Maple News reports that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has issued 4,500 Invitations to Apply (ITAs) in the latest Express Entry draw targeting candidates with French language proficiency. This marks the third Express Entry draw held in the first week of September 2025, reflecting a renewed push by Canada to attract francophone talent from around the world.
To qualify for this round, candidates were required to have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 446 and must have submitted their Express Entry profile before 7:21 a.m. UTC on June 16, 2025. French-language draws are part of Canada’s broader strategy to support its official languages, especially in regions outside Quebec.
This latest draw follows two others held earlier in the same week: a Canadian Experience Class (CEC) draw on September 3 that invited 1,000 candidates with a minimum CRS of 534, and a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw on September 2, which issued 249 invitations to candidates with a threshold CRS score of 772.
As of this draw, IRCC has issued a total of 62,109 ITAs through the Express Entry system in 2025. The majority of these have been for PNP applicants, followed by candidates in the CEC stream, those with French-language proficiency, and those qualifying under category-based selections in sectors such as Healthcare, Social Services, and Education.
Here’s a breakdown of draw types and their respective frequency in 2025 so far:
– Provincial Nominee Program (PNP): 16 draws
– Canadian Experience Class (CEC): 9 draws
– French-language proficiency: 5 draws
– Healthcare and Social Services: 4 draws
– Education: 1 draw
This year’s trends highlight the Canadian government’s strategic use of category-based selection to target high-demand skills and promote linguistic duality. The emphasis on French language abilities in multiple rounds is aligned with national policies that aim to increase the demographic vitality of francophone minority communities across Canada.
With continued momentum in Express Entry draws and the reintroduction of category-based invitations in 2023, prospective immigrants are encouraged to tailor their profiles to align with priority categories to improve their chances of being invited.