CELPIP registration in Canada: fee, deadlines, refunds, ID and test day rules
The CELPIP rules that cost money are not in the test: they are in the booking. A cancellation a day late, a passport sent away for a visa renewal, a watch worn into the room. This page sets out Paragon's rules as Paragon publishes them on its test-date, policies, test-day and results pages, with the source beside each one. Where Paragon's own pages disagree with each other, both versions are quoted.
The figures that decide your booking
Eight numbers from Paragon. The rest of the page is the detail behind them.
How registration works
Registration is through a CELPIP Account on celpip.ca. Paragon's test-date finder lists sittings by centre, date and time with the fee beside each; Canadian sittings of CELPIP-General were listed at $299 CAD when this page was checked; Paragon's test-format page states $295 plus taxes and its LS page $290 plus taxes for the same test, so the finder's per-sitting figure is the one to rely on. Two choices at registration carry through to test day and cannot be changed casually.
- 1. Register with the exact ID you will bring
The document you present at check-in must be the same one you registered with, matching the full name and document number you entered. If you registered with a passport, Paragon recommends not sending it away for an extension or visa renewal before the test. No ID, or the wrong ID, means no test, no refund and no transfer.
- 2. Choose a sitting you can keep
The registration is specific to its date, time and location. Cancelling at least seven calendar days ahead returns half the fee; transferring at least seven days ahead keeps it. Inside seven days there is no refund, and a transfer is at Paragon's discretion.
- 3. Keep the confirmation email
It carries the registration number, your name as registered, the centre's address, the date and time, and the ID rules. Paragon says to bring a digital or printed copy, and to check the spelling of the name against your ID as soon as it arrives.
- 4. Ask for accommodations before, not on the day
Accessibility equipment, or beverages or snacks in the room, need a Special Accommodations Request Form and Paragon's pre-approval. Nothing can be arranged at the centre.
- 5. Do not book a retake inside five days
Paragon allows no more than one session within five calendar days and cancels registrations that break the rule. It also recommends further study before a retake.
Every deadline, with what it costs to miss
| Action | Deadline | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancel with a 50% refund | Request received at least 7 calendar days before the test date | Less than 7 days before: the cancellation is granted but nothing is refunded. | Policies & Forms |
| Transfer to another sitting | At least 7 days before the original test date | Same test type only; done in the CELPIP Account. Inside 7 days, Paragon's customer service decides case by case and may ask for documentation such as a doctor's note. | Policies & Forms |
| Register for a second sitting | No more than one session within 5 calendar days | Registrations that break the rule can be cancelled by Paragon. | Policies & Forms, Retake Policy |
| Report a test-day issue | Within 24 hours of the test, through the CELPIP Account | Nothing is done for issues raised after scores are released or after 24 hours, whichever is first; the contact form does not count. | Policies & Forms, Issue Reporting |
| Request a re-evaluation | Within 6 months of the test date | One per component, paid up front, refunded for that component if the level rises; final once submitted; result in about 1–2 weeks. | Policies & Forms, Re-evaluation Policy |
| Arrive on test day | 45 minutes before the test; check-in closes 15 minutes before the start | Latecomers are refused with no refund or transfer. | Test Day Information |
Source: Paragon, celpip.ca, checked 6 September 2026. Paragon's policies are its own and can change.
The fee, and what comes back
Paragon lists the fee per sitting on its test-date finder rather than on a price page; every Canadian sitting of CELPIP-General visible when this page was checked showed $299 CAD. Sittings abroad are priced in local currency.
- Cancellation: requested through the CELPIP Account. Received at least seven calendar days before the test date, it is granted with a refund of fifty percent of the fee. Received later, it is granted with no refund.
- Transfer: to another sitting of the same test type, at least seven days before the original date, through the account under “Upcoming test”. Paragon's policies page says in one paragraph that the first transfer is free and later ones cost $50 CAD plus taxes, and in the next that a transfer made in time requires the $50 CAD fee. Both sentences are on the page as checked; the account shows what you are charged.
