{"id":23854,"date":"2026-05-30T15:38:41","date_gmt":"2026-05-30T12:08:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/blog\/french-language-canada-pr\/"},"modified":"2026-10-05T19:53:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T16:23:06","slug":"french-language-canada-pr","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/french-language-canada-pr\/","title":{"rendered":"French for Canada PR: CRS Points and French-Language Draws"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"23854\" class=\"elementor elementor-23854 elementor-21025\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-37a0257f e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"37a0257f\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1dae6636 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1dae6636\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Your English results may not lift your Express Entry profile far enough for permanent residence (PR). French can add 25 or 50 points to your Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. IRCC, short for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, uses that score to rank every profile in the Express Entry pool. French can also make you eligible for the French-language category rounds.<\/p>\n<p>Both require level 7 on the NCLC scale (Niveaux de comp\u00e9tence linguistique canadiens) in all four abilities. NCLC is the French counterpart of the CLB scale (Canadian Language Benchmarks) that IRCC uses for English. Neither the points nor the rounds decide a case, because IRCC decides every application.<\/p>\n<h2>French and your CRS score<\/h2>\n<p>French adds 25 or 50 points. Either amount needs NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities: speaking, listening, reading and writing.<\/p>\n<ul><li>25 points if your English is CLB 4 or lower, or you have no English test.<\/li><li>50 points if your English is CLB 5 or higher in all four abilities.<\/li><\/ul>\n<p>The points count in every round, not only French ones. The <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/crs-calculator\/\">CRS calculator<\/a> gives your total.<\/p>\n<p>IRCC&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/corporate\/transparency\/consultations\/2026-consultation-express-entry.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">April 2026 consultation paper<\/a> says IRCC is assessing the possibility of removing or changing the points for French proficiency. As of 5 October 2026, nothing has changed.<\/p>\n<h2>The French-language category<\/h2>\n<p>A category-based round, also called a draw, invites candidates in the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence, but only those who meet the requirements of a specific category. For the French-language category, the requirement is NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities. Your French result must come from an IRCC-approved test, TEF Canada (Test d&#8217;\u00e9valuation de fran\u00e7ais) or TCF Canada (Test de connaissance du fran\u00e7ais), and be less than two years old. English level does not affect eligibility for these rounds.<\/p>\n<p>Your profile must also be in the pool, which means meeting the requirements of at least one of three programs: Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class or Federal Skilled Trades. The category adds no work-experience rule of its own, so your program&#8217;s minimums apply.<\/p>\n<p>IRCC ranks the candidates who meet the category&#8217;s requirements by CRS score and invites the top-ranking ones.<\/p>\n<p>IRCC announces the <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/express-entry-categories\/\">Express Entry categories<\/a> in advance but posts a round&#8217;s date, time and size only when the round happens. It announced the 2026 categories on 18 February 2026 and renewed the French-language category.<\/p>\n<h2>NCLC 7 scores on TEF Canada and TCF Canada<\/h2>\n<p>These score bands equal NCLC 7, the French counterpart of CLB 7, in each ability:<\/p>\n<div class=\"av-tscroll\"><table><thead><tr><th>Ability<\/th><th>TEF Canada<\/th><th>TCF Canada<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Speaking<\/td><td>310\u2013348<\/td><td>10\u201311<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Listening<\/td><td>249\u2013279<\/td><td>458\u2013502<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Reading<\/td><td>207\u2013232<\/td><td>453\u2013498<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Writing<\/td><td>310\u2013348<\/td><td>10\u201311<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/div>\n<p>A score above a band is a higher level, NCLC 8 or more, and still qualifies. The first number in each band is your minimum. The <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/clb-converter\/\">CLB converter<\/a> turns test scores into levels.<\/p>\n<p>For TEF Canada, IRCC reads your level from the column called <em>\u00c9quivalence ancien score<\/em> (previous score equivalency). Enter only the scores from that column in your Express Entry profile. Your results certificate (<em>attestation de r\u00e9sultats<\/em>) also has a column called <em>Score \/ 699<\/em>. IRCC says those scores are not compatible with its system, and your application may be refused if you enter them.<\/p>\n<h2>What the French rounds have looked like<\/h2>\n<p>From 7 July 2023 to 1 October 2026, IRCC held 36 rounds in the French-language category. The 10 rounds held in 2026 up to 1 October issued 50,500 invitations, between 4,000 and 8,500 per round.<\/p>\n<p>A round&#8217;s lowest score, also called the cut-off, is the CRS score of the lowest-ranked candidate invited in that round. In those ten rounds, the lowest score ran from 382 to 420. Other rounds in 2026 up to 1 October with 1,000 invitations or more had higher lowest scores, but each invited a different group of candidates:<\/p>\n<ul><li>Healthcare and social services: 467 to 475<\/li><li>Trades: 476 to 477<\/li><li>Canadian Experience Class, for people with Canadian work experience: 507 to 523<\/li><\/ul>\n<p>IRCC held no general round, open to the whole pool, in 2025 or in 2026 up to 1 October.