Latest Express Entry Draw #418 : Canada Invites 4,500 French-speaking Candidates to Apply for PR
Canada Invites 4,500 Candidates in Latest French-Language Express Entry Draw
Canada has conducted another major Express Entry draw targeting French-speaking immigration candidates seeking permanent residence. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) held the latest round on May 28, issuing 4,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) under the French-language proficiency category.
The latest selection round reflects Canada’s continued efforts to increase Francophone immigration outside Quebec while supporting labour market needs across various provinces and territories. French-speaking candidates have remained a key priority under Express Entry in 2026, with IRCC conducting multiple category-based draws focused on language proficiency.
Results: Rounds of invitations
- French-Language proficiency
- Number of ITAs: 4,500
- CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited: 409
- Date and time of round: May 28, 2026 at 10:52:36 UTC
- Tie-breaking rule: April 29, 2026 at 22:20:00 UTC
- Total ITAs issued in 2026 so far: 79,841
If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.
Source Website :- Express Entry system
Invitations to Apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program may be issued through this round of invitations.
Total Express Entry ITAs for 2026
With this latest draw, IRCC has now issued 79,841 ITAs through Express Entry in 2026. The distribution of invitations clearly reflects the department’s priority streams.
The high volume of Canadian Experience Class invitations indicates a growing emphasis on bilingual talent as Canada works to meet its long-term Francophone immigration targets.
Category-Based Draws Conducted in 2026
Express Entry rounds this year have been limited to specific streams rather than broad, multi-program draws.
The draws are now divided as follows:
- PNP : 11 draw
- CEC : 9 Draw
- French-language skills : 6
- Healthcare and social services : 1
- Physicians with Canadian Work Experience : 1
- Senior Managers with Canadian Work Experience : 1
- Trade Occupations : 1
- Education: No Draws Yet
Provincial Nominee Program draws have been the most frequent in 2026, reflecting the federal government’s collaboration with provinces to address localized workforce shortages.
Eligible Occupations Under the New Category
The senior manager category was introduced as part of immigration policy adjustments announced in February 2026, which added several new occupational groups to category-based selection. To qualify, applicants must have at least one year of Canadian work experience within the last three years in one of the following leadership roles listed under the National Occupation Classification (NOC):
- Senior managers in construction, transportation, production, and utilities
- Senior managers in trade, broadcasting, and other service sectors
- Senior managers in health, education, social services, and community organisations
- Senior managers in financial services, communications, and other business sectors
These occupations represent executive-level roles that play a key part in managing major industries and organisations across Canada.
Total Express Entry ITAs Issued in 2026 So Far
Below is a snapshot of all Express Entry draws conducted so far this year:
- Canadian Experience Class (CEC) : 37,250
- French language proficiency: 30,500
- Healthcare and social services occupations : 4,000
- Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) : 4,450
- Trade occupations (Version 2) : 3,000
- Physicians with Canadian Work Experience : 391
- Senior managers with Canadian Work Experience : 250
- Education Professionals : No Draws Yet
| Draw | Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 418 | May 28 | French-Language proficiency | 4,500 | 409 |
| 417 | May 27 | CEC | 3,000 | 518 |
| 416 | May 25 | PNP | 334 | 805 |
| 415 | May 11 | PNP | 380 | 798 |
| 414 | April 29 | French-Speaking | 4,000 | 400 |
| 413 | April 28 | CEC | 2,000 | 514 |
| 412 | April 27 | PNP | 473 | 795 |
| 411 | April 15 | French-Language | 4,000 | 419 |
| 410 | April 14 | CEC | 2,000 | 515 |
| 409 | April 13 | PNP | 324 | 786 |
| 408 | April 2 | Trades Occupations | 3,000 | 477 |
| 407 | March 31 | CEC | 2,250 | 509 |
| 406 | March 30 | PNP | 356 | 802 |
| 405 | March 18 | french language Skills | 4,000 | 393 |
| 404 | March 17 | CEC | 4,000 | 507 |
| 403 | March 16 | PNP | 362 | 742 |
| 402 | March 05 | Senior managers with Canadian Work Experience | 250 | 429 |
| 401 | March 04 | French-Language proficiency | 5,500 | 397 |
| 400 | March 03 | CEC | 4,000 | 508 |
| 399 | March 02 | Provincial Nominee Program | 264 | 710 |
| 398 | February 20 | Healthcare and Social Services Occupations | 4,000 | 467 |
| 397 | February 19 | Physicians with Canadian Work Experience | 391 | 169 |
| 396 | February 17 | CEC | 6,000 | 508 |
| 395 | February 16 | PNP | 279 | 789 |
| 394 | February 06 | French-Language proficiency | 8,500 | 400 |
| 393 | February 3 | PNP | 423 | 749 |
| 392 | January 21 | CEC | 6,000 | 509 |
| 391 | January 20 | PNP | 681 | 746 |
| 390 | January 07 | CEC | 8,000 | 511 |
| 389 | January 05 | PNP | 574 | 711 |
As of May 28, a total of 79,841 ITAs have been issued through the Express Entry system in 2026. CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited: 169
Express Entry Draw Reports
2025 Draw List
2024 Draw List
2023 Draw List
2022 Draw List
2021 Draw List
2020 Draw List
2019 Draw List
2018 Draw List
2017 Draw List
2016 Draw List
2015 Draw List
2025 Draw List
| Draw | Date | Draw Type | Number of ITAs | Minimum CRS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 388 | December 17 | French language | 6,000 | 399 |
| 387 | December 16 | CEC | 5,000 | 515 |
| 386 | December 15 | PNP | 399 | 731 |
| 385 | December 11 | Healthcare and Social Services | 1,000 | 476 |
| 384 | December 10 | CEC | 6,000 | 520 |
| 383 | December 08 | PNP | 1,123 | 729 |
| 382 | November 28 | French language proficiency | 6,000 | 408 |
| 381 | November 26 | CEC | 1,000 | 531 |
| 380 | November 25 | PNP | 777 | 699 |
| 379 | November 14 | Healthcare and social services | 3,500 | 462 |
| 378 | November 12 | CEC | 1,000 | 533 |
| 377 | November 10 | PNP | 714 | 738 |
| 376 | October 29 | French-Speaking Candidates | 6,000 | 416 |
| 375 | October 28 | Canadian Experience Class | 1,000 | 533 |
| 374 | October 27 | Provincial Nominee Program | 302 | 761 |
| 373 | October 15 | Healthcare Professionals | 2,500 | 472 |
| 372 | October 14 | PNP | 345 | 778 |
| 371 | October 06 | French language proficiency | 4,500 | 432 |
| 370 | October 01 | CEC | 1,000 | 534 |
| 369 | September 29 | PNP | 291 | 855 |
| 368 | September 18 | Trade occupations | 1,250 | 505 |
| 367 | September 17 | Education occupations | 2,500 | 462 |
| 366 | September 15 | PNP | 228 | 746 |
| 365 | September 04 | French language proficiency | 4,500 | 446 |
| 364 | September 03 | CEC | 1,000 | 534 |
| 363 | September 02 | PNP | 249 | 772 |
