Duolingo Iran Ban: Canada PR Tests and University Admission 2026
As of September 3, 2026, with the ETS details updated September 24, 2026. This week's test news is not an Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) rule change. It can still stop an Iranian applicant from getting into a Canadian school. Educational Testing Service (ETS) stopped TOEFL and GRE sittings inside Iran after the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) suspended General License G. Duolingo's help article "Is The Duolingo English Test available in Iran?" says the Duolingo English Test is unavailable in Iran and for users with Iranian IDs. Many Canadian universities accept that at-home test for admission. IRCC does not accept it for Express Entry. If the school will not issue a letter of acceptance without Duolingo, you cannot file a study permit. The English tests on the live IRCC permanent residence list remain CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, and PTE Core.
TL;DR
IRCC Express Entry English tests: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core | Duolingo and TOEFL are not on that list | Study permit needs a letter of acceptance from a designated learning institution (DLI); IRCC does not collect Duolingo | University of Toronto undergraduate DET: overall 120 and Production 120 (tests on or after July 1, 2024) | Waterloo undergraduate DET after July 1, 2024: overall 120, Literacy 125, Production 125 | ETS: TOEFL and GRE stopped inside Iran; ETS cannot register people living in Iran, even for test centres abroad | ETS has not taken new TOEFL/GRE score-report requests from people living in Iran since September 9, 2026 | Post-graduation work permit (PGWP) language tables also omit Duolingo
Do IRCC accept Duolingo?
Short answer: No. IRCC's Express Entry language test page (date modified June 22, 2026) names the approved English tests: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General, International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training, and Pearson Test of English (PTE) Core. Duolingo is not on that list. TOEFL is not on that list. GRE is not a language test IRCC uses for Express Entry. A Duolingo score cannot be typed into an Express Entry profile as proof of Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB). If you only have Duolingo, you still need one of the three approved English tests, or an approved French test, before you can rely on the file for Express Entry.
The Iran news this week is a test-vendor problem, not a new IRCC instrument. ETS's update on testing in Iran says OFAC suspended General License G, which had authorized TOEFL and GRE testing and related educational services in Iran. ETS stopped those services in Iran to comply with U.S. sanctions law. ETS cancelled all TOEFL and GRE appointments in Iran by September 8, 2026. Appointments paid through an ETS account get a full refund to the original payment method. Iranian nationality alone does not stop you testing outside Iran, but ETS cannot process registrations or payments for people ordinarily resident in Iran, even for a test centre abroad. If you live outside Iran, you can register subject to the usual rules and seat availability. If you already have scores and you live in Iran, the window for extra score reports has closed. ETS handled requests submitted on or before September 8, 2026, and since September 9, 2026 it cannot process new TOEFL or GRE score-report requests for test takers residing in Iran. There is no confirmed resume date.
That ETS path is for university admissions that ask for TOEFL or GRE. It is not a substitute for CELPIP, IELTS General Training, or PTE Core on a permanent residence file.
Which English language tests are accepted for Canada PR?
Short answer: For Express Entry, IRCC accepts three English tests and two French tests. English: CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core. French: Test d'évaluation de français (TEF) Canada and Test de connaissance du français (TCF) Canada. IRCC measures English with CLB and French with Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC). IRCC does not accept IELTS One Skill Retake for Express Entry. You must take the named version. Results must be less than 2 years old when you complete the Express Entry profile and when you submit the permanent residence application. Expired results mean a refused application. Enter the scores, certificate number, and test PIN if the profile asks for them.
Minimums depend on the program, not on Duolingo bands.
| Program | English minimum IRCC names | French minimum IRCC names |
|---|
| Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) | CLB 7 in all 4 abilities | NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities |
| Canadian Experience Class (CEC), TEER 0 or 1 | CLB 7 in all 4 abilities | NCLC 7 |
| CEC, TEER 2 or 3 | CLB 5 in all 4 abilities | NCLC 5 |
| Federal Skilled Trades | Speaking and listening CLB 5; reading and writing CLB 4 | Speaking and listening NCLC 5; reading and writing NCLC 4 |
| FSWP second official language | CLB or NCLC 5 | CLB or NCLC 5 |
TEER is Training, Education, Experience and Responsibilities in the National Occupational Classification (NOC). If you are aiming at FSWP, read the 67-point grid next. Use the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) calculator after you have real approved-test scores, not a Duolingo screenshot.
