Canada invites 1,400 candidates in Express Entry draw for French proficiency

Edana Robitaille
Published: April 23, 2024

Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued invitations to apply (ITAs) to Express Entry candidates in the second draw this week.

The department issued 1,400 ITAs in a category-based selection draw for candidates with French proficiency.

Candidates required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 410 to be considered.

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Today’s draw follows a general draw on April 23. IRCC invited 2,095 candidates with a minimum CRS score of 529. This score represents a 20-point decrease over the last general draw on April 10 when the cut-off score was 549, the highest minimum score of the year. 

One other draw occurred month, on April 11. It was the first draw of the year for Express Entry candidates eligible for category-based selection for STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) occupations. The department invited 4,500 candidates with a minimum CRS of 491. 

Summary of Express Entry draw results in 2024

DateDraw TypeNumber of ITAsMinimum CRS
November 20Healthcare occupations3,000463
November 19Canadian Experience Class400539
November 18Provincial Nominee Program 174816
November 15French language proficiency800478
November 13Canadian Experience Class400547
November 12Provincial Nominee Program 733812
October 23Trade occupations1,800433
October 22Canadian Experience Class400539
October 21Provincial Nominee Program648791
October 10French language proficiency1,000444
October 9Canadian Experience Class500539
October 7Provincial Nominee Program1,613743
September 19Canadian Experience Class4,000509
September 13 French language proficiency1,000446
September 9Provincial Nominee Program911732
August 27Canadian Experience Class3,300507
August 26Provincial Nominee Program1,121694
August 15French language proficiency2,000394
August 14Canadian Experience Class3,200509
August 13Provincial Nominee Program763690
July 31Canadian Experience Class5,000510
July 30Provincial Nominee Program964686
July 18French language proficiency1,800400
July 17Canadian Experience Class6,300515
July 16Provincial Nominee Program1,391670
July 8French proficiency3,200420
July 5Healthcare occupations3,750445
July 4Trade occupations1,800436
July 2Provincial Nominee Program920739
June 19Provincial Nominee Program1,499663
May 31Canadian Experience Class3,000522
May 30Provincial Nominee Program2,985676
April 24French proficiency1,400410
April 23General2,095529
April 11STEM occupations4,500491
April 10General1,280549
March 26French language proficiency1,500388
March 25General1,980524
March 13Transport occupations975430
March 12General2,850525
February 29French language proficiency2,500336
February 28General1,470534
February 16Agriculture and agri-food occupations150437
February 14Healthcare occupations3,500422
February 13General1,490535
February 1French language proficiency7,000365
January 31General730541
January 23General1,040543
January 10General1,510546

What is category-based selection?

Category-based selection draws were introduced in May 2023 as a method for IRCC to target Express Entry candidates with highly in-demand human capital attributes such as their language ability or occupation.

The final categories for 2023 were chosen following consultations with IRCC partners and stakeholders. In early 2024, the department announced it would keep the same categories throughout 2024. They are:

  • Healthcare occupations
  • Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) professions
  • Trades occupations, such as carpenters, plumbers, and contractors
  • Transport occupations
  • Agriculture and agri-food occupations
  • Strong French proficiency

Candidates in occupation-based categories require at least six months of continuous full-time work experience in an eligible occupation over the past three years.

Those who are eligible under the category for French proficiency must have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all 4 language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens.

What is Express Entry?

Express Entry is an application management system for economic immigration candidates in the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) and the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP).

Candidates who are eligible for one of these programs upload a profile to the IRCC website and are assigned scores based on human capital factors such as age, language ability, education, work experience and occupation. These scores are taken together and used to assign a final Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score.

Those with the highest scores are the most likely to receive an invitation to apply for permanent resident status in Canada. If a candidate is issued an ITA, they then submit their final application to IRCC, which aims to process the application within six months.

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