IRCC invited 2,000 French speakers to apply for Express Entry in a category-based draw on August 15, 2024. With a CRS cut off of 394, this is the lowest CRS we've seen for a French draw since March 26 of this year.
Key Takeaways for Express Entry Candidates
- Type of draw: Category-based draw — French language proficiency
- Invites issued: 2,000
- CRS score: 394
- Tie-breaking rule: July 07, 2024 at 09:46:10 UTC
- Prediction for the next draw: August 27, 2024 — Provincial Nominee Program
- Learn more about the changes proposed for the 2025 Express Entry categories.
- Learn more about what we expect to see in Express Entry in the next six months.
Watch our weekly recap here:
Our Analysis of This Month’s Express Entry Draws
Today’s French draw brings this week’s total to 5,963 invitations issued in August. This may indicate slightly smaller draws (and potentially higher CRS cut offs) later this month. Particularly after we saw so much draw activity in July.
We weren’t surprised to see a French draw today. The last French draw took place on July 18, and we do expect to see around one each month — unless IRCC opts to skip a month or two and complete very large French rounds at some point later this year.
Today’s French draw brings the total number of French candidates invited to apply to Express Entry up to 19,900. Based on information from an internal IRCC memo, this number may reach 30,000-35,000 by the end of the year. So we are expecting larger French draws between September and December. This likely means a lower CRS cut-off is coming in future French rounds.
We are currently predicting that the next draw will take place on Tuesday August 27. However, we wouldn’t be completely shocked if we saw another category-based draw sooner — likely STEM or healthcare.
Earlier This Week
IRCC continued its trend of PNP on Tuesdays and CEC on Wednesdays, which shows that it is continuing to prioritize Express Entry candidates who are residing in Canada alongside its targeted category-based draws.
CRS Pool Comparison: 13 – 14 August
We didn’t get an updated glimpse into the CRS Pool today, since the figures reported are from 14 August. However, we’ll repeat our findings from yesterday since they were interesting. Here are some of the highlights:
- Overall Pool Growth: The total number of candidates in the Express Entry pool increased by 641 candidates from August 13 to August 14, 2024.
- Significant Drop in 601-1200 Range: The number of candidates in the 601-1200 CRS range dropped significantly from 713 to 125, due to yesterday’s targeted draw.
- Increase in 501-600 Range: There was a notable increase in the 501-600 range, adding 553 new candidates.
- Moderate Influx in 451-500 Range: The 451-500 range saw a slight increase, particularly in the upper half (471-500), suggesting more competitive candidates are entering the pool. This reaffirms our messaging that getting your score above 510 for a CEC draw remains a strong tactic.
- Steady Increase in 401-450 Range: This range grew by 269 candidates, reflecting a consistent influx of candidates with moderate CRS scores.
- Minor Fluctuations in Lower Ranges: The 351-400 range saw a slight increase, while the 301-350 range slightly decreased, showing minimal movement in lower CRS ranges.
- Overall Upward Trend: The pool is growing steadily across most CRS ranges, indicating continued interest and entry of new candidates into the Express Entry system.
Express Entry Invitations So Far in 2024
In addition to leading the board for the number of draws, July 2024 saw the most invitations issued for any month in 2024.
Here are the monthly totals so far:
January: 3,280
February 16,110
March: 7,305
April: 9,275
May: 5,985
June: 1,499
July: 25,125
August: 5,963 (after three draws)
While the high numbers of invitations in July is generally good news for Express Entry candidates, this could result in extended processing delays for applicants who received an ITA.
Comparisons to Previous Draws
Number of Invitations:
- August 15, 2024: 2,000 invitations
- July 18, 2024: 1,800 invitations
- July 8, 2024: 3,200 invitations
- April 24, 2024: 1,400 invitations
The latest draw on August 15, 2024, shows a slight increase in the number of invitations compared to the July 18, 2024 draw. However, fewer French speakers were invited today than in the July 8, 2024 draw with 3,200 invitations.
The current 2,000 invitations are closer to the average size of recent draws.
Cutoff Score:
- August 15, 2024: 394
- July 18, 2024: 400
- July 8, 2024: 420
- April 24, 2024: 410
The cutoff score of 394 in the latest draw is lower than in the previous three draws. This continues the trend of decreasing CRS scores, with the most recent draw showing a more significant drop compared to the July draws. This could indicate a less competitive pool specifically in the context of French speaking candidates.
For more information:
For up-to-date information about Express Entry draws, consider creating a free Moving2Canada account and subscribing to our newsletter. We share news about the draws and our analysis as it happens, so you’ll never miss the latest results.
About the author
Stephanie Ford
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