Updated July 2026. IRCC’s Express Entry Draw #401, held March 4, 2026, issued 5,500 invitations under the French-language proficiency category at a CRS cutoff of 397 — one of the lowest cutoffs of any Express Entry category all year, and part of a rapid 72-hour stretch that also included PNP and CEC draws that same week.
Draw Details
- Date: March 4, 2026
- Category: French-language proficiency
- Invitations issued: 5,500
- CRS cutoff: 397
- Tie-break rule: October 10, 2025 at 18:18:20 UTC
Why This Cutoff Was So Low
Category-based draws only invite candidates who meet a specific requirement — in this case, French-language test results — rather than drawing from the entire Express Entry pool. That narrower eligible pool is why the cutoff can land dramatically lower than program-specific draws like CEC or PNP, which regularly ran in the 500s and 700s respectively around the same time.
Who Qualifies for the French-Language Category
To be eligible, you need French-language test results showing NCLC 7 or higher across all four abilities — speaking, listening, reading, and writing — plus you have to meet whatever additional instructions apply to that specific round. Meeting the category requirement doesn’t guarantee an invitation on its own; IRCC still ranks eligible candidates by CRS score and invites from the top down within that category.
What Happens After You’re Invited
Candidates who receive an ITA have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application, including documentation covering work experience, language test results, education credentials, and identity verification.
Why This Matters If You Have French-Language Skills
If your overall CRS score has fallen short of general and CEC draws, French-language proficiency at NCLC 7+ remains one of the most accessible categories in the current Express Entry system — worth pursuing language testing specifically if you’re close to qualifying but haven’t taken the test yet.
