IRCC Conducts First French-Language Category Express Entry Draw

Surya Rathee
[Published 08 Jul, 2023 | 04:48 AM]
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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted its fourth Express Entry draw of the week. This was the first-ever category-based Express Entry draw for the French-Language Proficiency category.

The latest Express Entry draw held on July 07, 2023, saw Invitations to Apply (ITAs) being issued to a total of 2,300 candidates under the French-Language Proficiency category. Invited candidates also required a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 439 - to be eligible for this invitation round.

This is the sixth Express Entry draw conducted by IRCC in two weeks, bringing the total number of candidates invited over this period to 9,800. The most recent round took place yesterday, July 6, which invited 1,500 candidates with work experience in Healthcare occupations.

Express Entry Draw #256

Who Was Invited?

• Number of invitations issued: 2,300
• Rank required to be invited to apply: 2,300 or above
• Type of draw: French Language Proficiency (2023-1)
• Date and time of round: July 07, 2023, 13:11:16 UTC
• CRS score of lowest-ranking candidates invited: 439
• Tie-breaking rule: January 20, 2023, 17:18:32 UTC

If more than one candidate has the lowest score, the cut-off is based on the date and time they submitted their Express Entry profiles.

Check eligibility to apply for Express Entry

French-Language Proficiency Category Eligibility

To be eligible under the French-Language Proficiency 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 invitation round.

As compared to the other five newly announced Express Entry selection categories, French-Language Proficiency is the only one that does not consider work experience as the key attribute to be issued an ITA.

Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has a mandate to promote the French language outside of Quebec. Announcing the first-ever French-Language Proficiency Express Entry draw, IRCC quoted, “ By prioritizing the invitation of French-speaking newcomers, Canada aims to support economic growth through Francophone immigration outside Quebec while recognizing how it enriches and strengthens these communities.”

Canada Occupation In Demand List 2023

On May 31, Sean Fraser announced that IRCC has finalized six new selection categories for Express Entry draws. Besides French-Language Proficiency, Healthcare Occupations, STEM Occupations, Trades Occupations, Transport Occupations, and Agriculture & Agri-Food Occupations are among the categories that will be considered for Express Entry draws in 2023. The categories were chosen after considering labor market projections and consulting with various Partners, Stakeholders, Provincial, and Territorial governments.

Source: canada.ca