| 362 | August 19 | Healthcare and social services | 2,500 | 470 |
| 361 | August 18 | PNP | 192 | 800 |
| 360 | August 08 | French language proficiency | 2,500 | 481 |
| 359 | August 07 | CEC | 1,000 | 534 |
| 358 | August 06 | PNP | 225 | 739 |
| 357 | July 22 | Healthcare and social services occupations (Version 2) | 4,000 | 475 |
| 356 | July 21 | PNP | 202 | 788 |
| 355 | July 08 | CEC | 3,000 | 518 |
| 354 | July 07 | PNP | 356 | 750 |
| 353 | June 26 | CEC | 3,000 | 521 |
| 352 | June 23 | PNP | 503 | 742 |
| 351 | June 12 | CEC | 3,000 | 529 |
| 350 | June 10 | Provincial Nominee Program | 125 | 784 |
| 349 | June 04 | Healthcare and social services | 500 | 504 |
| 348 | June 02 | PNP | 277 | 726 |
| 347 | May 13 | CEC | 500 | 547 |
| 346 | May 12 | PNP | 511 | 706 |
| 345 | May 02 | Healthcare and social Services Occupations | 500 | 510 |
| 344 | May 01 | Education Professionals | 1,000 | 479 |
| 343 | April 28 | PNP | 421 | 727 |
| 342 | April 14 | PNP | 825 | 764 |
| 341 | March 21 | French language | 7,500 | 379 |
| 340 | March 17 | PNP | 536 | 736 |
| 339 | March 06 | French language | 4,500 | 410 |
| 338 | March 03 | PNP | 725 | 667 |
| 337 | February 19 | French language | 6,500 | 428 |
| 336 | February 17 | PNP | 646 | 750 |
| 335 | February 05 | CEC | 4,000 | 521 |
| 334 | February 04 | PNP | 455 | 802 |
| 333 | January 23 | CEC | 4,000 | 527 |
| 332 | January 8 | CEC | 1,350 | 542 |
| 331 | January 7 | PNP | 471 | 793 |
2024 Draw List
| Draw | Date | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS points | Article Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330 | December 16 | 1,085 | 727 | Provincial Nominee Program #330 |
| 329 | December 03 | 800 | 466 | French language proficiency #329 |
| 328 | December 02 | 676 | 705 | Provincial Nominee Program #328 |
| 327 | November 20 | 3000 | 463 | Healthcare occupations #327 |
| 326 | November 19 | 400 | 539 | Canadian Experience Class #326 |
| 325 | November 18 | 174 | 816 | Provincial Nominee Program #325 |
| 324 | November 15 | 800 | 478 | French language proficiency (Version 1) #324 |
| 323 | November 13 | 400 | 547 | Canadian Experience Class #323 |
| 322 | November 12 | 733 | 812 | Provincial Nominee Program #322 |
| 321 | October 23 | 1,800 | 433 | Trade occupations (Version 1) #321 |
| 320 | October 22 | 400 | 539 | Canadian Experience Class #320 |
| 319 | October 21 | 648 | 791 | Provincial Nominee Program #319 |
| 318 | October 10 | 1,000 | 444 | French language proficiency (Version 1) #318 |
| 317 | October 9 | 500 | 539 | Canadian Experience Class #317 |
| 316 | October 7 | 1,613 | 743 | Provincial Nominee Program #316 |
| 315 | September 19 | 4,000 | 509 | Canadian Experience Class #315 |
| 314 | September 13 | 1,000 | 446 | French language proficiency (Version 1) #314 |
| 313 | September 09 | 911 | 732 | Provincial Nominee Program #313 |
| 312 | August 27 | 3,300 | 507 | Canadian Experience Class #312 |
| 311 | August 26 | 1,121 | 694 | Provincial Nominee Program #311 |
| 310 | August 15 | 2,000 | 394 | French language proficiency (Version 1) #310 |
| 309 | August 14 | 3,200 | 509 | Canadian Experience Class #309 |
| 308 | August 13 | 763 | 690 | Provincial Nominee Program #308 |
| 307 | July 31 | 5,000 | 510 | Canadian Experience Class #307 |
| 306 | July 30 | 964 | 686 | Provincial Nominee Program #306 |
| 305 | July 18 | 1,800 | 400 | French language proficiency (Version 1) #305 |
| 304 | July 17 | 6,300 | 515 | Canadian Experience Class #304 |
