Adult learning: French as a second language
For immigrants and refugees looking to improve their French.
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 weekend
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
This program might be good for you if you:
- want to improve your French skills to better communicate in your everyday life
- need to improve your French skills to find a job or go to school
- need to prepare for a French language proficiency test
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. Find out if you are eligible and take an assessment. 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 federally and provincially funded programs 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 (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) | Halton Region Milton Sports Centre (itinerant) 605 Santa Maria Boulevard, Room 3, Milton, ON L9T 6J5 |
| 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 |
| 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-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: November 06, 2023
Published: August 29, 2019