Sections
IRCC has held 36 French-language Express Entry rounds since the category opened in July 2023, 10 of them in 2026. The latest, round #437 on 19 August 2026, invited 5,000 candidates with a CRS cutoff of 382, the lowest French cutoff of the year.
This page is rebuilt from IRCC's own rounds of invitations data after every round, so the tables and the chart below are always complete. The analysis around them is written by our editorial team.
Latest French draw
When is the next French draw?
Early October 2026
- Over the past 12 months French rounds came every 13 to 51 days, 25 days on average. It has now been 49 days.
- In 2026, 9 of 10 French rounds came one or two days after a CEC round.
- If the longest recent gap repeats, the next French round would land by about 9 October 2026.
This is our estimate from past timing, not an IRCC announcement. IRCC does not publish round dates in advance, and CEC rounds on 1, 15 and 29 September were not followed by a French round.
Get an email when IRCC runs a French draw
One short email per French-language round: the cutoff, the number of invitations and how it compares with the latest CEC round. Free, and no account needed.
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French draw history: every round since 2023
All 36 rounds, newest first. The last column is the gap to the CEC or all-program round held within seven days, when there was one.
| Round | Date | CRS cutoff | Invitations | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| French draws in 202610 rounds · 50,500 invitations · cutoffs 382 to 420 | ||||
| #437 | 19 August 2026 | 382 | 5,000 | +141 |
| #433 | 6 August 2026 | 391 | 5,000 | +125 |
| #429 | 22 July 2026 | 399 | 5,000 | +117 |
| #425 | 9 July 2026 | 420 | 5,000 | +97 |
| #418 | 28 May 2026 | 409 | 4,500 | +109 |
| #414 | 29 April 2026 | 400 | 4,000 | +114 |
| #411 | 15 April 2026 | 419 | 4,000 | +96 |
| #405 | 18 March 2026 | 393 | 4,000 | +114 |
| #401 | 4 March 2026 | 397 | 5,500 | +111 |
| #394 | 6 February 2026 | 400 | 8,500 | none nearby |
| French draws in 20259 rounds · 48,000 invitations · cutoffs 379 to 481 | ||||
| #388 | 17 December 2025 | 399 | 6,000 | +116 |
| #382 | 28 November 2025 | 408 | 6,000 | +123 |
| #376 | 29 October 2025 | 416 | 6,000 | +117 |
| #371 | 6 October 2025 | 432 | 4,500 | +102 |
| #365 | 4 September 2025 | 446 | 4,500 | +88 |
| #360 | 8 August 2025 | 481 | 2,500 | +53 |
| #341 | 21 March 2025 | 379 | 7,500 | none nearby |
| #339 | 6 March 2025 | 410 | 4,500 | none nearby |
| #337 | 19 February 2025 | 428 | 6,500 | none nearby |
| French draws in 202411 rounds · 23,000 invitations · cutoffs 336 to 478 | ||||
| #329 | 3 December 2024 | 466 | 800 | none nearby |
| #324 | 15 November 2024 | 478 | 800 | +69 |
| #318 | 10 October 2024 | 444 | 1,000 | +95 |
| #314 | 13 September 2024 | 446 | 1,000 | +63 |
| #310 | 15 August 2024 | 394 | 2,000 | +115 |
| #305 | 18 July 2024 | 400 | 1,800 | +115 |
| #302 | 8 July 2024 | 420 | 3,200 | none nearby |
| #295 | 24 April 2024 | 410 | 1,400 | +119 |
| #291 | 26 March 2024 | 388 | 1,500 | +136 |
| #287 | 29 February 2024 | 336 | 2,500 | +198 |
| #282 | 1 February 2024 | 365 | 7,000 | +176 |
| French draws in 20236 rounds · 8,700 invitations · cutoffs 375 to 486 | ||||
| #273 | 7 December 2023 | 470 | 1,000 | +91 |
| #270 | 25 October 2023 | 486 | 300 | none nearby |
| #266 | 27 September 2023 | 472 | 500 | +32 |
| #260 | 2 August 2023 | 435 | 800 | +82 |
| #258 | 12 July 2023 | 375 | 3,800 | +130 |
| #256 | 7 July 2023 | 439 | 2,300 | +72 |
French draw vs CEC draw: the cutoff gap
IRCC usually runs a French round within a day or two of a Canadian Experience Class round. Same pool, same week, one difference: the candidates' French. That makes the gap between the two cutoffs a clean measure of what NCLC 7 has been worth.
The latest pair, 19 August 2026, shows a gap of 141 points, the widest since February 2024. Across the 9 pairs of 2026 the gap averaged 114 points: in the same week, a French round invited candidates about 114 points below the CEC cutoff. Rounds without a CEC or all-program round within seven days are left out rather than stretched to fit.
French draw requirements: NCLC 7 in all four skills
The one requirement that decides eligibility
IRCC requires French test results showing NCLC 7 or higher in reading, writing, listening and speaking. One skill at NCLC 6 and you are not eligible for French rounds, whatever your CRS score. These are the minimum scores for NCLC 7. For TEF Canada, enter the old score equivalence in your profile.
| Skill | TEF Canada, old score equivalence | TEF Canada, score out of 699 | TCF Canada |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 249 | 434 | 458 |
| Reading | 207 | 434 | 453 |
| Writing | 310 | 428 | 10 |
| Speaking | 310 | 456 | 10 |
What is a French draw in Express Entry?
A French-language round is a category-based round. To be invited you must already be in the Express Entry pool, which means eligible for the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program or the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and your profile must show NCLC 7 or higher in all four French skills. IRCC then invites the highest CRS scores among those candidates only, so the cutoff reflects how many French speakers are in the pool and how many invitations IRCC decides to issue.
Two things push French candidates up that ranking. The first is the French bonus: 50 points with CLB 5 or higher in English, 25 without. The second is second-language points, up to 24 more. Both count in every round, not only French ones. French rounds then add a separate, smaller competition, which is why a candidate can sit 100 points below the CEC cutoff and still be invited.
Round sizes have grown. French rounds in 2024 invited between 800 and 7,000 people; every French round since July 2026 has invited 5,000. IRCC can change sizes and timing at any point, and its spring 2026 consultation floated removing the French bonus. The category itself was not part of that proposal. Read what the proposed CRS reform would change.
- Estimate your full CRS score, including your TEF or TCF results.
- See every Express Entry round, including CEC, PNP and the other categories.
- Read how French points work in Express Entry if you are deciding whether the exam is worth it.
- Sit a full timed mock exam to see which skill is furthest from NCLC 7.
Figures on this page come from IRCC's published rounds of invitations and are refreshed automatically after each round. Always confirm against the official source before making an application decision.
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