Figures on this page come from IRCC's Express Entry draw results and the CIC News reporting on them, current as of July 22, 2026. Cut-offs change with every round; always verify current numbers against IRCC's official rounds of invitations page before acting.
- July 22, 2026 French-language draw: CRS cutoff 399, 5,000 invitations
- July 9, 2026 French-language draw: CRS cutoff 420, 5,000 invitations
- 2026 French-language cutoffs have ranged from 393 to 420 across seven rounds
- March 4, 2026 issued the year's largest French-language round: 5,500 invitations at CRS 397
- IRCC had run 41 Express Entry draws and issued 104,612 invitations in 2026 as of July 22
- Each round sets its own tie-break timestamp for when a profile had to be created
What are French-language Express Entry draws?
Alongside general and program-specific rounds, IRCC also runs category-based Express Entry draws that invite only candidates who meet a criterion set out for that round. French-language proficiency has been one of these standing categories, and 2026 has seen it used repeatedly. Candidates who post strong results in French, on top of their regular Express Entry profile and Comprehensive Ranking System score, become eligible to be invited in these rounds even when their overall score would not clear a general or Canadian Experience Class draw.
Because the category draws from a narrower slice of the pool, its cut-off moves independently of the rest of Express Entry, and often sits well below it. IRCC held at least seven French-language rounds between March and July 2026. Two of the most recent, on July 9 and July 22, 2026, show how far that cut-off can move from one round to the next.
How much has the CRS cutoff moved in 2026?
Here is every French-language Express Entry round reported between March and July 2026, in order:
- March 4, 2026: CRS 397, 5,500 invitations, the year's largest French-language round so far
- March 18, 2026: CRS 393, 4,000 invitations, the lowest cut-off of the year to that point
- April 15, 2026: CRS 419, 4,000 invitations
- April 29, 2026: CRS 400, 4,000 invitations
- May 28, 2026: CRS 409, 4,500 invitations
- July 9, 2026: CRS 420, 5,000 invitations, the highest French-language cut-off since October 6, 2025 and the largest invitation round for this category since March 4
- July 22, 2026: CRS 399, 5,000 invitations, the lowest French-language cut-off since the March 18 round
Over those four months the cut-off ranged 27 points, from 393 to 420, while invitation volumes mostly held between 4,000 and 5,000. Neither figure moved in a straight line, and IRCC has not published anything tying one round's result to the one before it.
For a candidate watching this category, the practical lesson is that timing a French-language draw around a single earlier round is unreliable. A score that would have cleared the March 18 cut-off of 393 sat below the July 9 cut-off of 420 less than four months later, then would have cleared again two weeks after that. Building a profile that would qualify comfortably above the higher end of that range, rather than aiming just past the most recent result, is the more defensible approach.
Why do the tie-break timestamps matter?
Any Express Entry round, including French-language draws, can have more candidates sitting at the exact cut-off score than there are invitations available. When that happens, IRCC applies a tie-break: only candidates who created or updated their Express Entry profile before a specific date and time are invited at that score. In the July 9, 2026 draw, that tie-break was May 15, 2026 at 8:04 a.m. UTC. In the July 22, 2026 draw, it moved back to November 19, 2025 at 9:21 p.m. UTC.
That eight-month shift between the two tie-break dates is a sign of how much competition built up at the 399 to 420 range of the pool in the space of two weeks. A large share of the candidates scoring in that band simply did not have profiles old enough to be reached at the lower cut-off, so IRCC had to draw from further back in time to fill the round.
What does this mean for Saskatchewan applicants?
For candidates who can document strong French test results, this category has stayed meaningfully more accessible than the general Express Entry pool for most of 2026, a gap we wrote about from the other side when covering rising Canadian Experience Class cut-offs. Every French-language round this year has closed at or below 420, and profile age, not just score, has decided who gets in once a tie-break applies.
A Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program nomination adds 600 points to a candidate's Comprehensive Ranking System score, which to date has placed nominees above every Express Entry cut-off regardless of category. The SINP was restructured in 2025 and 2026: it is now employer-driven, with at least half of the province's nominations reserved for priority sectors. A candidate can hold an active Express Entry profile, show strong French results, and still pursue a provincial nomination through their employer or occupation at the same time; the two paths are not exclusive of each other.
What the 2026 pattern does show is that keeping a profile accurate and current matters as much as chasing a particular score, since a tie-break can decide the outcome even for candidates who clear the published cut-off.
Frequently asked questions
What CRS score do you need for a French-language Express Entry draw in 2026?
There is no fixed score. Across seven French-language draws between March and July 2026, cut-offs ranged from 393 to 420. The two most recent rounds invited at 420 on July 9, 2026 and 399 on July 22, 2026, each issuing 5,000 invitations. Cut-offs change from round to round.
How many invitations does a French-language Express Entry draw issue?
Volumes varied through 2026. The March 4 round issued 5,500 invitations, the year's largest French-language draw so far, while most other 2026 rounds issued between 4,000 and 5,000.
Can a Saskatchewan nomination combine with French-language ability in Express Entry?
Yes. A candidate can hold an active Express Entry profile with strong French results while also pursuing a Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program nomination. A nomination adds 600 points to a candidate's CRS score, which to date has placed nominees above every Express Entry cut-off.
Sources: IRCC Express Entry draw data as reported by CIC News (July 22, 2026 and July 9, 2026); IRCC rounds of invitations. This article provides general information, not legal advice.