Express Entry draw #401: French-language proficiency
On March 4, 2026, IRCC held Express Entry round #401, a French-language proficiency round. It issued 5,500 invitations to apply (ITAs), and the lowest-ranked candidate invited had a CRS score of 397. Compared with the previous French-language proficiency round (#394 on February 6, 2026, CRS 400), the cutoff fell 3 points, with 3,000 fewer invitations.
Tie-breaking rule: candidates with exactly 397 points were invited only if they submitted their profile before October 10, 2025 at 18:18:20 UTC.
IRCC’s pool snapshot of March 1, 2026 counted 232,534 profiles, of which roughly 156,135 scored 397 or more (estimated from score bands, all programs combined).
Recent rounds of this type
CRS cutoff of the last rounds of the same type. Hover a point for the date and score.
Who this round was for
Candidates eligible for the French-language proficiency category. No occupation list. Candidate needs French test results of at least level 7 on the NCLC in all four abilities (speaking, listening, reading, writing), plus eligibility for FSW, FST or CEC in the pool.
Other rounds that week
Official sources
- canada.caExpress Entry rounds of invitations (IRCC)Checked 2026-10-01
- canada.caMinisterial Instructions for each round (IRCC)Checked 2026-10-01
Figures are copied from IRCC’s published rounds data. The tie-breaking time is shown as published by IRCC (UTC).