{"id":1840,"date":"2026-03-19T06:59:06","date_gmt":"2026-03-19T06:59:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/?p=1840"},"modified":"2026-03-19T06:59:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-19T06:59:06","slug":"new-express-entry-draw-on-march-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/new-express-entry-draw-on-march-18\/","title":{"rendered":"New Express Entry Draw For French Proficiency Issued 4,000 Invitations"},"content":{"rendered":"

On March 18, 2026, Canada executed a New Express Entry draw which selected candidates who demonstrated French language proficiency through its category-based selection system. The Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) issued 4000 Invitations to Apply during this application round. The CRS cut-off score established a new record low threshold since recent draws because it fell below 400. The results show that Canada<\/a> prioritizes increasing Francophone immigration through its language-based candidate selection which matches the requirements of the labor market.<\/p>\n

Highlights of New Express Entry Draw<\/h2>\n

\u25cf Draw Date \u2013 18 March 2026
\n\u25cf Program \u2013 French-Language Proficiency
\n\u25cf Number of Invitations \u2013 4,000
\n\u25cf CRS Score \u2013 393<\/p>\n

Full Details of the March 18 Express Entry Draw<\/h2>\n

The recent Canada Express Entry draw selected 4000 applicants<\/a> who demonstrated their French-language skills. The CRS score requirement for this draw started at 393 which made it easier to achieve than the latest draws.<\/p>\n

The draw increased the total weekly invitations to 8362 ITAs which demonstrated IRCC’s strong commitment to reaching its immigration objectives for 2026.<\/p>\n

Why CRS Score Fell Below 400<\/h3>\n

CRS Score of 393 which has fallen below 400, is one of the lowest CRS scores. It is attributed to the French Language Category.<\/p>\n

Reasons behind the low CRS Score –<\/p>\n

\u25cf Prioritization of French-speaking applicants outside of Quebec
\n\u25cf Lower number of applicants
\n\u25cf Government plans to increase Francophone immigration
\n\u25cf Category-based draws have fewer applicants<\/p>\n

French Language Category has the lowest CRS Score compared to other draws like CEC or PNP.<\/p>\n

Eligibility Criteria of the French Language Proficiency Draw<\/h3>\n

In order to be eligible, the applicant must have the following criteria –<\/p>\n

\u25cf Must have a valid profile
\n\u25cf Must have a minimum of CLB 7 or more in the French language (TEF or TCF)
\n\u25cf Must be eligible for FSW, CEC, or FSTP
\n\u25cf Language test must be valid, and the test must have been taken less than 2 years ago<\/p>\n

English proficiency is not required, but applicants with proficiency in both languages have more points.<\/p>\n

What This Draw Means for Candidates<\/h3>\n

The March 18 Express Entry draw is a major opportunity for candidates who have CRS scores between 380 and 420 and who demonstrate strong French language skills and who meet the category-based eligibility requirements.<\/p>\n

The 2026 Canadian immigration system demonstrates that skills hold greater value than CRS score in actual practice.<\/p>\n

What Happens After Receiving an ITA<\/h3>\n

Candidates who receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) must submit their Canada PR application within 60 days.<\/p>\n

Required documents include –<\/p>\n

\u25cf Language test results
\n\u25cf Work experience proof
\n\u25cf Educational credentials
\n\u25cf Medical & police clearance<\/p>\n

Processing time for Express Entry applications typically takes between four to six months.<\/p>\n

All Express Entry Draws in March 2026<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Date<\/th>\nCategory<\/th>\nCRS Score<\/th>\nITAs Issued<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Mar 2<\/td>\nPNP<\/td>\n710<\/td>\n264<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 3<\/td>\nCEC<\/td>\n508<\/td>\n4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 4<\/td>\nFrench<\/td>\n397<\/td>\n5,500<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 5<\/td>\nSenior Managers<\/td>\n429<\/td>\n250<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 16<\/td>\nPNP<\/td>\n742<\/td>\n362<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 17<\/td>\nCEC<\/td>\n507<\/td>\n4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mar 18<\/td>\nFrench<\/td>\n393<\/td>\n4,000<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n\n

\n\n\t\t\n
    \n\t\t\t <\/ul>\n <\/div> \n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    On March 18, 2026, Canada executed a New Express Entry draw which selected candidates who demonstrated French language proficiency through its category-based selection system. The Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1840"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1842,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1840\/revisions\/1842"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sernexuss.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}