The Canada Express Entry Draw of the year 2025, held on 7 October, invited 4,500 skilled candidates to submit their applications for Permanent Residency (PR). The Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) have selected the minimum CRS score at 432, therefore, making it one of the most open French category-based draws of the year.
This latest Express Entry draw is beneficial to highly educated foreign workers with strong
French language abilities. During the past months, immigration to Canada Express Entry
draws has become more and more subject to particular occupation streams like language,
healthcare, trades, education, and territorial nominee programs, conforming to IRCC’s
attempts to draw talent better suited to the country’s labor market priorities.
Key Details of the Canada Express Entry Draw
● Date of Draw – October 7th, 2025
● Number of Invitations (ITAs) – 4,500
● Minimum CRS Score – 432
● Type of Draw – French language proficiency category draw — candidates with strong
French language skills were given priority in the draw.
Compared to the earlier draw for candidates proficient in French, the cutoff in this draw was
lower. The CRS cutoff dipped by 14 points from the previous draw.
What Is Express Entry?
Express Entry is the system that Canada uses to facilitate the processing of applications
under the three major federal economic immigration programs:
1. Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP)
2. Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP)
3. Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
The candidates create a profile and get a score by the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) based on their core competencies like age, education, work experience, Canadian
language ability, etc.
Targeted draws are those in which the IRCC can target candidates considered to have
specific attributes-for example, very good French skills-although their CRS may be lower
than the usual cut-off.
Candidates receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) must submit a fully completed application
including medical examinations, police certificates, proofs of credentials, etc, within 60 days.
Who Had the Best Chance in This Draw?
Having received French language skills of utmost priority, the ideal candidates were –
● Have attained at least NCLC Level 7 in all four abilities of the French language (reading, writing, speaking, listening)
● Had good English scores (IELTS / CELPIP) to complement their overall CRS
● Having a Bachelor’s degree or higher-level education, preferably with an Educational
Credential Assessment (ECA)
● Having at least 3 years skilled work experience in eligible occupations
● In the age group that yields more CRS points (20-29 is ideal)
For safety, many candidates aim for a CRS of 440 to 470 in targeted draws, and here 432
was enough under the French draw criteria.
What About Those Candidates Who Were Not Invited?
Until now, the options for those candidates who do not get an invitation in a draw are as
follows –
● Retake the French or English language tests for a better score
● Obtain further work experience
● Change the Express Entry profile when the situation improves
● Apply to the provincial nomination programs (PNPs), especially those with
French-speaking streams
● Keep tabs on the draw types lined up — IRCC switches among general,
category-based, and PNP draws
Latest Express Entry Draws Recap
| Date | Category | Invitations | CRS Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 7 | French Language Proficiency (category) | 4,500 | 432 |
| October 1 | Canadian Experience Class (CEC) | 1,000 | 534 |
| September 29 | Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) | 291 | 855 |
| September 17 | Education Occupations | 2,500 | 462 |
| September 15 | Provincial Nominee Program | 228 | 746 |
| September 4 | French Language Proficiency | 446 | 4,500 |
| September 3 | Canadian Experience Class | 514 | 1,000 |
| September 2 | General (no program specified) | 772 | 249 |
What’s Next?
One prediction that observers have based on trend analysis is:
● More category-based draws focusing on French, healthcare, education and trade sector.
● Continued draws inviting about 4,000-5,000 candidates per French draw.
● Possibility of lower CRS cut-offs for targeted draws to create a bigger pool.
● General and PNP draws in between the special ones.
