If you’ve been following Express Entry draws over the past two years, you’ve likely noticed something that doesn’t quite add up. While CRS scores in general draws continue to rise above 520, French-language draws are issuing invitations at low CRS scores.
It’s not a system glitch, nor is it temporary. What you’re seeing is a fundamental redesign in how Canada selects immigrants.
How Did French Speakers Become Mainstream in Canadian Immigration?
Between 1971 and 2021, the Francophone population outside Quebec dropped from 6.1% to 3.5%.This demographic collapse is why the French draws exist. The updated Official Languages Act now mandates that immigration policy restore Francophone communities to their 1971 levels.
I first noticed this change between April and June 2023. Three federal actions turned “French as a value” into a selection tool.
- On April 26, 2023, Ottawa released its Action Plan for Official Languages, framing the reversal of French decline as a whole-of-government priority with new funding explicitly focused on immigration.
- Just over a month later, on May 31, 2023, IRCC created a permanent French-language proficiency category in Express Entry through category-based selection, meaning language ability in French could now drive invitations to apply, not just add points.
- Then on June 15, 2023, the Francophone Mobility Program expanded across all skill levels, making French a practical fast lane to Canadian work experience and, eventually, permanent residence through LMIA-exempt work permits.
After this IRCC started conducting dedicated French rounds in 2023 and set increasing admissions targets for French-speaking permanent residents outside Quebec through 2027.
Before 2023, knowing French was helpful. After mid-2023, French became very important. It can affect how long you wait in a high-CRS queue. You might receive an invitation through a special category. Alternatively, you could enter through an LMIA-exempt route.
Case Study: Senegal Family Gets Canada PR with Low CRS Score
In early 2024, I worked with a family from Senegal. The husband had 10+ years of experience as a Retail Sales Supervisor, a bachelor’s degree, and bilingual proficiency at CLB 7 in both English and French.
His wife held a two-year diploma with no work experience. They had three young children and a close family connection through his sister, who was already a Canadian citizen. Their CRS score was 372.
Most general or Canadian Experience Class draws typically have scores above 500. With 372, they would have had no chance. However, in February 2024, the French category draw cut-off was 365. That single factor completely changed their entire future.
Why French Draws Have Lower CRS Scores?
This is one of the hardest conversations I have. You’re sitting across from someone with a CRS of 480. A doctor, an engineer, a data scientist. People who have worked hard, built real careers, and now see someone with a CRS score of 365 getting invited ahead of them. It feels unfair. On a personal level, I must admit that it is hard to accept.
But here’s what I tell them: immigration isn’t just a selection process. It’s a nation-building strategy. When a government adjusts its immigration priorities through French-language draws, it’s shaping the country’s future in 10, 20, or 50 years.
These aren’t random benefits. They are intentional policy tools to preserve Canada’s bilingual identity, support minority Francophone communities, and strengthen ties with the wider Francophone world. On a personal level, yes, it hurts to lose out because of something like language. But on a policy level, it’s about fostering integration and balance.
So, I tell my clients: the system isn’t closing doors. It’s showing you where the new doors are. You can learn French. You can adapt. Because ultimately, Canada isn’t just inviting workers. It’s inviting contributors to its identity.
Recent French Express Entry Category Draws Trends
On October 29, 2025, IRCC issued 6,000 invitations in a French category draw at CRS 416.
Just one day earlier, on Oct 28, the general Canadian Experience Class draw issued 1,000 invitations with a CRS score of 533. That’s a 117-point advantage.
Most observers see that gap and think “bonus points.” Little that they know that Canada deliberately lowered CRS scores for French speakers to balance immigration. The old system favored English speakers with high scores. French draws bring diversity and support French communities outside Quebec.
By creating separate French-language streams, IRCC is redistributing opportunities to achieve multiple goals at once:
- renewing the demographic balance for Francophone minority communities outside Quebec
- diversifying Canada’s immigration sources geographically and culturally
- realigning with French-speaking regions in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
In other words, Canada’s immigration model is moving from a points-based system to a purpose-driven selection system. Now the language serves as the bridge between demographics, identity, and long-term national strategy.
French Express Entry Benefits to African Immigrants
Did you know? In 2024, 83.6% of French-speaking permanent residents admitted outside Quebec came from Africa and the Middle East.
The leading countries of origin highlight the story:
- Cameroon (10,395)
- Algeria (3,735)
- Morocco (3,420)
- Haiti (2,625)
- Côte d’Ivoire (1,610)
- France (1,600)
- Tunisia (1,055)
- DR Congo (1,020)
- Lebanon (570)
- Burundi (450).
On the temporary side, the Francophone Mobility Program’s most common work-permit citizenships in 2024 followed a similar trend:
- Morocco (900)
- France (700)
- Cameroon (345)
- Tunisia (305)
- Algeria (245)
Since 2023, IRCC has been explicit that French selection is a tool to grow Francophone communities outside Quebec and achieve economic goals through category-based selection. The African tilt indicates where large, young, French-speaking talent pools are currently present.
Ottawa created a dedicated lane, knowing it would tap primarily Francophone Africa, with Europe accounting for a smaller share. If you have provable French through TEF or TCF testing, you’re competing in a different queue with different cut-offs, by design.
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Inside the Numbers: Every French Draw Since Launch
Since July 7, 2023, IRCC has held 24 French category draws, inviting a total of 67,700 applicants.
