Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) conducted a new Express Entry draw targeting French language proficiency candidates on December 17, 2025.

In round #388, IRCC issued 6,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) to francophone candidates. The cut-off Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score was 399, which is nine points lower than the previous draw in this category.

Key Details of the December 17, 2025 Francophone Draw

• Program: Express Entry – French language proficiency
• Number of ITAs issued: 6,000
• CRS cut-off score: 399
• Tie-breaking rule: August 24, 2025, at 23:43:05 UTC

This draw continues IRCC’s targeted approach within the Express Entry system.

Express Entry Activity in 2025

So far in 2025, Canada has issued a total of 113,998 ITAs across 58 Express Entry draws. Of these, 48,000 invitations have been issued to Francophone candidates, highlighting the significant share of invitations allocated to this category during the year.

Practitioner Note: Upcoming Francophone Course

For practitioners working with French-speaking clients, we have a Francophone (Outside Quebec) course coming up early next year.

👉 https://lpen.ca/immi-for-francophone-outside-quebec-2026/