<\/p>\n<p>Only candidates with NCLC 7 in all four French abilities can be invited in a French round, a smaller group than the whole pool. Their CRS scores already include the 25 or 50 points that French adds. A lower lowest score therefore does not mean a round is less demanding, and lowest scores from different rounds are not directly comparable. Compare your own profile with each round&#8217;s requirements and lowest score, not with the lowest scores alone.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/express-entry-2026-ita-analysis\/\">analysis of 49 Express Entry rounds in 2026<\/a> (up to 19 August) and the <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/express-entry-draws\/\">live draws tracker<\/a> give round-by-round detail.<\/p>\n<h2>Other French routes to Canada<\/h2>\n<p>French also counts outside Express Entry: in the <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/francophone-mobility-work-permit-canada\/\">Francophone Mobility work permit<\/a>, which is employer-sponsored, and in the <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/fmcsp-francophone-student-pilot-permanent-residence\/\">Francophone Minority Communities Student Pilot<\/a>. Francophone means French-speaking. The <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/immigrate-to-canada-with-french\/\">guide to immigrating to Canada with French<\/a> covers the wider picture: routes, points and cities.<\/p>\n<h2>Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Do my French results have to be less than two years old?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Yes, at two stages: when you complete your Express Entry profile and when you submit your permanent-residence application. If your results will expire before you are ready to apply, IRCC says to be tested again, apply before they expire or, if you were invited, decline the invitation and go back into the pool. IRCC refuses an application filed with expired results.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How long do I have after an invitation?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>You have 60 days to submit your permanent-residence application. If you do not apply in that time, the invitation expires and your profile is removed from the pool. An invitation is not permanent residence, because IRCC must still approve the application. The <a href=\"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/blog\/express-entry-60-days-after-ita\/\">guide to the 60 days after an invitation<\/a> covers that period.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Does French help outside the French rounds?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>French adds 25 or 50 CRS points in every round, but only with NCLC 7 in all four abilities. If any ability is below NCLC 7, French adds neither amount. It can still count in the CRS language factors, and the CRS calculator shows how.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Is the French-language category confirmed for 2027?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>IRCC had not announced the 2027 categories as of 5 October 2026. In a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/corporate\/transparency\/consultations\/2026-consultations-express-entry-selection.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">consultation from 4 August to 1 September 2026<\/a>, IRCC said it is considering maintaining the focus on Francophone immigration for category-based selection in 2027.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Official sources:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/corporate\/mandate\/policies-operational-instructions-agreements\/ministerial-instructions\/express-entry-rounds.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">rounds table<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/services\/immigrate-canada\/express-entry\/rounds-invitations\/category-based-selection.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">category-based selection<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/services\/immigrate-canada\/express-entry\/check-score\/crs-criteria.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CRS criteria<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/services\/immigrate-canada\/express-entry\/documents\/language-test.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">language test results<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/services\/immigrate-canada\/express-entry\/apply-permanent-residence.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">applying for permanent residence<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.canada.ca\/en\/immigration-refugees-citizenship\/news\/2026\/02\/canada-prioritizes-top-talent-in-2026-immigration-express-entry-categories.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2026 categories<\/a>. Round figures are from IRCC&#8217;s rounds table to 1 October 2026.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>French adds 25 or 50 CRS points at NCLC 7 in all four abilities. NCLC 7 on TEF Canada or TCF Canada can also make a profile eligible for the French-language category.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25425,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-immigration-to-canada","category-blog"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23854"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23854\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":28287,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23854\/revisions\/28287"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25425"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/avalvisa.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}