A post-graduation work permit (PGWP) filed on or after November 1, 2024 also needs proof of English or French. IRCC prints conversion tables for CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, and TCF Canada. Duolingo is not in those tables. The only language exception IRCC names on that page is graduation from a PGWP-eligible flight school. Applications submitted before November 1, 2024 do not have to meet those minimums.
IRCC does not run the tests or publish where seats are open. Book with the test agency. If you cannot sit a test in Iran, sit it in a country that still offers CELPIP, IELTS General Training, or PTE Core, then keep the report valid for the 2-year window.
Is Duolingo accepted for PR in Canada?
Short answer: No for economic immigration through Express Entry. The approved-test list above is the list. Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) streams that use Express Entry still need those IRCC tests in the federal profile. A province can ask for extra language proof, but it cannot make Duolingo an Express Entry document. Citizenship is a different list. The citizenship help answer (date modified September 1, 2026) names CELPIP General, CELPIP General-LS, IELTS General, PTE Core, and several French diplomas and tests. It then says IRCC does not accept any other third-party test results, even if they are similar. Duolingo is not named there either.
Study is the lane this week's ban actually hits. See the student-visa and university questions below.
Is Duolingo valid for Canada student visa?
Short answer: Not as an IRCC document. A study permit is not issued on a Duolingo score. IRCC's who can apply page says you must be enrolled at a designated learning institution (DLI). The document list always requires a letter of acceptance (LOA) from that school. Post-secondary schools must validate the LOA. If they do not, IRCC returns the file and refunds the fee. In most cases you also need a provincial or territorial attestation letter (PAL/TAL) after you accept the offer. None of those IRCC fields is a Duolingo PDF. The school decides which English test unlocks the offer. If Duolingo was the only test that school listed, and you can no longer sit it with an Iranian ID, you do not get the LOA, and you do not get a study permit. That is an admissions block, then an IRCC block.
Ask the school in writing which substitute it will take: IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT if you live outside Iran, or another listed test. Book that test before the offer deadline. Then file the study permit with the LOA the school actually issues. Check the DLI list so the school is eligible.
Which universities are accepted by Duolingo?
Short answer: Duolingo does not accept universities. Universities accept the test. Duolingo publishes an accepting institutions list. Its Canada blog says many Canadian institutions take the Duolingo English Test for admission, including all Anglophone U15 schools in some capacity for undergraduate admissions. That is Duolingo's claim. Confirm the live program page for your intake. As of September 3, 2026, two university pages still listed DET for undergraduates: the University of Toronto and the University of Waterloo. Both also list IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT. Those two remain usable if DET is closed to your ID.
| Gate | What the page actually lists | Iranian ID / Iran sitting |
|---|
| IRCC Express Entry | CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core | IRCC did not change the list this week |
| IRCC study permit | LOA from a DLI, then PAL/TAL in most cases. No language test uploaded to IRCC | No LOA, no permit |
| University of Toronto undergraduate | DET: overall 120 and Production 120 (tests on or after July 1, 2024). IELTS Academic 6.5, no band below 6.0. No IELTS Indicator. No IELTS One Skill Retake | DET blocked if you must use an Iranian ID. IELTS Academic and TOEFL remain on the U of T page |
| University of Waterloo undergraduate | DET after July 1, 2024: overall 120, Literacy 125, Production 125, subscores required. IELTS Academic 6.5 overall; Waterloo accepts IELTS One Skill Retake | Same DET ID problem. Waterloo still lists IELTS Academic and TOEFL iBT |
| PGWP after November 1, 2024 | CELPIP-General, IELTS General Training, PTE Core, TEF Canada, TCF Canada tables | Duolingo is not in those tables |
TOEFL is a school test, not an Express Entry test. Iranian nationality alone does not stop you testing outside Iran, but ETS cannot process registrations or payments for people ordinarily resident in Iran, even for a centre abroad, so travelling does not solve this if you live in Iran. If you live in Iran and already have a TOEFL or GRE on file, ETS stopped taking new score-report requests from Iran residents after September 8, 2026, so ask your school whether a report you already sent will do.
