October 27, 2026: Express Entry French Draw Invites 5,000 at CRS 407

IRCC has held its second French-language Express Entry draw of October. On the official rounds of invitations page, current to October 28, 2026, the department confirms a French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 round held on October 27, 2026 at 10:17:26 UTC. It issued 5,000 invitations to apply for permanent residence with a lowest-ranked CRS score of 407.

That is a 28-point drop from the previous French round on October 16, 2026, which invited 5,000 candidates at CRS 435, the highest French cut-off of the year. Same size of round. Lower bar. If you scored in the low 400s and missed the October 16 round, this one reached you.

The tie-breaking rule was July 13, 2026 at 19:22:00 UTC. Candidates at exactly 407 whose profiles were submitted after that date and time were not invited in this round.

The official numbers

For comparison, the last three French rounds of 2026 published by IRCC:

The cut-off moves round to round with the pool. What stayed constant through 2026 is the invitation volume: IRCC has repeatedly invited 5,000 French-speaking candidates at a time, which is why this category keeps mattering for anyone who can prove strong French.

Who this round reached

This was not a general draw. Only candidates who meet the French-language proficiency category criteria were eligible. Under IRCC's category-based selection rules, that means strong French language ability, tested in all four abilities. A strong additional French score can also add up to 50 bonus CRS points on top of category eligibility, so the French track helps candidates twice.

Candidates with a provincial nomination were not part of this round. The nomination bonus of 600 points is a separate track, and IRCC held a Provincial Nominee Program round on October 26, 2026 that invited 792 candidates at CRS 761.

Where the pool sits

IRCC's pool snapshot as of October 25, 2026 shows 228,724 candidates in the pool overall:

There are 63,505 candidates sitting between 401 and 450. Every one of them who also meets the French-language criteria was in range of this round. Without French, that same score band faces general and CEC rounds whose cut-offs have been running much higher, which is the entire strategic point of the category.

What it means for you

If you received an invitation, you now have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application under the standard Express Entry deadline. That clock is short. Start the police certificates and proof of funds immediately, because incomplete files go back to the back of the queue.

If you did not receive one and your score sits under the CEC and general cut-offs, the realistic path upward is French. A category round at 407 rewards exactly the profile that general rounds at 500-plus reject.

A word of caution for November

On November 3, 2026, IRCC's announced CRS changes for higher-paying occupations and qualifying job offers take effect, including new points for job offers in 186 occupations without an LMIA requirement. We covered those changes in our high-wage CRS points explainer. No one can promise what the next French round looks like after that date, so treat every published round as the only reliable signal.

We also broke down the full pool picture in our October Express Entry pool analysis.

If you are weighing a French-language strategy, planning around the November 3 changes, or preparing an application after this round, contact JSR Immigration & Legals through our consultation page or the Express Entry service page.

This article is general information current to October 28, 2026, and is not legal or immigration advice. Confirm the live rounds page on Canada.ca before you rely on any figure.