| 303 | July 16 | 1,391 | 670 | latest PNP-only draw #303 |
| 302 | July 8 | 3,200 | 420 | French language proficiency (Version 1) Draw #302 |
| 301 | July 5 | 3,750 | 445 | Healthcare occupations (Version 1) Draw #301 |
| 300 | July 4 | 1,800 | 436 | Latest Express Entry Trade occupations (Version 1) Draw #300 |
| 299 | July 2 | 920 | 739 | Latest Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program Draw #299 |
| 298 | June 19 | 1499 | 663 | Latest Express Entry Provincial Nominee Program Draw #298 |
| 297 | May 31 | 3,000 | 522 | Latest Express Entry Draw Canadian Experience Class Applicants to Canada #297 |
| 296 | April 24 | 1400 | 410 | Provincial Nominee Program Express Entry Draw #296 |
| 295 | April 24 | 1400 | 410 | French language proficiency (2024-1) Express Entry Draw #295 |
| 294 | April 23 | 2095 | 529 | General Category Express Entry Draw #294 |
| 293 | April 11 | 4,500 | 491 | STEM Occupations Express Entry Draw #293 |
| 292 | April 10 | 1280 | 549 | General Express Entry Draw #292 |
| 291 | March 26 | 1500 | 388 | lowest CRS Score 388 – Latest Express Entry Draw #291 |
| 290 | March 25 | 1,980 | 524 | lowest CRS Score 524 – Latest Express Entry Draw #290 |
| 289 | March 13 | 975 | 430 | lowest CRS Score – Latest Express Entry Draw #289 |
| 288 | March 12 | 2850 | 525 | Latest Express Entry Draw #288 – lowest CRS Score |
| 287 | February 29 | 2500 | 336 French language proficiency (2024-1) | Latest Express Entry Draw Today #287 – lowest CRS Score |
| 286 | February 28 | 1470 | 534 General | 1,470 Invited in Latest Express Entry General Draw |
| 285 | February 16 | 150 | 437 Agriculture and agri-food occupations (2023-1) | Canada invites 150 Express Entry candidates for agriculture and agri-food workers |
| 284 | February 14 | 3500 | 422 Healthcare occupations (2023-1) | Express Entry Healthcare draw |
| 283 | February 13 | 1490 | 535 General Draw | latest Express Entry General Draw |
| 282 | February 1 | 7,000 | 365 French language proficiency (2023-1) | Express Entry Latest Draw French language proficiency (2023-1) |
| 281 | January 31 | 730 | 541 All Program | Express Entry Latest Draw |
| 280 | January 23 | 1,040 | 543 All Program | Second Express Entry Draw Of 2024 |
| 279 | January 10 | 1,510 | 546 All Program | First Express Entry Draw Of 2024 |
2023 Draw List
2022 Draw List
| Draw | Date | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 236 | November 23 | 4,750 | 491 *All programs considered |
| 235 | November 09 | 4,750 | 494 *All programs considered |
| 234 | October 26 | 4,750 | 496 *All programs considered |
| 233 | October 12 | 4,250 | 500 *All programs considered |
| 232 | September 28 | 3,750 | 504 *All programs considered |
| 231 | September 14 | 3,250 | 510 *All programs considered |
| 230 | August 31 | 2,750 | 516 *All programs considered |
| 229 | August 17 | 2,250 | 525 *All programs considered |
| 228 | August 03 | 2,000 | 533 *All programs considered |
| 227 | July 20 | 1,750 | 542 *All programs considered |
| 226 | January 11 | 1,500 | 557 *All programs considered |
| 225 | June 22 | 636 | 752 *PNP-specific draw |
| 224 | June 08 | 932 | 796 *PNP-specific draw |
| 223 | May 25 | 589 | 741 *PNP-specific draw |
| 222 | May 11 | 545 | 753 *PNP-specific draw |
| 221 | April 27 | 829 | 772 *PNP-specific draw |
| 220 | April 13 | 787 | 782 *PNP-specific draw |
| 219 | March 30 | 919 | 785 *PNP-specific draw |
| 218 | March 16 | 924 | 754 *PNP-specific draw |
| 217 | March 2 | 1,047 | 761 *PNP-specific draw |
| 216 | Feb 16 | 1,082 | 710 *PNP-specific draw |
