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Live from IRCC On IRCC's 2026 category list

French Language Express Entry Draws 2026 - Live CRS Cut-Offs

The latest French Language draw was held on Aug 19, 2026. IRCC invited 5,000 candidates at a CRS cut-off of 382.

Last updated: September 20, 2026 IRCC Express Entry rounds of invitations (French-language category)

36 Total draws
10 Draws in 2026
418 Average CRS cut-off
32 Days since last draw
French-language Express Entry draws for candidates with qualifying French proficiency

French Express Entry draws are category-based rounds decided entirely on language. IRCC lists them as French-language proficiency rounds. It narrows the pool to candidates who have proven French ability at the required level, then invites the highest-ranked candidates within that group.

This is the only category with no occupation list attached. Whatever you do for a living, if your French test results meet the bar and you are eligible for one of the federal programs, you are inside the group these rounds draw from.

Since these rounds began, IRCC has held 36 French-language draws, issuing 130,200 invitations in total.

All French Language draw results

Draw #DateCategoryCRS Cut-offInvitations
Draw #437 Aug 19, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 382 5,000
Draw #433 Aug 6, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 391 5,000
Draw #429 Jul 22, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 399 5,000
Draw #425 Jul 9, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 420 5,000
Draw #418 May 28, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 409 4,500
Draw #414 Apr 29, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 400 4,000
Draw #411 Apr 15, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 419 4,000
Draw #405 Mar 18, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 393 4,000
Draw #401 Mar 4, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 397 5,500
Draw #394 Feb 6, 2026 French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 400 8,500

Showing 1–10 of 10 draws

When is the next French Language draw?

The usual gap between these rounds has already passed by about 10 days. Short gaps like this are common and do not mean the category has ended.

Projection from past rounds, not an IRCC dateThat reading is only the average gap across the last 6 rounds (Apr 29, 2026 – Aug 19, 2026) (about 22 days) added to the last round. IRCC does not announce rounds in advance, so do not plan travel or resignations around it.

French Language draw history by year

Rounds held, invitations issued, and the range of CRS cut-offs within each year.

YearDrawsInvitationsLowest CRSHighest CRSAverage CRS
20261050,500382420401
2025948,000379481422
20241123,000336478413
202368,700375486446

What changed for French Language draws

French moved to a second version for 2026, but the criteria that matter have not changed: NCLC 7 or higher across all four abilities on a TEF or TCF result. What has changed is scale. These have been among the largest category-based rounds, and their cut-offs have often sat below the all-program rounds held around them. Reaching NCLC 7 adds 25 CRS points on its own, or 50 alongside strong English, on top of putting you in the category, which is why improving French can shift a profile faster than most other CRS work. Whether it is enough depends on your own score and test results.

IRCC category labelIn useRoundsInvitationsCRS range
French language proficiency (Version 1) Jul 2023 - Dec 20252679,700 336 - 486
French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 Feb 2026 - Aug 20261050,500 382 - 420
Every version IRCC has run this round under, read from its published rounds of invitations.

Is a French Language draw your route?

  • You have a TEF Canada or TCF Canada result at NCLC 7 or better in reading, writing, listening and speaking.
  • Your CRS score is too low for an all-program round and you need a different door.
  • You are prepared to study for an approved French test. Candidates often describe reaching NCLC 7 as several months of work; how long it takes you depends on where you are starting from.
  • Not you: someone with strong French who has not yet sat an approved French test. The test result is the qualification.

Who qualifies for French Language draws?

These rounds support Canada's goal of increasing French-speaking immigration outside Quebec. In practice they have been among the largest category-based rounds, and their cut-offs have often sat below the all-program rounds held around them, which is why French is one of the few things that can move an Express Entry outcome in a matter of months.

  • A minimum score of 7 in reading, writing, listening and speaking on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC), from an approved French test.
  • An Express Entry profile in the pool, and eligibility for at least one of the three federal programs.
  • A CRS score at or above the cut-off published for that specific round.

There is no occupation requirement and no minimum English requirement for this category: the French result is what puts you in the group. Your test results must still be valid on the day the round is run. Reaching NCLC 7 also adds 25 CRS points (or 50 with strong English), which is separate from getting into the category.

