Canada has invited 5,000 French-speaking candidates to apply for permanent residence in an Express Entry round held on August 19, 2026. The minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score required was 382.
This was the 437th Express Entry round overall and the 49th of 2026. At 382, it carries the lowest cut-off of any French-language proficiency round held since March 21, 2025, and sits nine points below the French-language round of August 6.
Full Details of the August 19 French-Language Draw
| Draw detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Round type | French-language proficiency (Version 2) |
| Date and time | August 19, 2026 at 12:35:37 UTC |
| Number of invitations issued | 5,000 |
| CRS score of lowest-ranked candidate invited | 382 |
| Tie-breaking rule | March 1, 2026 at 18:34:05 UTC |
| Programs covered | Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades Program |
| Round number | 437 (49th of 2026) |
Tie-Breaking Rule
Candidates needed a CRS score of at least 382 to be invited. Where more than one candidate sat exactly at 382, the tie-breaking rule applied: only those who had submitted their Express Entry profile before 18:34:05 UTC on March 1, 2026 received an invitation.
That timestamp reaches back almost six months before the round itself. A tie-break that far in the past signals a heavy concentration of candidates sitting at precisely 382 — enough that profile age, not score, decided who was selected at the margin.
How the 382 Cut-Off Compares
French-language rounds have moved steadily downward through 2026. The category opened the year at 400 in February, drifted up to 420 in July, and has fallen in each of the three rounds since.
| Draw date | Invitations | CRS cut-off |
|---|---|---|
| August 19, 2026 | 5,000 | 382 |
| August 6, 2026 | 5,000 | 391 |
| July 22, 2026 | 5,000 | 399 |
| July 9, 2026 | 5,000 | 420 |
| May 28, 2026 | 4,500 | 409 |
| April 29, 2026 | 4,000 | 400 |
| April 15, 2026 | 4,000 | 419 |
| March 18, 2026 | 4,000 | 393 |
| March 4, 2026 | 5,500 | 397 |
| February 6, 2026 | 8,500 | 400 |
The last time a French-language round cleared below 382 was March 21, 2025, when the cut-off was 379. Everything issued between August 2025 and December 2025 sat between 399 and 481, so the current level represents a substantial easing for francophone candidates.
Who Qualifies for a French-Language Round
French-language proficiency is one of the category-based selection categories IRCC uses alongside its general and program-specific rounds. To be considered, a candidate must have a valid Express Entry profile and demonstrate French ability at Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) level 7 or higher in all four abilities — reading, writing, listening and speaking — on an approved test such as the TEF Canada or TCF Canada.
Candidates must also meet the eligibility requirements of at least one of the three Express Entry programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class or the Federal Skilled Trades Program. French ability alone does not create eligibility; it determines which category a candidate can be drawn from.
These rounds are the main instrument behind Canada’s francophone immigration targets outside Quebec, which is why they are consistently among the largest of the year.
Express Entry in 2026 So Far
IRCC has now held 49 Express Entry rounds in 2026 and issued 119,865 invitations to apply. French-language proficiency rounds account for 50,500 of that total across ten draws — more than 42 per cent of all invitations issued this year, and the single largest category by volume.
August has been the busiest month of 2026, with seven rounds by the 19th: Provincial Nominee Program draws on August 4 and August 17, Canadian Experience Class rounds on August 5 and August 18, a transport occupations round on August 7, and French-language rounds on August 6 and August 19.
Full details of each round are published on the Government of Canada’s rounds of invitations page, and a complete list of this year’s results is maintained on our Express Entry draws 2026 page.
If you are considering Express Entry, use our free CRS score calculator to work out your Comprehensive Ranking System score and see where you stand in the pool relative to the 382 threshold set in this round.