- Inside seven days: transfers go to Paragon's customer service, which may require documentation such as a doctor's note or evidence of bereavement, and decides at its discretion.
- Paragon's cancellation: if Paragon cancels a sitting it attempts to notify you by email and, on request, refunds the fee or applies it to another sitting. It is not responsible for travel or accommodation costs.
- Misconduct: cheating, false ID or breaking the test-day procedures can cancel the registration or invalidate the score with no refund and no transfer.
Identification
Paragon states four requirements and one consequence. The document must be the one you registered with, original, valid and unexpired; otherwise you are refused at check-in with no refund and no transfer. Its table for tests taken in Canada:
For immigration purposes (PR, citizenship, PGWP)
- Passport booklet
- Refugee travel document
- Canadian permanent resident card
- Refugee Protection Identity Document
- Canadian refugee protection claimant document
- US passport card
For non-immigration purposes, the same plus
- Canadian provincial driver's licence
- Canadian provincial identification card (not a health card)
- Certificate of Indian Status
Not accepted for any purpose: expired documents, photocopies, Social Insurance or Social Security cards, Canadian health cards, temporary ID, employee or student cards, US border crossing cards, US permanent resident cards, notary letters, credit cards, firearms licences, NEXUS cards, work permits, records of landing, Interim Federal Health certificates and Hong Kong identity cards. The table differs by test location, and Paragon's test-day page has the version for each country.
Test day, as Paragon describes it
Arrive 45 minutes before the test. Check-in closes 15 minutes before the scheduled start, and latecomers are refused with no refund or transfer. At check-in your ID is scanned, you sign, and your photograph is taken with your face fully visible; anything on your head comes off unless worn for religious or medical reasons, and the photo is printed on the score report. You may be asked to turn out pockets, roll up sleeves and trouser legs, remove glasses for inspection, and at some centres pass a metal-detector wand. Everything but your ID goes into a bag or locker, electronics switched off.
In the room you get a pen and notepaper, returned at the end, and a standard QWERTY keyboard. You may hear other candidates speaking or typing; Paragon calls that a standard condition. The clock never stops, including for washroom breaks, which need a raised hand, an escort and a second security check on return; away from the workstation for more than 20 minutes and the test is terminated. No eating, drinking or gum; no children in the room and no breaks to care for one; no scented products. The sequence of procedures can vary between centres.
Prohibited in the test room
- Cellphones, mobile devices, or any electronic devices
- Fitness-tracking devices and watches of any kind, including smartwatches
- Test preparation materials, study notes or paper of any kind
- Pens, pencils, or other writing instruments (Paragon supplies a pen and notepaper)
- Dictionaries
- Large, bulky jewellery; heavy coats, jackets, or sweaters
- Hats, hoods, scarves, gloves and similar accessories unless worn for religious or medical purposes
Being found with any of them can mean removal from the room and cancelled scores. Paragon's own timings for the four components, from its format page: Listening 46–55 minutes, Reading 43–56, Writing 53, Speaking 15, all in one sitting, with unscored items in Listening and Reading.
After the test
- An issue on the day goes to the centre staff at once and, if it may have affected your result, into the CELPIP Account within 24 hours under “Report a Test Day Issue”. Paragon acts on nothing reported later, or through its contact form.
- Scores are posted to the account in two to four business days by Paragon's results page (three to four by its test-day page), with an email notification. Hard-copy reports are discontinued: the Official Score Report is a PDF you download and submit yourself, including to IRCC.
- Validity: two years from the report date by Paragon; under two years old at both the profile and the application by IRCC. The scores stay viewable in the account for two years from the test date.
- Re-evaluation: any component, within six months, one request per component, paid up front and refunded for a component whose level rises; final once submitted; answered in about one to two weeks. Paragon notes that Listening and Reading are computer-rated and a re-evaluation there is unlikely to change anything.
