IRCC Conducts New French-Language Category Express Entry Draw

Surya Rathee
[Published 03 Aug, 2023 | 04:35 AM]
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Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has conducted a new invitation round under its newly-launched category-based Express Entry selection draws.

The Express Entry latest draw held on August 02, 2023, saw invitations being issued to a total of 800 candidates under the French language proficiency category. Invited candidates required a minimum CRS score of 435 - to be eligible for this invitation round.

Check eligibility to apply for Express Entry

Express Entry Draw #260

• Number of invitations issued: 800
• Rank required to be invited to apply: 800 or above
• Type of draw: French-Language Proficiency (2023-1)
• Date and time of round: August 02, 2023, at 13:50:04 UTC
• CRS score of lowest-ranking candidates invited: 435
• Tie-breaking rule: July 31, 2023, at 09:57:30 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.

French-Language Proficiency Category

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.  

IRCC has so far conducted three invitation rounds for candidates under the French-language proficiency category. The previous invitation rounds were held on July 12 and July 07, 2023. 

Canada’s Immigration Minister Sean Fraser has a mandate to promote the French language outside of Quebec. 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.”

CRS Point Calculator

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