| 215 | Feb 2 | 1,070 | 674 *PNP-specific draw |
| 214 | Jan 19 | 1,036 | 745 *PNP-specific draw |
| 213 | Jan 5 | 392 | 808 *PNP-specific draw |
2021 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS Score Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 212 | December 22, 2021 | 746 | 720 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 211 | December 10, 2021 | 1,032 | 698 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 210 | November 24, 2021 | 613 | 737 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 209 | November 10, 2021 | 775 | 685 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 208 | October 27, 2021 | 888 | 744 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 207 | October 13, 2021 | 681 | 720 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 206 | September 29, 2021 | 761 | 742 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 205 | September 15, 2021 | 521 | 732 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 204 | September 14, 2021 | 2,000 | 462 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 203 | September 1, 2021 | 635 | 764 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 202 | August 19, 2021 | 3,000 | 403 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 201 | August 18, 2021 | 463 | 751 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 200 | August 5, 2021 | 3,000 | 404 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 199 | August 4, 2021 | 512 | 760 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 198 | July 22, 2021 | 4,500 | 357 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 197 | July 21, 2021 | 462 | 734 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 196 | July 8, 2021 | 4,500 | 369 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 195 | July 7, 2021 | 627 | 760 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 194 | June 24, 2021 | 6,000 | 357 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 193 | June 23, 2021 | 1,002 | 742 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 192 | June 10, 2021 | 6,000 | 368 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 191 | June 9, 2021 | 940 | 711 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 190 | May 31, 2021 | 5,956 | 380 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 189 | May 26, 2021 | 500 | 713 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 188 | May 20, 2021 | 1,842 | 397 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 187 | May 13, 2021 | 4,147 | 401 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 186 | May 12, 2021 | 557 | 752 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 185 | April 29, 2021 | 6,000 | 400 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 184 | April 28, 2021 | 381 | 717 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 183 | April 16, 2021 | 6,000 | 417 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 182 | April 14, 2021 | 266 | 753 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 181 | April 1, 2021 | 5,000 | 432 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 180 | March 31, 2021 | 284 | 778 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 179 | March 18, 2021 | 5,000 | 449 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 178 | March 17, 2021 | 183 | 682 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 177 | March 8, 2021 | 671 | 739 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 176 | February 13, 2021 | 27,332 | 75 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 175 | February 10, 2021 | 654 | 720 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 174 | January 21, 2021 | 4,626 | 454 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 173 | January 20, 2021 | 374 | 741 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 172 | January 7, 2021 | 4,750 | 461 (*Canadian Experience Class only) |
