Last week, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 7,000 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in a category-based draw for Express Entry candidates with French-language proficiency. The draw took place on February 1 and the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of all candidates who received an ITA was 365. This marked the second-lowest minimum score of any category-based draw to date.
Many Express Entry candidates continue to wonder what would have made their profiles strong enough to receive an ITA in such a draw. This information can be used by both current Express Entry candidates and prospective Canadian immigrants to understand how to strengthen or build their profiles in the hopes of receiving an ITA from IRCC in the future.
Before assessing hypothetical examples of Express Entry profiles, candidates need to understand that IRCC’s French-language draws require meeting certain eligibility criteria. Specifically, to be eligible for an Express Entry draw in IRCC’s French-language proficiency category, candidates must have French-language test results that show a minimum score of 7 in all four language abilities on the Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadien (NCLC).
The following illustrates three hypothetical Express Entry profiles that would have been strong enough to receive an ITA during IRCC’s French-language category-based draw on February 1.
As a native of Cameroon, Pascal grew up speaking French and scored a 10 in each of the four assessed language abilities on the NCLC. With a CRS score of 472, Pascal’s Express Entry profile was strong enough to reward him with an ITA from IRCC.
Emma, a native of Switzerland, scored a seven on all language abilities assessed by the NCLC. After confirming that she met the minimum language requirement for IRCC’s French-language category-based draws, Emma earned a CRS score of 398, making her eligible to receive an ITA from IRCC on February 1.
Rudy, born and raised in France, scored a 10 on all language abilities assessed by the NCLC. With a CRS score of 510, Rudy earned an ITA from IRCC on February 1.
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