How to be considered in a French Language draw

  1. Sit an approved French test

    You need NCLC 7 or higher in all four abilities. One weak ability is enough to keep you out of the category, so retaking a single skill is often the cheapest fix available.

  2. Confirm you are eligible for a federal program

    The language result puts you in the category, but you still have to be eligible for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program or the Canadian Experience Class to be in the pool at all.

  3. Enter the results in your Express Entry profile

    There is no separate application and no box to tick for a category. IRCC matches profiles automatically when it runs a round, using what is already in your profile that day.

  4. Keep everything valid

    Language results expire after two years. If they lapse while you sit in the pool, you drop out of the category without any warning.

  5. Keep building your score

    Category rounds still rank by CRS, so a higher score means you are invited sooner rather than waiting for a deeper round.

French Language Express Entry Draws - Frequently Asked Questions

French Express Entry draws are category-based rounds decided entirely on language. IRCC lists them as French-language proficiency rounds. It narrows the pool to candidates who have proven French ability at the required level, then invites the highest-ranked candidates within that group.
Recently a new round in this group has landed roughly every 22 days, averaged across the last 6 rounds (Apr 29, 2026 – Aug 19, 2026) — not all 36 rounds on record. IRCC publishes no fixed schedule, so the gap moves around and long pauses happen without any announcement. Being on the annual category list is not a promise that a round will run.
There is no fixed pass mark: the cut-off is simply the score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited in that round. Historically this group has ranged from 336 to 486 CRS, averaging about 418, and the most recent round came in at 382. Treat the recent rounds in the table as your guide rather than the all-time low. If more than one person had that lowest score, IRCC ranked them by the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profile.
IRCC does not announce rounds of invitations in advance and publishes no schedule for them. All that can be read from the record is the pattern: across the last 6 rounds (Apr 29, 2026 – Aug 19, 2026) the gap has been about 22 days, and the most recent one was held on August 19, 2026. Treat that as historical context rather than a forecast, because IRCC has paused round types before without warning.
130,200 invitations across 36 rounds on record, including 50,500 so far in 2026. Those totals are recalculated every time this page loads.
A minimum of NCLC 7 in reading, writing, listening and speaking, on an approved French test (TEF Canada or TCF Canada). All four have to reach the bar; one ability at NCLC 6 keeps you out of the category no matter how strong the others are.
Not for the category itself, which is decided on your French result. English still matters for your overall score: NCLC 7 French adds 25 CRS points on its own, or 50 with strong English, and you may need English to qualify for the federal program you are applying under.
This category does not itself require a job offer. You must still qualify for an Express Entry program: the Federal Skilled Trades Program requires either a qualifying job offer or a certificate of qualification. Job offers no longer add CRS points, but may still matter for federal-program or provincial-stream eligibility. The separate skilled military recruits category does require an offer from the Canadian Forces Recruiting Group.
No, and there is no box to tick. IRCC works out which categories you fall into from the information already in your Express Entry profile at the moment it runs a round. That is why keeping your work history, NOC code and test results accurate and current matters more than any application step.
No. This is the only category that ignores occupation entirely. What it needs is a TEF Canada or TCF Canada result at NCLC 7 or better in all four abilities: reading, writing, listening and speaking. One ability below the bar keeps you out.
No. The category is assessed on an approved French test result, not on self-assessed ability. English results still earn CRS points and may be needed for the federal program you qualify under, but they cannot put you in this category.
Draw figures are copied from IRCC's published rounds. They were last updated from that feed on Sep 20, 2026. Nothing on these tables is entered by hand. The figures are IRCC's own published rounds of invitations, the same record behind our full Express Entry draw history. This is not an official IRCC tool. Always confirm your own eligibility and score in your Express Entry profile, or with a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or immigration lawyer.

Official IRCC sources

Eligibility rules on this page were last checked against IRCC on September 15, 2026. Draw figures come from IRCC's published rounds and are not part of that review. This is not an official IRCC page.

Draw figures were last updated from IRCC on Sep 20, 2026.

Every Express Entry draw type we track

IRCC runs several different kinds of round. Each one below has its own cut-off history, its own rhythm, and its own rules about who is even in the running.