Express Entry draw #405: French-Language proficiency
On March 18, 2026, IRCC invited 4,000 candidates in a French-Language proficiency round. The lowest score invited, the cutoff, was 393.
Key facts
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Round | #405 |
| Date | March 18, 2026 |
| Round type | French-Language proficiency |
| Invitations | 4,000 |
| CRS cutoff | 393 |
| Tie-break | Profiles at 393 submitted before December 29, 2025 at 12:47:31 UTC |
| Programs | Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program |
How it compares
The previous French-language proficiency round, #401 on March 4, 2026, cut off at 397 with 5,500 invitations. This round was 4 points lower, 14 days later.
The round before it overall was #404 (Canadian Experience Class, Mar 17, 2026), with a cutoff of 507.
Of the 29 French-language proficiency rounds since 2023 up to that date, 5 had a lower cutoff.
It was round 17th of 2026. By then IRCC had issued 53,224 invitations that year.
The pool at the time
IRCC's snapshot of the pool on March 15, 2026: 231,362 profiles in total.
| CRS score | Profiles |
|---|---|
| 601–1200 | 360 |
| 501–600 | 13,039 |
| 451–500 | 72,558 |
| 401–450 | 64,638 |
| 351–400 | 53,565 |
| 301–350 | 18,903 |
| 0–300 | 8,299 |
What a French-language proficiency round means
French-language rounds invite candidates with French at NCLC 7 or higher in all four abilities, whatever their occupation. They have run regularly, with cutoffs well below general rounds. See Express Entry draw types for how the round types differ.
Where does your score stand?
The CRS calculator works out your score from your test results and profile, and shows how far it is from the last Canadian Experience Class cutoff.