Express Entry Draw 329: French-Speaking Candidates Invited on December 3

Key Takeaways for Express Entry Candidates

• Type of draw: French Category-Based Draw
• Invites issued: 800
• CRS score: 466
• Tie-breaking rule: November 26, 2024 at 02:44:59 UTC
• Prediction for the next draw: Canadian Experience Class Draw on December 4 or 5.

Our Analysis of This Week’s Express Entry Draw

Today’s French draw offers slight relief in terms of the CRS cut-off for candidates in the Express Entry pool with French language proficiency. The cut-off decreased from 478 on November 15 to 466 in today’s draw.

However, despite the decrease we saw the same number of invitations go out in today’s draw. At 800 invitations to French speakers, it’s the equal smallest French draw in 2024. And, due to the decrease in the CRS, we can tell that there is a slight decrease in the competition within the Express Entry pool amongst French speaking candidates.

This brings the total number of invitations issued to date in French category draws for 2024 to 22,000. This makes French-speaking applicants the most targeted category in Express Entry category-based draws in 2024.

Given the ambitious targets for French speakers in Canadian immigration policy, we wouldn’t be surprised to see a second French draw this month or, potentially, another huge French draw in January 2025 with a very low CRS.

As a reminder, this is what French category draws looked like in Canada in 2024:

As you can see, the CRS has varied widely during throughout 2024. The lowest CRS cut off to date this year is 336 on February 29, which saw 2,500 invitations issued. Scores crept up through the year and have been trending higher as the draw sizes have decreased (as you’d expect).

We predict that these scores may decrease if we see larger draws in the near term. However, it’s possible that we will see competition heating up in the French category draw given that more candidates are learning French to increase their CRS score.

Keen to learn more about how your CRS compares? Check out our free CRS calculator to learn what your odds of receiving an invitation are, as well as where you get your points (and how you could improve your CRS).

Will We Continue To See French Draws In 2025?

Yes! IRCC plans to welcome more French-speaking immigrants outside Quebec, increasing the target from 6.3% to 8.5% of all immigrants.

The French proficiency category has been the most used in 2024, a trend likely to continue in 2025 and 2026. What does this mean? Learning French now may be the best thing you can do to boost your chances of getting an invitation to apply.

Demonstrating French ability is a great way to secure your invitation. Use our CRS calculator to see your CRS score if you learned French.

For more information on Express Entry:

• Learn more about the latest Express Entry draws.
• Learn more about the state of the Express Entry pool.
• Learn when to expect the next Express Entry draw.

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.