Express Entry Draw Francophone Immigration
Express Entry Draw 287 | 2,500 Invited in French Language Category
The latest Canadian Express Entry draw for French-language proficiency Category was just held. Express Entry draw 287 saw the Lowest CRS score of 336 and invited 2,500 candidates eligible for category-based selection.
Express Entry Draw 287
Date of Draw: February 29, 2024 at 15:58:53 UTC
Number of Invitations Issued: 2,500
Minimum CRS: 336
Program Specified: French language proficiency (2023-1)
Tie-breaking rule: February 29, 2024 at 15:58:53 UTC
Second Draw for French Speakers in 2024
Express Entry draw #287 issued 2,500 Invitations to Apply (ITA) to candidates with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) of 336. This draw was category-specific, targeting candidates with French language proficiency. This means that all candidates selected in today’s draw had indicated and met the minimum French language requirements in their Express Entry profiles.
Today’s draw in the French language proficiency category of the Express Entry program marks a significant shift from the previous one held on February 1, 2024, which was the first draw of the year for this category. Notably, the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of the lowest-ranked candidate in today’s draw was only 336 points, a notable decrease compared to earlier thresholds. However, the total number of invitations issued today was significantly lower, at just 2,500, compared to the 7,000 invitations in the previous draw.
This draw is noteworthy for featuring one of the lowest CRS scores in the history of the Express Entry system. Consequently, it suggests that candidates with high scores in French-language test results currently in the Express Entry pool, stand a good chance of receiving an invitation for this category.
Why Are French Language Skills Important in Canada?
In recent years, the Canadian government has been stepping up its efforts to attract French-speaking immigrants to communities across Canada. To encourage continued francophone immigration growth, the government has set a target for francophone immigrants settling outside Quebec for the upcoming years.
The push for increased francophone immigration is largely due to declining French-speaking populations across Canada. According to Statistics Canada, the percentage of Canadians who speak predominantly French at home fell to 19.2% in 2021 from 20% in 2016. In fact, the proportion of French speakers has declined in nearly all areas of Canada, including Quebec.
The Official Languages Action Plan 2023-2028 allocates $137.2 million over a five-year period to promote Francophone immigration to Canada. This initiative introduces measures across the immigration continuum, including the implementation of a novel Francophone immigration policy. This funding is an additional investment, complementing the ongoing support of $84.3 million from prior action plans.
Who Qualifies for this French Speaking Category?
According to the IRCC, to qualify for this category you 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
- meet all of the requirements in the instructions for that round
All requirements for each category can be viewed on the Canadian government’s website.
Calculate my CSR Score!How Can I Apply for Express Entry?
Express Entry is a system used by the Canadian government to manage applications for Canadian permanent residency. Express Entry uses a point-based system, the CRS, to rank candidates’ profiles.
Applying to Express Entry is a two-step procedure. The first step is to submit your profile with the required documents. Required documents usually consist of language test results, educational credentials, and passport or travel documentation.
After you submit a profile and receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence, you can submit your complete application for the IRCC to review. Your complete application should include supporting documents such as reference letters, additional identity documents, police clearance certificates, and results of a medical examination.
Number of Candidates in the Current Express Entry Pool
The IRCC updates the number of people in the Express Entry pool a few days before an invitation round takes place. Numbers change as new profiles are submitted, profiles expire or are issued an ITA.
As of today the composition of the Express Entry pool is:
| 601-1200 | 738 |
|---|---|
| 501-600 | 18,673 |
| 451-500 | 62,985 |
| 491-500 | 12,316 |
| 481-490 | 11,905 |
| 471-480 | 14,371 |
| 461-470 | 12,521 |
| 451-460 | 11,872 |
| 401-450 | 57,590 |
| 441-450 | 11,219 |
| 431-440 | 12,313 |
| 421-430 | 11,217 |
| 411-420 | 11,602 |
| 401-410 | 11,239 |
| 351-400 | 50,609 |
| 301-350 | 22,280 |
| 0-300 | 5,615 |
| Total | 218,490 |
| Updated | December 2, 2024 |
Will Express Entry Still Hold All-Program Draws?
Express Entry holds different types of draws, not just category-based draws. There are three types of rounds:
- General round of invitations (all-program draws): General rounds of invitations invite the top-ranking candidates in the Express Entry pool who are eligible for 1 of the 3 Express Entry Programs. The 3 programs include the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP) and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).
- Program-specific rounds of invitations: Program-specific rounds invite the top-ranking candidates who are eligible for a specific Express Entry program. For example, the IRCC often has draws specifically for the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), where only candidates who are eligible for a PNP are invited.
- Category-based rounds of invitations: The Minister of Immigration will establish specific categories to meet specific economic goals across Canada. Once the categories are established, the top-ranking candidates in the pool who are eligible for this category will receive an invitation.
Latest Express Entry Draw for All categories!
