajax, ON L1S 1R6 |
| Achēv (Barrie) | Career Centre 320 Bayfield Street, Barrie, ON L4M 3C1 |
| Achēv (Bradford) | Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library 425 Holland Street West, Bradford, ON L3Z 0J2 |
| Achēv (Brampton East) | Language Assessment Centre – Brampton East 263 Queen Street East, Unit 14, Brampton, ON L6W 4K6 |
| Achēv (Brampton South) | Language Assessment Centre – Brampton South 7700 Hurontario Street North, Unit 601, Brampton, ON L6Y 4M3 |
| Achēv (Burlington-itinerant) | Burlington Centre Mall – inside HMC Connections 777 Guelph Line, Unit 204 (2nd floor) Burlington, ON L7R 3N2 |
| Achēv (Malton) | Language Assessment Centre - Malton 7420 Airport Road, Suite 104 Mississauga, ON L4T 4E5 |
| Achēv (Malton-Itinerant) | Centre for Skills Development (Itinerant) 3350 South Service Road, Burlington, ON L7N 3M6 1-855-330-8655 |
| Achēv (Markham North) | Markham North Welcome Centre 8400 Woodbine Avenue, Markham, ON L3R 4N7 |
| Achēv (Markham South) | Markham South Welcome Centre 7220 Kennedy Road, Markham, ON L3R 7P2 |
| Achēv (Milton-itinerant) | Milton Mall – inside HMC Connections 55 Ontario St. South, Milton, ON L9T 2M3 |
| Achēv (Mississauga) | Language Assessment Centre – Mississauga City Centre 50 Burnhamthorpe Road West, Suite 300, Mississauga, ON L5B 3C2 |
| Achēv (Newmarket) | Newmarket Welcome Centre 16655 Yonge Street, Barrie, ON L3X 1V6 |
| Achēv (Oakville) | Language Assessment Centre - Oakville 690 Dorval Drive, Suite 100 Oakville, ON L6K 3X9 |
| Achēv (Oshawa) | Durham Region Unemployed Help Centre 272 King Street East, Oshawa, ON L1H 1C9 |
| Achēv (Pickering) | Pickering Welcome Centre 1400 Bayla Street, Pickering, ON L1W 3R2 |
| Achēv (Richmond Hill) | CLARS Language Assessment Services York-Simcoe-Durham 420 Highway 7 East, Suite 204B, Richmond Hill, ON, L4B 1A7 |
| Achēv (Richmond Hill) | Richmond Hill Welcome Centre 9325 Yonge Street, Richmond Hill, ON L4C 0A8 |
| Achēv (Vaughan) | Vaughan Welcome Centre 9100 Jane Street, Vaughan, ON L4K 0A8 |
| Achēv (Whitby) | Whitby Catholic Continuing Education Centre 1003 Giffard Street, Whitby, ON L1N 2S4 |
| Grand Erie District School Board - Joseph Brant Learning Centre | Newcomer Reception and Assessment Centre 347 Erie Avenue, Brantford, ON N3S 2H7 |
| Greater Essex County District School Board (Leamington) | Employment Assessment Centre 215 Talbot Street East, Leamington, ON N8H 3X5 |
| Greater Essex County District School Board (Chatham) | Adult Language and Learning 240 King St. W., Chatham, Ontario N7M 1E7 |
| Greater Essex County District School Board (Windsor) | Language Assessment and Resource Centre 301- 633 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario N9A 4J4 |
| Immigrant Services Guelph - Wellington | 104 Dawson Road, Unit 102, Guelph, ON N1H 1A6 |
| Language Assessment Services (Kingston) | Kingston Community Health Centres 263 Weller Avenue,Kingston, ON K7K 2V4 |
| Language Assessment Services (Belleville) | Loyola Community Centre, Ontario, K8P 1K2 161 Bridge Street W.,Belleville, |
| London Cross Cultural Learner Centre | 505 Dundas Street, London, ON N6B 1W4 |
| New Canadians Centre Peterborough (Cobourg/Northhumberland) | 600 William Street, Cobourg, ON K9A 5J6 |
| New Canadians Centre Peterborough (Peterborough) | 221 Romaine Street, Peterborough, ON K9J 2C3 |
| Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (Thunder Bay) | Regional Language Assessment Centre 17 N Court Street, Thunder Bay, ON P7A 4T4 |
| Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (Kenora-itinerant) | The Multicultural Association of Kenora & District 136 Main Street South, Kenora, ON P9N 1S9 |
| Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (North Bay-itinerant) | North Bay & District Multicultural Centre 100 Main Street East, North Bay, ON P1A 1A8 |
| Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (Sault St. Marie-itinerant) | Sault Community Career Centre 503 Queen Street East, Sault Ste. Marie, ON P6A 2A2 |
| Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (Timmins-itinerant) | Timmins & District Multicultural Centre Pine Plaza, 119 Pine Street South, Suite 10, Timmins, ON P4N 3K3 |
| Thunder Bay Multicultural Association (Sudbury-itinerant) | YMCA of Sudbury – Newcomer Services 112 - 10 Elm Street, Sudbury, ON P3C 5N3 |
| Upper Canada District School Board - TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education (Brockville) | Brockville Campus 163 Ormond Street, Brockville, ON K6V 2L2 |
| Upper Canada District School Board - TR Leger School of Adult, Alternative and Continuing Education (Cornwall) | TR Leger Immigrant Services (TRLIS) Welcome Centre / Main Office 600 McConnell Avenue, Cornwall, ON K6H 4M1 |
| YMCA of Greater Toronto (Don Valley North) | Toronto Consumers YMCA Immigrant Services 110-251 Consumers Road, Toronto, ON M2J 4R3 Language.test@ymcagta.org |
| YMCA of Greater Toronto (Etobicoke North) | Etobicoke YMCA Employment and Immigrant Services 83 - 1530 Albion Road, Toronto, ON M9V 5H4 |
| YMCA of Greater Toronto (Scarborough North) | Scarborough Milner YMCA Employment and Immigrant Services 600 - 10 Milner Business Court, Scarborough, ON M1B 3C6 |
| YMCA of Greater Toronto (Toronto Centre) | Central YMCA 20 Grosvenor Street, third floor, Toronto, ON M4Y 2V5 |
| YMCA of Greater Toronto (York Centre) | North York YMCA Employment and Immigrant Services 4580 Dufferin Street, second floor, North York, ON M3H 5Y2 Language.test@ymcagta.org |
| YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford (Hamilton) | YMCA Immigrant & Employment Services 25 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON L8P 1H6 |
| YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford (Stoney Creek) | YMCA Immigrant & Settlement Services Stoney Creek 211 Centennial Parkway North, Stoney Creek, ON L8E 1H8 |
| YMCA of Niagara (St. Catharines) | YMCA Employment and Immigrant Services 285 Bunting Road, St. Catharines, ON L2M 7T9 |
| YMCA of Niagara (Thorold) | YMCA Employment and Immigrant Services 9 Pine Street North, Thorold, ON L2V 4J6 |
| YMCA of Niagara (Niagara Falls) | YMCA Employment and Immigrant Services 8123 Lundy’s Lane, Niagara Falls, ON L2H 1H3 |
| YMCA of Three Rivers - Waterloo Region (Kitchener) | 800 King Street West, Kitchener, ON N2G 1E8 intake@ytr.ymca.ca |
| YMCA of Three Rivers - Waterloo Region (Cambridge) | 250 Hespler Road, Cambridge, ON N1R 3H3 intake@ytr.ymca.ca |
| YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region - Central | 308 - 240 Catherine Street, Ottawa, ON K2P 2G8 Larc.celo@ymcaywca.ca |
| YMCA-YWCA of the National Capital Region - West | 1642 Merivale Road, Second Floor (Merivale Mall), Ottawa, ON, K2G 4A1 Larc.celo@ymcaywca.ca |
Other types of language training
Other types of language training may be available to you based on your areas of interest or need.
Learn more about:
- What to do to prepare for language training before you arrive in Ontario
- Language training for your job
- Language classes to prepare for your education
- Language programs for children and youth
- Government of Canada language classes
Learn more about other services for newcomers
Updated: April 03, 2024
Published: August 29, 2019