Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted another Express Entry draw, issuing 5,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) specifically to candidates with strong French-language proficiency.
To be eligible for this draw, candidates needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 397. Profiles had to have been submitted before 6:18 p.m. UTC on October 10, 2025.
This French-language proficiency draw is the second of its kind in 2026 and the thirteenth overall Express Entry invitation round this year. It features the lowest CRS cutoff score seen in the French category in over a year. Across all draws in the past 12 months, only the recent physicians-with-Canadian-work-experience draw had a lower threshold.
So far in 2026, IRCC has continued to prioritize candidates already in Canada—particularly those with provincial nominations, Canadian work experience, or in-demand occupations. The draws held this year break down as follows:
- March 5 – Senior managers with Canadian work experience: CRS 429 – 250 ITAs
- March 4 – French-language proficiency: CRS 397 – 5,500 ITAs
- March 3 – Canadian Experience Class: CRS 508 – 4,000 ITAs
- March 2 – Provincial Nominee Program: CRS 710 – 264 ITAs
- February 20 – Healthcare and social services: CRS 467 – 4,000 ITAs
- February 19 – Physicians with Canadian work experience: CRS 169 – 391 ITAs
- February 17 – Canadian Experience Class: CRS 508 – 6,000 ITAs
- February 16 – Provincial Nominee Program: CRS 789 – 279 ITAs
- February 6 – French-language proficiency: CRS 400 – 8,500 ITAs
- February 3 – Provincial Nominee Program: CRS 749 – 423 ITAs
- January 21 – Canadian Experience Class: CRS 509 – 6,000 ITAs
- January 20 – Provincial Nominee Program: CRS 746 – 681 ITAs
- January 7 – Canadian Experience Class: CRS 511 – 8,000 ITAs
- January 5 – Provincial Nominee Program: CRS 711 – 574 ITAs
Even though only two French-language proficiency draws have taken place in 2026, this category has already generated 14,000 invitations—making it the second most active stream by volume.
The total number of ITAs issued across all categories in 2026 stands at 39,112. The breakdown by program is:
- Canadian Experience Class: 24,000 ITAs
- French-language proficiency: 14,000 ITAs
- Healthcare and social services: 4,000 ITAs
- Provincial Nominee Program: 1,798 ITAs
- Physicians with Canadian work experience: 391 ITAs
- Senior managers with Canadian work experience: 250 ITAs
These invitation rounds reflect IRCC’s ongoing focus on in-Canada talent, skilled workers with local experience, and francophone candidates to help meet Canada’s immigration and economic goals.