Check here the full list of the Express entry draws that were held this year:
| Draw | Date | Category | Number of ITAs | CRS Cut Off | Tie-Breaking Rule |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 328 | December 2, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 676 | 705 | November 27, 2024 at 18:15:17 UTC |
| 327 | November 20, 2024 | Healthcare occupations (Version 1) | 3,000 | 463 | October 21, 2024 at 16:12:39 UTC |
| 326 | November 19, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 400 | 539 | July 08, 2024 at 01:41:37 UTC |
| 325 | November 18, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 174 | 816 | August 28, 2024 at 05:12:34 UTC |
| 324 | November 15, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 800 | 478 | November 07, 2024 at 13:12:03 UTC |
| 323 | November 13, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 400 | 547 | April 10, 2024 at 03:58:05 UTC |
| 322 | November 12, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 733 | 812 | March 02. 2024 at 01:58:34 UTC |
| 321 | October 23, 2024 | Trade occupations (Version 1) | 1,800 | 433 | March 12, 2024 at 14:30:36 UTC |
| 320 | October 22, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 400 | 539 | October 19, 2024 at 21:53:18 UTC |
| 319 | October 21, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 648 | 791 | August 13, 2024 at 20:04:52 UTC |
| 318 | October 10, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 1000 | 444 | September 27, 2024 at 18:56:32 UTC |
| 317 | October 9, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 500 | 539 | February 20, 2024 at 02:57:40 UTC |
| 316 | October 7, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,613 | 743 | March 22, 2024 at 18:36:54 UTC |
| 315 | September 19, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 4000 | 509 | November 06, 2023 at 07:17:35 UTC |
| 314 | September 13, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 1000 | 446 | August 28, 2024 at 17:07:19 UTC |
| 313 | September 9, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 911 | 732 | March 13, 2024 at 19:56:16 UTC |
| 312 | August 27, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 3300 | 507 | June 05, 2024 at 01:08:58 UTC |
| 311 | August 26, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1121 | 694 | August 03, 2024 at 18:54:27 UTC |
| 310 | August 15, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 2,000 | 394 | July 07, 2024 at 09:46:10 UTC |
| 309 | August 14, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,200 | 509 | March 01, 2024 at 19:23:21 UTC |
| 308 | August 13, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 763 | 690 | April 26, 2024 at 10:59:30 UTC |
| 307 | July 31, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 5,000 | 510 | June 30, 2024 at 20:39:14 UTC |
| 306 | July 30, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 964 | 686 | May 27, 2024 at 07:07:21 UTC |
| 305 | July 18, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 1,800 | 400 | March 08, 2024 at 19:51:40 UTC |
| 304 | July 17, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 6,300 | 515 | February 03, 2024 at 13:01:06 UTC |
| 303 | July 16, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,391 | 670 | May 04, 2024 at 13:27:31 UTC |
| 302 | July 8, 2024 | French language proficiency (Version 1) | 3,200 | 420 | May 30, 2024 at 03:37:43 UTC |
| 301 | July 5, 2024 | Healthcare occupations (Version 1) | 3,750 | 445 | May 07, 2024 at 21:27:04 UTC |
| 300 | July 4, 2024 | Trade occupations (Version 1) | 1,800 | 436 | July 16, 2023 at 15:44:59 UTC |
| 299 | July 2, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 920 | 739 | February 02, 2024 at 11:38:43 UTC |
| 298 | June 19, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 1,499 | 663 | January 19, 2024 at 10:10:40 UTC |
| 297 | May 31, 2024 | Canadian Experience Class | 3,000 | 522 | March 19, 2024 at 18:58:58 UTC |
| 296 | May 30, 2024 | Provincial Nominee Program | 2,985 | 676 | January 19, 2024 at 18:32:21 UTC |
| 295 | April 24, 2024 | French language proficiency | 1,400 | 410 | April 07, 2024 at 02:06:46 UTC |
| 294 | April 23, 2024 | General | 2,095 | 529 | November 08, 2023 at 17:50:29 UTC |
| 293 | April 11, 2024 | STEM occupations (2024-1) | 4,500 | 491 | February 25, 2024 at 11:55:12 UTC |
| 292 | April 10, 2024 | General | 1,280 | 549 | March 21, 2024 at 03:37:24 UTC |
| 291 | March 26, 2024 | French language proficiency | 1,500 | 388 | March 10, 2024 at 20:06:26 UTC |
| 290 | March 25, 2024 | General | 1,980 | 524 | February 25, 2024 at 14:42:38 UTC |
| 289 | March 13, 2024 | Transport occupations | 975 | 430 | July 31, 2023 at 13:27:26 UTC |
| 288 | March 12, 2024 | General | 2,850 | 525 | March 12, 2024 at 15:56:42 UTC |
| 287 | February 29, 2024 | French language proficiency | 2,500 | 336 | January 18, 2024 at 09:15:46 UTC |
| 286 | February 28, 2024 | General | 1,470 | 534 | January 16, 2024 at 03:51:05 UTC |
| 285 | February 16, 2024 | Agriculture and agri-food occupations | 150 | 437 | January 29, 2024 at 03:32:58 UTC |
| 284 | February 14, 2024 | Healthcare occupations | 3,500 | 422 | January 30, 2024 at 02:39:54 UTC |
| 283 | February 13, 2024 | General | 1,490 | 535 | February 11, 2024 at 15:26:56 UTC |
| 282 | February 1, 2024 | French language proficiency | 7,000 | 365 | September 08, 2023 at 09:47:27 UTC |
| 281 | January 31, 2024 | General | 730 | 541 | July 15, 2023 at 10:52:08 UTC |
| 280 | January 23, 2024 | General | 1,040 | 543 | January 21, 2024 at 07:43:47 UTC |
| 279 | January 10, 2024 | General | 1,510 | 546 | December 31, 2023 at 18:23:22 UTC |
Discover if your French language skills meet the criteria for Express Entry’s French Speaking Category. Take the first step towards Canadian permanent residency!
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