Hi Reader

I want to tell you about the day I almost could not hear my own TEF examiner.

Not because the room was loud.

Because I was wearing a mask. And my spectacles were completely fogged up.

Let me back up.

It was COVID. I was living in Faridabad, and there was not a single TEF exam centre anywhere close. Not one.

So I waited. And waited. Six full months before I got a date.

February 20th. I remember it exactly.

The relief of finally having a date lasted about 48 hours. Then the reality set in. Travel during COVID was its own obstacle course. Strict guidelines everywhere. The kind of travel where you are not sure if you will actually make it to where you are going.

But I made it to the exam centre.

And then the real fun began.

Masks were mandatory the entire time. Every single minute. If you pulled it down for even a second, someone appeared immediately to remind you.

I wear spectacles. So every breath fogged them up. I was reading comprehension passages through a cloud.

And then came the Speaking section.

The examiner was speaking. I could see their mouth moving behind the mask. I could hear sounds. But words? Sentences? Not always.

I said "Pardon?" more times that day than I had in my entire life.

Here is the thing though. I still cleared it.

And here is what I think about when my current students tell me they cannot get an exam date right now because slots are gone in weeks.

History repeats itself. Just in different ways.

The struggle changes shape. The fight stays the same.

And people who keep showing up, even when the conditions are terrible, are exactly the ones who make it.

What's happening with PR right now?

Quick update, because this one matters for you.

French is still the quiet shortcut almost nobody talks about.

In the latest rounds, the general Canadian Experience Class draw on June 23 invited people at a CRS score of 516 points.

High.

Brutal if your score is sitting in the 400s.

But the French-language draws? A completely different story. The May 28 French round issued 4,500 invitations at a CRS cutoff of 409, and French draws this year have gone as low as 393.

That is a gap of more than 100 points. Same pool. Same country. One language.

This is the exact thing I keep telling you. French is not just another box to tick. It is the door other people are walking right past.

Your tip for this week

If you cannot find an exam date, do not just sit and refresh.

Set a waitlist alert on the official TEF/TCF portal, and check it every Monday morning. Slots open and close fast, usually early in the week.

And while you wait, do not pause your speaking practice. The students who keep speaking through the dry spell are the ones who walk in ready.

Rooting for you, always,

Ankita