What the levels on the report mean for Express Entry, and how one level in one component moves the points, is on the CLB calculator; how CELPIP compares with the other two tests IRCC accepts is on the Express Entry comparison.
Before you pay $299
A booking is a fixed appointment of roughly three hours by Paragon's timings, that returns half its fee at best and can be moved only a week or more ahead. The cheaper question is whether you would clear your CLB target today. A full-length practice test on this site runs the four components under CELPIP timing and reports the level each one earns, so the booking is made on a number rather than a hope.
Questions candidates ask
How much does CELPIP cost in Canada?
Paragon's test-date finder lists Canadian sittings of CELPIP-General at $299 CAD, as checked on the date at the foot of this page. Paragon's policies page adds a $50 CAD transfer fee plus applicable taxes for a transfer made at least seven days ahead, while the same page also states that the first transfer is free; both statements are quoted here as Paragon publishes them, and the account shows the fee that applies when you transfer. Re-evaluation has its own fee, refunded for a component whose level rises.
What happens if I cancel?
Cancel through the CELPIP Account at least seven calendar days before the test and Paragon refunds fifty percent of the fee. Cancel later than that and the cancellation is still granted, but no money comes back. Missing the test, arriving late, or being refused at check-in for an ID problem also means no refund and no transfer. If Paragon cancels a sitting, it refunds the fee or applies it to another sitting, on request.
Which ID do I need?
The same original, valid, unexpired document you registered with, matching the registration's full name and document number. For immigration purposes in Canada Paragon's table lists a passport booklet, a refugee travel document, a Canadian permanent resident card, a Refugee Protection Identity Document, a Canadian refugee protection claimant document and a US passport card; for non-immigration purposes a Canadian provincial driver's licence, a provincial ID card (not a health card) and a Certificate of Indian Status are added. Photocopies, expired documents, health cards, work permits, NEXUS cards and student or employee cards are all refused.
Can I bring anything into the room?
Only your identification document. Everything else goes into a bag or locker at check-in, with electronic devices switched off. Paragon gives you a pen and notepaper, which you return at the end. Its list of prohibited items, reproduced on this page, includes watches of any kind and paper of any kind.
When do I get my scores?
Paragon's results page says scores are posted to your CELPIP Account in two to four business days, with an email when they are up; its test-day page says three to four. Hard-copy reports have been discontinued: you download the Official Score Report as a PDF and send that to IRCC. Scores stay viewable in the account for two years from the test date, and Paragon states they are valid for two years from the date the report is issued.
How long is a CELPIP score valid for Express Entry?
Two rules apply at once. Paragon: valid for two years from the date the score report is issued. IRCC: results must be less than two years old both when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you apply for permanent residence, and an application filed with expired results is refused.
Is CELPIP available online or at home?
Paragon's test-date finder lists sittings by test centre and its test-day page describes check-in at a centre. This page does not describe any at-home option because Paragon's pages cited here do not; if you are testing for an Australian visa, note that Home Affairs does not accept online tests of any brand.
Sources
- Paragon, Find a CELPIP Test Date — fees per sitting.
- Paragon, CELPIP Policies & Forms — cancellation, transfer, retake, re-evaluation and issue reporting.
- Paragon, CELPIP Test Day Information — identification, check-in, room rules and prohibited items.
- Paragon, CELPIP Results and Test Format & Scoring — score posting, validity, timings.
- IRCC, Language testing — Express Entry — the two-year rule.
Checked 6 September 2026. Every figure is Paragon's or IRCC's and can change without notice; confirm in your CELPIP Account before paying. Nothing on this page is immigration advice.
Related: Listening guide · Reading guide · Writing guide · Speaking guide · How CELPIP is scored · CELPIP for the PGWP · CELPIP for citizenship · CELPIP vs IELTS vs PTE Core · CLB calculator · CELPIP for Australian visas · TOEFL registration.