ESL/LINC Eligibility

Generally, newcomers to Canada are eligible for language training at no cost. Eligibility must be verified when registering for a class.

To register in ESL or LINC programs you must:

ESL

• Canadian Citizens (those born outside Canada who do not speak English as a first language)
• Permanent Residents
• Convention Refugees/Protected Persons
• Persons in Canada whose applications for Permanent Resident status are being processed in Canada, and who have been informed by a letter from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada of the initial approval of their application subject to an admissibility assessment
• Refugee Claimants
• Temporary Workers or Students who have obtained initial approval for a concurrent Application for Permanent Residence
• Foreign Domestic Worker admitted under the Live-In Caregiver program
• Provincial Nominee (or Dependant) approved through Opportunities Ontario
• Temporary Foreign Worker (or Dependant) approved through Canadian Experience Class

• Permanent Residents
• Government Assisted Refugees (GARs)

NOT eligible for LINC:

• Canadian citizens
• Refugee claimants
• Temporary residents (such as foreign students, foreign workers or visitors)