| 171 | January 6, 2021 | 250 | 813 (*Provincial nominees only) |
2020 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS Score Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 170 | December 23, 2020 | 5,000 | 468 |
| 169 | December 9, 2020 | 5,000 | 469 |
| 168 | November 25, 2020 | 5,000 | 469 |
| 167 | November 18, 2020 | 5,000 | 472 |
| 166 | November 5, 2020 | 4,500 | 478 |
| 165 | October 14, 2020 | 4,500 | 471 |
| 164 | September 30, 2020 | 4,200 | 471 |
| 163 | September 16, 2020 | 4,200 | 472 |
| 162 | September 2, 2020 | 4,200 | 475 |
| 161 | August 20, 2020 | 3,300 | 454 Canadian Experience Class |
| 160 | August 19, 2020 | 600 | 771 Provincial Nominee Program |
| 159 | August 6, 2020 | 250 | 415 Federal Skilled Trades |
| 158 | August 5, 2020 | 3,900 | 476 |
| 157 | July 23, 2020 | 3,343 | 445 |
| 156 | July 22, 2020 | 557 | 687 |
| 155 | July 8, 2020 | 3,900 | 478 |
| 154 | June 25, 2020 | 3,508 | 431 |
| 153 | June 24, 2020 | 392 | 696 |
| 152 | June 11, 2020 | 3,559 | 437 |
| 151 | June 10, 2020 | 341 | 743 |
| 150 | May 28, 2020 | 3,515 | 440 |
| 149 | May 27, 2020 | 385 | 757 |
| 148 | May 14, 2020 | 3,371 | 447 |
| 147 | May 13, 2020 | 529 | 718 |
| 146 | April 30, 2020 | 3,311 | 452 |
| 146 | April 29, 2020 | 589 | 692 |
| 144 | April 16, 2020 | 3,782 | 455 |
| 143 | April 15, 2020 | 118 | 808 |
| 142 | April 9, 2020 | 3,294 | 464 |
| 141 | April 9, 2020 | 606 | 698 |
| 140 | March 23, 2020 | 3,400 | 473 |
| 134 | January 8, 2020 | 3,232 | 467 |
| 139 | March 18, 2020 | 668 | 720 |
| 138 | March 4, 2020 | 3,900 | 471 |
| 137 | February 19, 2020 | 4,500 | 470 |
| 136 | February 5, 2020 | 3,500 | 472 |
| 135 | January 22, 2020 | 3,400 | 471 |
| 134 | January 8, 2020 | 3,400 | 473 |
2019 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS Score Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 133 | December 19, 2019 | 3,200 | 469 |
| 132 | December 11, 2019 | 3,200 | 472 |
| 131 | November 27, 2019 | 3,600 | 471 |
| 130 | November 13, 2019 | 3,600 | 472 |
| 129 | October 30, 2019 | 3,900 | 475 |
| 128 | October 16, 2019 | 500 | 357 |
| 127 | October 2, 2019 | 3,900 | 464 |
| 126 | September 18, 2019 | 3,600 | 462 |
| 125 | September 4, 2019 | 3,600 | 463 |
| 124 | August 20, 2019 | 3,600 | 457 |
| 123 | August 12, 2019 | 3,600 | 466 |
| 122 | July 24, 2019 | 3,600 | 459 |
| 121 | July 10, 2019 | 3,600 | 460 |
| 120 | June 26, 2019 | 3,350 | 462 |
| 119 | June 12, 2019 | 3,350 | 465 |
| 118 | May 29, 2019 | 3,350 | 470 |
| 117 | May 15, 2019 | 500 | 332 |
| 116 | May 1, 2019 | 3,350 | 450 |
| 115 | April 17, 2019 | 3,350 | 451 |
| 114 | April 3, 2019 | 3,350 | 451 |
| 113 | March 20, 2019 | 3,350 | 452 |
| 112 | March 6, 2019 | 3,350 | 454 |
| 111 | February 20, 2019 | 3,350 | 457 |
| 110 | January 30, 2019 | 3,350 | 438 |
| 109 | January 23, 2019 | 3,900 | 443 |
| 108 | January 9, 2019 | 3,900 | 449 |
2018 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS Score Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 107 | December 19, 2018 | 3,900 | 439 |
| 106 | December 12, 2018 | 3,900 | 445 |
| 105 | November 28, 2018 | 439 | 445 |
| 104 | November 15, 2018 | 3900 | 449 |