Which university of Canada accepts Duolingo?
Short answer: Several do, program by program. Do not treat a 2024 blog list as your offer. Open the English-language page for that faculty and that term. University of Toronto undergraduate still publishes DET cutoffs and tells you to send results to "University of Toronto - Undergraduate" with your U of T applicant number. Waterloo undergraduate still publishes DET cutoffs and tells you to select "University of Waterloo - Undergraduate." If those pages later drop DET, the printed cutoff is dead. If they keep DET and you cannot take it, use the other tests on the same page. IELTS for these schools is Academic, not the General Training version IRCC wants for Express Entry. Sitting Academic for admission does not give you an Express Entry language document. You may need two tests: Academic or TOEFL for the LOA, then General Training, CELPIP-General, or PTE Core later for PR or a PGWP.
A cancelled DET sitting is not an IRCC refusal. It is a missing school document. Email the admissions office now, name the Iranian-ID limit, and ask which listed test they will take before the deadline.
Is Duolingo harder than IELTS?
Short answer: IRCC does not grade which test is harder. It names versions. For Express Entry you need IELTS General Training, not Academic, and not One Skill Retake. Duolingo is not an IRCC Express Entry test, so a "harder than IELTS" debate does not change a permanent residence file. If a Canadian school accepts Duolingo for admission, that school sets its own cutoff. IRCC will not convert a Duolingo score into CLB for Express Entry or for the PGWP tables.
People mixing this week's U.S. test news with IELTS are mixing vendors. ETS is TOEFL and GRE. Duolingo is the Duolingo English Test. IELTS is British Council and IDP. IRCC's June 22, 2026 language page still lists IELTS General Training. We found no IRCC page that applies the Duolingo Iranian-ID limit to IELTS. If a booking site returns an error, that is a test-centre or identity rule from that vendor, not an IRCC draw. Screenshot the error, check the vendor, and still plan CELPIP-General or PTE Core if IELTS seats are tight.
CELPIP-General is the Canadian computer test IRCC names. Compare formats on our CELPIP vs IELTS page. Book the one you can actually sit while the 2-year clock still covers your invitation.
Is DELF accepted for Canada PR?
Short answer: Not for Express Entry. The Express Entry approved French tests are TEF Canada and TCF Canada. Diplôme d'études en langue française (DELF) and Diplôme approfondi de langue française (DALF) appear on IRCC's citizenship third-party test list, together with TCF, TCF pour le Québec, TEF, TEFAQ, and TEF Intégration, Résidence et Nationalité. That page is citizenship. It is not the Express Entry document page. Do not upload DELF as your Express Entry language test. If you want French points in the pool, sit TEF Canada or TCF Canada. Score charts for those tests are on our TEF and TCF pages.
French remains a real alternative if English seats are hard to book. IRCC still scores NCLC the same way it scored it last month. This week's OFAC change is about U.S. vendors in Iran, not about TEF or TCF.
We are Go Far Global, a licensed Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) firm. If a Duolingo ID limit is blocking an LOA, or a cancelled TOEFL date is blocking a profile, book a consultation. Bring the school name, the English page, the test date, and whether you need a study permit, Express Entry, or a PGWP. Also see work permit, provincial nominee, family immigration, processing times, and news.
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Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration or legal advice. Immigration laws and policies change frequently. Each case is unique and outcomes depend on individual circumstances. Consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) before making immigration decisions.
