Canada has invited another 5,000 French-speaking Express Entry candidates to apply for permanent residence, bringing the CRS cutoff for this category down to 382.
The August 19 draw marked a nine-point drop from the previous French-language round on August 6, when the cutoff was 391. It is also the lowest CRS score recorded for a French-language Express Entry draw since March 2025.
Candidates needed a minimum CRS score of 382 and must have created their Express Entry profile before 6:34 p.m. UTC on March 1, 2026.
French-language selection has become one of the biggest components of Express Entry this year. So far in 2026, IRCC has issued 50,500 invitations through French-language draws, slightly more than the 49,250 invitations issued through Canadian Experience Class rounds.
The August 19 round was the 49th Express Entry draw of 2026, bringing the total number of ITAs issued this year to 119,865.
