Express Entry Draw #425: 5,000 French ITAs at CRS 420

The French Express Entry cut-off just moved up nine points — and the pool has gotten heavier during the 42-day pause.

On July 9, 2026 at 10:32:58 UTC, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada issued 5,000 Invitations to Apply in the French-Language Proficiency category. The CRS cut-off landed at 420 — the highest French cut-off of 2026 and the loudest signal yet that competitive scores in this category are trending upward, not down.

Source: IRCC Express Entry Rounds of Invitations.

The climbing signal

French cut-offs sat between 393 and 409 across the first half of 2026. Draw #425 lands at 420 — a 27-point range and a clear step up from the last round. Here is what the trajectory looks like:

Draw #	Date	ITAs	CRS cut-off
394	Feb 6, 2026	8,500	400
401	Mar 4, 2026	5,500	397
405	Mar 18, 2026	4,000	393
411	Apr 15, 2026	4,000	419
414	Apr 29, 2026	4,000	400
418	May 28, 2026	4,500	409
425	Jul 9, 2026	5,000	420

Three signals to read from this:

1. The floor has moved. The 393 cut-off in March was the lowest French cut-off in more than a year. Draw #425 is 27 points higher. Candidates who were competitive in Q1 at CRS 395 are no longer safely above the line.

2. The pool strengthened during the June pause. IRCC held no French draw in June. Six weeks of new profiles — many with fresh TEF/TCF results and Canadian work experience — accumulated in the pool. When IRCC finally drew, the top of the queue was deeper.

3. The tie-breaking rule is aggressive. Candidates tied at CRS 420 needed a profile submitted before May 15, 2026 at 08:04:00 UTC. Anyone who created or updated their profile after that timestamp and scored exactly 420 did not receive an ITA. This is one of the deepest tie-breakers we have seen in a French draw.

Draw #425 at a glance

Draw number	425
Date and time (UTC)	July 9, 2026 at 10:32:58 UTC
Category	French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2
Invitations issued	5,000
CRS cut-off	420
Tie-breaking rule	May 15, 2026 at 08:04:00 UTC

The July 2026 cluster

Draw #425 is the third round in a four-day burst — IRCC is running the “monthly cluster” model that emerged in June.

Draw #	Date	Category	ITAs	CRS
423	Jul 6, 2026	Provincial Nominee Program	534	708
424	Jul 7, 2026	Canadian Experience Class	2,000	517
425	Jul 9, 2026	French-Language proficiency	5,000	420

The pattern is important. Candidates strategizing around a single draw type are missing the sequencing. PNP nominations, Canadian work experience, and French test results all need to be draw-ready in parallel because the categories now fire within days of each other.

The strategy: what to do this week

If you received an ITA in Draw #425

You have 60 days from July 9 to submit a complete electronic Application for Permanent Residence (e-APR). That is September 7, 2026. Every document must be in your account before the deadline:

• Police certificates from every country you lived in for six months or more since age 18
• Upfront medical exam (IMM 1017E from a panel physician)
• Proof of settlement funds (unless CEC-exempt)
• Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) — still valid
• Language test results — TEF/TCF and English if claimed
• Reference letters covering every declared work experience with duties, hours, salary, and NOC alignment
• Photos meeting IRCC photo specifications

Missing a document on day 59 is not a curable defect. IRCC will refuse the e-APR and you re-enter the pool at the back.

If you sit at CRS 420 or above with valid French but did not receive an ITA

Check your tie-breaking timestamp. If your profile was submitted after May 15, 2026 at 08:04:00 UTC, you were held back by the tie-breaker, not the score itself. The next French draw likely catches you.

Between now and the next round:

• Do not withdraw and re-create your profile — that resets your submission date and pushes you further back in every future tie-breaker
• Confirm your TEF or TCF results are still valid (24 months from the test date)
• Keep your NOC coding, ECA, and settlement funds documentation ready to attach within 24 hours of an ITA

If your CRS is between 400 and 420 with strong French

You are one draw away. The gap between French cut-offs (393–420) and CEC cut-offs (517+) is now roughly 100 points. A single well-timed profile update — adding a Canadian year of work experience, claiming a spousal boost, or maxing English language points — can carry you across the line before the next round.

If your French is CLB 5 or 6 in any single skill

You are ineligible for the entire French category. The rule is absolute: NCLC 7 in ALL FOUR abilities. One skill at NCLC 6 disqualifies you. If your weakest skill is one band below the threshold, a focused 8-week retake targeting that single skill opens access to a category where cut-offs sit approximately 100 points below the general CEC line.

If you have not started French yet

Realistic timeline for a candidate starting from zero: 12 to 18 months to reach NCLC 7 across all four abilities, plus 2 to 6 weeks to book, sit, and receive TEF Canada or TCF Canada results. If you are planning to enter the pool in 2027, French investment now is the single highest-leverage CRS move you can make.

Who qualifies for French draws

To be invited under Draw #425 you had to:

• Have an active Express Entry profile under FSWP, CEC, or FSTP
• Hold valid TEF Canada or TCF Canada results issued within the past 24 months
• Score NCLC 7 or higher in all four abilities — listening, speaking, reading, writing (no averaging)
• Have a CRS score of at least 420, or a lower score with a profile submitted before the tie-breaking timestamp

Source: IRCC category-based selection — French-language proficiency.

Bottom line

The French category is no longer the easy back door it was in Q1. It remains one of the fastest paths to permanent residence for candidates in the 400–500 CRS band, but the days of 393 cut-offs are over — at least until the next multi-week pause creates another release of pent-up demand.

Read the draw with two facts in mind: cut-off going up + tie-breaker going deep means the pool is getting more competitive. Move now on French, on NOC coding, and on document readiness — not after the next draw.

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Book a consultation to review your Express Entry profile before the next French draw: clientintake.vgis.ca

More draw coverage: vgis.ca/blog

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Written by Dimple Verma, RCIC-IRB (R708308) — VG Immigration Services Inc. Draw figures verified against IRCC’s official Rounds of Invitations page on July 9, 2026.