Express Entry round #405 took place on March 18, 2026. IRCC invited 4,000 candidates in the French-language proficiency category, with the cut-off landing at 393 CRS points.
The numbers
| Date | March 18, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Round number | #405 |
| Round type | French-language proficiency |
| IRCC label | French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 |
| Invitations to apply (ITAs) | 4,000 |
| CRS cut-off | 393 |
| Change vs. previous round of the same type | −4 points |
| Days since the previous round of the same type | 14 days |
How it compares
Against round #401 (March 4, 2026) and its cut-off of 397, the minimum score dropped by 4 points. Invitations went down by 1,500 (from 5,500). The gap was 14 days; the last 9 rounds in this category have averaged 28 days apart.
Across the last 9 rounds in this category, this is the lowest cut-off of the set (the range is 393 to 481). In volume terms it lands mid-range: those rounds average 5,278 invitations, between 2,500 and 8,500. So far in 2026 there have been 3 rounds in this category, adding up to 18,000 invitations including this round. Widening out to the last 10 Express Entry rounds of every kind, cut-offs ran from 169 to 742.
What this round selects
A category-based round selects from a slice of the pool. A profile has to qualify for a federal program and meet the extra requirements IRCC sets for that category to be eligible for it. This category is not occupation-based: it selects profiles that show the minimum French level IRCC requires across all four abilities of the official test.
What it means for your profile
Getting an invitation in this round took a CRS score of 393 or above, in the pool and inside the French-language proficiency category on March 18, 2026. Scoring under the cut-off changes nothing about a profile — it remains in the pool for twelve months and enters every round it is eligible for. This page does not forecast where the next cut-off will land. Each round depends on how many profiles are in the pool at the time and on the instructions in force that day, so a past cut-off is a record, not a target.
- Immigration evaluation — we work out your CRS score, check which programs and categories you are eligible for, and tell you what is missing. If your profile does not qualify, we say so before you pay.
- All Express Entry draws — the live history with charts and filters, updated as each new round is published.
Source: the rounds of invitations IRCC publishes, read automatically through our data service. GerCanada is a private consultancy and is not part of the Government of Canada.