| 103 | October 29, 2018 | 439 | 442 |
| 102 | October 15, 2018 | 3900 | 440 |
| 101 | October 3, 2018 | 3900 | 445 |
| 100 | September 24, 2018 | 400 | 284 (*Federal Skilled Trades candidates only) |
| 99 | September 19, 2018 | 3,500 | 441 |
| 98 | September 5, 2018 | 3,900 | 440 |
| 97 | August 22, 2018 | 3,750 | 440 |
| 96 | August 8, 2018 | 3,750 | 440 |
| 95 | July 25, 2018 | 3,750 | 441 |
| 94 | July 11, 2018 | 3,750 | 442 |
| 93 | June 25, 2018 | 3,750 | 442 |
| 92 | June 13, 2018 | 3,750 | 451 |
| 91 | May 30, 2018 | 700 | 902 (*Provincial nominees only) 288 (*Federal Skilled Trades candidates only) |
| 90 | May 23, 2018 | 3,500 | 440 |
| 89 | May 9, 2018 | 3,500 | 441 |
| 88 | April 25, 2018 | 3,500 | 441 |
| 87 | April 11, 2018 | 3,500 | 444 |
| 86 | March 26, 2018 | 3,000 | 446 |
| 85 | March 14, 2018 | 3,000 | 456 |
| 84 | February 21, 2018 | 3,000 | 442 |
| 83 | February 7, 2018 | 3,000 | 442 |
| 82 | January 24, 2018 | 2,750 | 444 |
| 81 | January 10, 2018 | 2,750 | 446 |
2017 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS Score Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80 | December 20, 2017 | 2,750 | 446 |
| 79 | December 6, 2017 | 2,750 | 452 |
| 78 | November 15, 2017 | 2,750 | 439 |
| 77 | November 8, 2017 | 2,000 | 458 |
| 76 | November 1, 2017 | 505 | 241 (*Federal Skilled Trades candidates only) |
| 75 | November 1, 2017 | 290 | 673 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 74 | October 18, 2017 | 2,757 | 436 |
| 73 | October 04, 2017 | 2,801 | 438 |
| 72 | September 20, 2017 | 2,871 | 433 |
| 71 | September 6, 2017 | 2,772 | 435 |
| 70 | August 23, 2017 | 3,035 | 434 |
| 69 | August 9, 2017 | 2,991 | 433 |
| 68 | August 2, 2017 | 3,264 | 441 |
| 67 | July 12, 2017 | 3,202 | 440 |
| 66 | June 28, 2017 | 3,409 | 449 |
| 65 | May 31, 2017 | 3,877 | 413 |
| 64 | May 26, 2017 | 400 | 199 (*Federal Skilled Trades candidates only) |
| 63 | May 26, 2017 | 143 | 775 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 62 | May 17, 2017 | 3,687 | 415 |
| 61 | May 4, 2017 | 3,796 | 423 |
| 60 | April 19, 2017 | 3,665 | 415 |
| 59 | April 12, 2017 | 3,923 | 423 |
| 58 | April 5, 2017 | 3,753 | 431 |
| 57 | March 24, 2017 | 3,749 | 441 |
| 56 | March 1, 2017 | 3,884 | 434 |
| 55 | February 22, 2017 | 3,611 | 441 |
| 54 | February 8, 2017 | 3,644 | 447 |
| 53 | January 25, 2017 | 3,508 | 453 |
| 52 | January 11, 2017 | 3,334 | 459 |
| 51 | January 4, 2017 | 2,902 | 468 |
2016 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS Score Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 | December 22, 2016 | 2,878 | 475 |
| 49 | December 16, 2016 | 1,936 | 497 |
| 48 | November 30, 2016 | 559 | 786 (*Provincial nominees only) |
| 47 | November 16, 2016 | 2,427 | 470 |
| 46 | November 2, 2016 | 2,080 | 472 |
| 45 | October 19, 2016 | 1,804 | 475 |
| 44 | October 12, 2016 | 1,518 | 484 |
| 43 | September 21, 2016 | 1,288 | 483 |
| 42 | September 7, 2016 | 1,000 | 491 |
| 41 | August 24, 2016 | 750 | 538 |
| 40 | August 10, 2016 | 754 | 490 |
| 39 | July 27, 2016 | 755 | 488 |
| 38 | July 13, 2016 | 747 | 482 |
| 37 | June 29, 2016 | 773 | 482 |
| 36 | June 15, 2016 | 752 | 488 |
| 35 | June 1, 2016 | 762 | 483 |
| 34 | May 18, 2016 | 763 | 484 |
| 33 | May 6, 2016 | 799 | 534 |
| 32 | April 20, 2016 | 1,018 | 468 |
| 31 | April 6, 2016 | 954 | 470 |
| 30 | March 23, 2016 | 1,014 | 470 |
| 29 | March 8, 2016 | 1,013 | 473 |
| 28 | February 24, 2016 | 1,484 | 453 |
| 27 | February 10, 2016 | 1,505 | 459 |
| 26 | January 28, 2016 | 1,468 | 457 |