The draw sizes have ranged from as low as 300 (October 2023) to as high as 7,500 (March 2025). CRS scores have ranged from 336 to 486.
There is no fixed quota for French-category draws. The Immigration Levels Plan sets targets for admissions, not draw quotas. What it does specify is the proportion of French-speaking permanent residents admitted outside Quebec each year: 8.5% in 2025 (about 29,325 admissions), 9.5% in 2026 (around 31,350), and 10% in 2027 (approximately 31,500).
In simple terms, Ottawa sets the target number of French-speaking admissions they want outside Quebec, then uses the French category draws as a steering tool, adjusting them up or down each year to meet those goals.
The fluctuations in draw sizes are not experimental; they are a flexible way of steering toward a specific demographic target.
French Express Entry Draw History (2023–2025)
If you’re wondering whether this is real or just a temporary experiment, here’s your answer. Below is every French-language proficiency draw IRCC has conducted since the category launched in July 2023.
| Draw Date | Invitations Issued | CRS Cut-Off Score |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-07-07 | 2,300 | 375 |
| 2023-08-02 | 900 | 435 |
| 2023-09-12 | 1,500 | 380 |
| 2023-10-25 | 300 | 486 |
| 2023-11-15 | 800 | 409 |
| 2023-12-07 | 900 | 470 |
| 2024-01-25 | 2,100 | 420 |
| 2024-02-29 | 2,200 | 336 |
| 2024-03-20 | 1,800 | 392 |
| 2024-04-24 | 2,250 | 410 |
| 2024-05-22 | 3,000 | 392 |
| 2024-06-26 | 2,600 | 408 |
| 2024-07-18 | 2,000 | 384 |
| 2024-08-21 | 2,700 | 394 |
| 2024-09-17 | 1,550 | 437 |
| 2024-11-15 | 800 | 412 |
| 2025-02-19 | 6,500 | 428 |
| 2025-03-06 | 4,500 | 410 |
| 2025-03-21 | 7,500 | 379 |
| 2025-06-04 | 3,900 | 401 |
| 2025-08-08 | 2,500 | 481 |
| 2025-09-04 | 4,500 | 446 |
| 2025-10-06 | 4,500 | 432 |
| 2025-10-29 | 6,000 | 416 |
Total invitations issued: 67,700
Look at that consistency. Twenty-four draws over 28 months. Some months saw multiple rounds. The CRS cut-offs fluctuate, but they’ve never come close to the 500+ scores required in general draws. The lowest was 336 in February 2024. The highest was 486 in October 2023.
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How the French Opened Doors for Immigrants Around the World?
Like the Senegal family, here are three more clients who got invited through French draws (names have been hidden for privacy reasons) that I’m working with. People whose futures changed because they shared one thing in common: French language skills.
28 years old Marketing Coordinator from Cameroon
She holds a bachelor’s degree in communications with three years of experience in digital marketing. She is fluent in both English (CLB 8) and French (NCLC 7).
Her CRS score was 422. In a general Express Entry draw, she wouldn’t stand a chance. But in the most recent French category draw on 29th October 2025, the cut-off was 416.
She received her invitation, and now we are in the process of applying for her permanent resident status. Without French, she would still be waiting. With it, she’s building a new life.
35 years, Operations Manager from France
He holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration with eight years of management experience. He is married and has one child. His English is strong (CLB 8), and his French is solid (NCLC 7). His CRS score was 384.
He received his invitation in a French category draw in March 2025, with a cut-off of 379.
Do you think he would have been invited if the French category draws of Express Entry weren’t there? That’s the difference.
33 years, Accountant from Haiti
She is a single parent with two children. She has a bachelor’s degree in accounting and five years of professional experience. Her English is good (CLB 8), and as a native French speaker, her NCLC score is 9. Her CRS score is 412.
Being a single parent lowered her CRS score compared to that of couples’ applicants without dependents. In the general pool, 412 wouldn’t be competitive. But in the August 2024 French draw with a cut-off of 394, she was invited.
Her family situation, which would have been a disadvantage elsewhere, didn’t matter. Her French did.
Once you receive an invitation to apply, the pathway to permanent residence typically takes six to eight months. That’s from invitation to landing.
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Will French Draws Continue?
On November 4, 2025, the government will release the Immigration Levels Plan for 2026-2028. This will confirm whether the 10% Francophone target holds, increases, or decreases.
There’s public pressure to cut overall immigration due to housing and infrastructure concerns. However, the French category will likely remain significant because:
- The demographic crisis is ongoing
- The legislative mandate is clear
- Infrastructure investment is already underway
French has become a core pillar of Canada’s immigration strategy.
Take Professional Guidance from Licensed Consultants
If you already speak French, you now have access to a dedicated immigration stream with lower CRS cut-offs and faster processing. Candidates from Cameroon, Morocco, Haiti, Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, and other Francophone countries who were outside Canada’s competitive range for years are now being invited.
If you don’t speak French yet, achieving NCLC 7 or higher requires genuine effort and time. This isn’t a loophole, it’s an adaptation strategy. But for those willing to invest in learning French, it opens a transformative pathway.
At ELAAR Immigration, our licensed professionals can assess your language skills and develop a comprehensive strategy for category-based draw success.
Contact our team today for personalized assessment and strategic guidance tailored to your French proficiency and immigration timeline.
