On May 28, 2026, IRCC ran round #418 of Express Entry, a round in the French-language proficiency category. It issued 4,500 invitations to apply (ITAs), and the lowest-ranked candidate invited held a CRS score of 409.
The numbers
| Date | May 28, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Round number | #418 |
| Round type | French-language proficiency |
| IRCC label | French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 |
| Invitations to apply (ITAs) | 4,500 |
| CRS cut-off | 409 |
| Change vs. previous round of the same type | +9 points |
| Days since the previous round of the same type | 29 days |
How it compares
That is 9 points above round #414 (April 29, 2026), whose cut-off stood at 400. That is 29 days after the previous one, where the recent average across 10 rounds in this category is 26 days. 500 more invitations went out than in that round, which issued 4,000.
That is a typical figure for the set — the last 10 rounds in this category run from 393 to 432, with an average of 407. The volume is mid-table for the set, which averages 5,300 invitations per round (4,000 to 8,500). Counting this one, 6 rounds in this category have been held in 2026, for 30,500 invitations in total. Across the last 10 rounds of any kind, the cut-offs sat between 400 and 805.
What this round selects
In a category-based round IRCC narrows the pool first and ranks afterwards: only profiles that meet the category’s requirements — and qualify for a federal program — are in the running. 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
This round reached every profile that was in the pool and inside the French-language proficiency category on May 28, 2026 and scored 409 CRS or higher. Profiles below the line are not removed: they stay in the pool for twelve months and are counted again in each subsequent round they qualify for. We do not use these numbers to predict the next round. What a round closes at depends on the pool on that date and on the instructions in force, so this figure describes what happened and nothing more.
- 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.