| 25 | January 13, 2016 | 1,518 | 453 |
| 24 | January 6, 2016 | 1,463 | 461 |
2015 Draw List
| Draw # | Date of Draw | Number of invitations | Minimum CRS points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | December 18, 2015 | 1.503 | 460 |
| 22 | December 4, 2015 | 1,451 | 461 |
| 21 | November 27, 2015 | 1,559 | 472 |
| 20 | November 13, 2015 | 1,506 | 484 |
| 19 | October 23, 2015 | 1,502 | 489 |
| 18 | October 2, 2015 | 1,530 | 450 |
| 17 | September 18, 2015 | 1,545 | 450 |
| 16 | September 8, 2015 | 1,517 | 459 |
| 15 | August 21, 2015 | 1,523 | 456 |
| 14 | August 7, 2015 | 1,402 | 471 |
| 13 | July 17, 2015 | 1,581 | 451 |
| 12 | July 10, 2015 | 1,516 | 463 |
| 11 | June 26, 2015 | 1,575 | 469 |
| 10 | June 12, 2015 | 1,501 | 482 |
| 9 | May 22, 2015 | 1,361 | 755 |
| 8 | April 17, 2015 | 715 | 453 |
| 7 | April 10, 2015 | 952 | 469 |
| 6 | March 27, 2015 | 1,637 | 453 |
| 5 | March 20, 2015 | 1,620 | 481 |
| 4 | February 27, 2015 | 1,187 | 735 |
| 3 | February 20, 2015 | 849 | 808 |
| 2 | February 7, 2015 | 779 | 818 |
| 1 | January 31, 2015 | 779 | 886 |
Why Canada Continues to Prioritise French-Speaking Candidates
Canada has been actively increasing opportunities for French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec in order to strengthen Francophone communities and support regional workforce needs. Through category-based draws, IRCC is able to target candidates with strong French-language skills even when they may not have extremely high CRS scores.
French-speaking applicants continue to benefit from lower CRS requirements compared to several Provincial Nominee Program and Canadian Experience Class draws held this year. This strategy allows Canada to attract bilingual skilled workers who can contribute to economic growth while supporting the country’s long-term linguistic and cultural objectives.
The repeated focus on French-language candidates also aligns with Canada’s immigration targets aimed at increasing Francophone newcomer admissions in provinces outside Quebec.
Recent Express Entry Trends
Recent Express Entry draw patterns show that IRCC continues rotating between multiple priority categories, including:
- Canadian Experience Class draws
- Provincial Nominee Program draws
- Category-based selections, such as healthcare and French-language proficiency
- Language-based selections for French-speaking candidates
- Trades occupations
- Specialised Canadian work experience categories
This targeted approach allows Canada to select candidates based on specific labour shortages and economic priorities rather than relying solely on general all-program draws.
What This Means for Candidates
The latest French-language draw highlights the growing importance of bilingualism within Canada’s immigration system. Candidates with strong French-language abilities continue to receive favourable opportunities through category-based Express Entry selections.
Applicants hoping to improve their chances of receiving an ITA may benefit from:
- Improving French-language test scores
- Increasing overall CRS points
- Gaining additional skilled work experience
- Obtaining Canadian work experience where possible
- Keeping their Express Entry profile active and updated
As IRCC continues conducting targeted Express Entry draws throughout 2026, candidates aligned with priority categories such as French-language proficiency are expected to remain in a strong position for future invitations.
Stay tuned for future updates on Express Entry draws and immigration news.
