Canada’s Express Entry system set a new benchmark on 6 February 2026 when Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 8,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in a draw dedicated exclusively to candidates with proven French-language proficiency. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off was 400—one of the lowest scores seen for a category-based selection—making this the largest francophone-focused draw in the program’s history.
The French-language category, introduced in 2023 and revamped last year, is part of Ottawa’s strategy to raise the share of French-speaking immigrants settling outside Quebec to 8 per cent by 2030. French-speaking newcomers receive an additional 25 or 50 CRS points, but the latest draw shows IRCC is willing to go further by carving out a separate quota. The department’s 2026-28 Immigration Levels Plan earmarks 17,000 permanent-resident admissions for this category in 2026, a 15 percent increase over 2025.
![Record-Breaking Express Entry Draw Sends 8,500 Invitations to French-Speaking Candidates]()
Prospective immigrants looking to take advantage of this momentum can streamline their preparations through VisaHQ, an online platform that guides applicants through visa and travel-document requirements and offers personalized checklists and document-review services for Canadian immigration programs (https://www.visahq.com/canada/). By centralizing paperwork and deadline tracking, VisaHQ helps French-speaking candidates focus on maximizing their CRS score while avoiding common filing errors.
For employers in bilingual regions—from Atlantic Canada’s call-centre corridor to Ontario’s public sector—the draw is a clear signal that access to francophone talent will improve. Recruiters are already adjusting relocation budgets to cover TEF/TCF language-testing fees and offering French-language retention bonuses. Candidates invited on 6 February have 60 days to submit their electronic applications and, if approved, could land as permanent residents before year-end.
Immigration lawyers caution that competition remains stiff: the Express Entry pool still holds nearly 240,000 active profiles. They expect IRCC to continue alternating between category-based and general draws; health-care, STEM and provincial nominee categories are likely next in line. In the meantime, francophone community organizations are gearing up with settlement support to help newcomers integrate into minority-language regions.(cicnews.com)
The French-language category, introduced in 2023 and revamped last year, is part of Ottawa’s strategy to raise the share of French-speaking immigrants settling outside Quebec to 8 per cent by 2030. French-speaking newcomers receive an additional 25 or 50 CRS points, but the latest draw shows IRCC is willing to go further by carving out a separate quota. The department’s 2026-28 Immigration Levels Plan earmarks 17,000 permanent-resident admissions for this category in 2026, a 15 percent increase over 2025.
Prospective immigrants looking to take advantage of this momentum can streamline their preparations through VisaHQ, an online platform that guides applicants through visa and travel-document requirements and offers personalized checklists and document-review services for Canadian immigration programs (https://www.visahq.com/canada/). By centralizing paperwork and deadline tracking, VisaHQ helps French-speaking candidates focus on maximizing their CRS score while avoiding common filing errors.
For employers in bilingual regions—from Atlantic Canada’s call-centre corridor to Ontario’s public sector—the draw is a clear signal that access to francophone talent will improve. Recruiters are already adjusting relocation budgets to cover TEF/TCF language-testing fees and offering French-language retention bonuses. Candidates invited on 6 February have 60 days to submit their electronic applications and, if approved, could land as permanent residents before year-end.
Immigration lawyers caution that competition remains stiff: the Express Entry pool still holds nearly 240,000 active profiles. They expect IRCC to continue alternating between category-based and general draws; health-care, STEM and provincial nominee categories are likely next in line. In the meantime, francophone community organizations are gearing up with settlement support to help newcomers integrate into minority-language regions.(cicnews.com)
