Canada has invited foreigners to apply for permanent residency through the Express Entry system based on their French language proficiency. For the first time in 2025, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has invited foreigners to apply for permanent residency under the French language proficiency category of the Express Entry (EE) system.
The invitations under the French language proficiency category Express Entry draw number 337 were sent on February 19, 2025. The number of invitations issued was 6,500 with the CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited set at 428. The Date and time of the round were February 19, 2025 at 16:18:12 UTC, and the Tie-breaking rule was February 10, 2025 at 16:41:38 UTC.
The previous French language proficiency (Version 1) test was conducted on December 3, 2024, when 800 foreigners were invited to apply, and the CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate was set at 466.
To be eligible for Express Entry, you must demonstrate your English or French language proficiency by completing an approved language test, achieving the minimum scores required by your program, and putting the results in your Express Entry profile. IRCC uses the Canadian Language Benchmarks (CLB) for English and the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC) for French to assess your proficiency levels.
Every two weeks, the Canadian government holds selection events for Express Entry applicants.
The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) is a points-based system that IRCC uses to assess and score your profile and rank it in the Express Entry pool. It’s used to assess your skills, education, language ability, work experience, other factors.
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. Invitations to apply to the Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program may be issued through the Express Entry (EE) system round of invitations.
The Provincial Nominee Program’s most recent selection process was held on February 17, 2025, where 646 invitations to apply were sent with the CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate set at 750. Through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), individuals from other nations who wish to relocate to Canada can apply for Canadian Permanent Resident status, allowing them to live, work, and reside in a certain province or territory.
CRS score distribution of candidates in the pool as of February 16, 2025
The numbers in this table reflect the total number of people in the pool overall, a few days before an invitation round. The score distribution may change as people submit new profiles and other profiles expire.
The table numbers not in bold are a detailed breakdown of the bold number immediately above.