Canada’s Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) recently invited over 5,500 Express Entry candidates with French-language proficiency, with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 397. This is the lowest cut-off score for this category in over a year, and the second French category-based draw of 2026 .

Here’s a breakdown of the latest Express Entry draw:
– Number of invitations issued: 5,500
– CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 397
– Type of draw: French-Language proficiency
– Date of draw: March 4, 2026

This draw is part of Canada’s efforts to strengthen Francophone immigration outside Quebec, with targets of 9% French-speaking permanent residents in 2026, 9.5% in 2027, and 10.5% in 2028.