Canada’s July 9, 2026 Express Entry draw #425 invited 5,000 candidates through a French language proficiency draw, with a Comprehensive Ranking System cut-off of 420. This was Invitation Round 425, the seventh French draw of the year, and it produced the highest cut-off recorded in any French round since February. Candidates who received an ITA now have 60 days to submit a complete permanent residence application.
Express Entry Draw #425 Highlights
IRCC ran its latest Express Entry round on July 9, 2026, targeting candidates with strong French language ability. The department issued 5,000 invitations to apply, and the minimum CRS score required to make the cut was 420. Anyone in the pool with a tie-breaking date on or before May 15, 2026, 08:04:00 UTC and a score at or above the cut-off received an invitation.
A score of 420 is notable. It sits one point above the highest French cut-off seen earlier this year, and it arrived after IRCC left a 40-day gap since the previous French round on May 28. That is the longest pause between French draws since February 2026.
| Draw | Date | ITAs Issued | CRS Cut-Off | Draw Type |
| 425 | Jul 9, 2026 | 5,000 | 420 | French Language |
| 418 | May 28, 2026 | 4,500 | 409 | French Language |
| 414 | Apr 29, 2026 | 4,000 | 400 | French Language |
| 411 | Apr 15, 2026 | 4,000 | 419 | French Language |
| 405 | Mar 18, 2026 | 4,000 | 393 | French Language |
| 401 | Mar 4, 2026 | 5,500 | 397 | French Language |
| 394 | Feb 6, 2026 | 8,500 | 400 | French Language |
Why Did The Cut-Off Score Climb To 420?
At ImmigCanada, we watch the gap between draws almost as closely as the scores themselves, and this pattern fits what we typically see. When IRCC pauses a category for several weeks, the pool doesn’t sit still. New candidates keep entering, existing candidates update their profiles as their language results or job offers come through, and the overall competitiveness of the pool edges upward. A 40-day gap gave the French-language pool more time than usual to build up higher-scoring profiles.
Looking at the full 2026 picture, French cut-offs have ranged between 393 and 420, a spread of 27 points across seven draws, while invitation sizes have moved between 4,000 and 8,500. Today’s round sits comfortably inside that range on size, but at the very top on score. That combination tells us IRCC is prioritizing quality of candidates over sheer volume as the year progresses.
Source: Express Entry system #425 – July 9, 2026
What This Means If You Already Received An ITA?
If your profile was invited today, the clock is already running. You have 60 days from the invitation date to submit a complete permanent residence application, including your medical exam arrangements, police certificates, and proof of funds documentation. Missing pieces are the single biggest reason applications get delayed at this stage, so an early document review is worth the time.
What This Means If Your Score Is Still Below 420?
A score in the low 400s still has a realistic shot given how 2026’s French draws have moved. This has been the most consistent category all year, and more rounds are expected before December.
If you want to close the gap, three levers tend to move the needle fastest. Retaking the TEF Canada or TCF Canada exam can add points quickly, since even a modest jump in one skill band can shift your CLB level. A provincial nomination adds a flat 600 points and virtually guarantees an invitation in a later round. And a Francophone Mobility work permit can get you working in Canada while your CRS profile continues to strengthen.
Where French Draws Are Headed for the Rest of 2026 and into 2027?
French-language candidates have now received 35,500 invitations in 2026, which already surpasses the government’s own target of 30,267 French-speaking permanent resident admissions outside Quebec for the year. That milestone doesn’t mean the category is done. Processing takes time, so most candidates invited today will land permanent residence in 2027, not this year.
IRCC’s Francophone immigration commitments run through 2029, and the target for 2027 climbs to 31,825 admissions, higher than this year’s goal. We expect French draws to continue at a similar rhythm, though with a full year to reach next year’s target, individual rounds could be smaller or more spread out than what we’ve seen recently.
One of our recent clients, a bilingual early childhood educator based in Ontario, held a CRS score of 402 for several months without receiving an invitation. Working with Eivy Joy Quito, RCIC, she focused her preparation on the speaking and writing sections of the TEF Canada, since those were the two ability bands holding her score down. Her retest lifted her score to 421, high enough to clear today’s cut-off, and she received her ITA in Round 425. Her permanent residence application is now underway, with a projected decision in early 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Round 425 is the Express Entry draw held on July 9, 2026. IRCC invited 5,000 candidates with strong French language skills and a CRS score of 420 or higher to apply for permanent residence.
IRCC left a 40-day gap before this round, the longest pause for French draws since February 2026. That gave the candidate pool more time to build up higher scores before invitations were issued.
Based on the current pace of French draws in 2026, the next round is expected around July 21, 2026, though IRCC does not publish exact dates in advance.
You have 60 days from the date of invitation to submit a complete application for permanent residence, including all required documents.
Yes. A provincial nomination adds 600 points to your CRS score, which places you well above any recent Express Entry cut-off and effectively guarantees an invitation in a future draw.
Both are approved French tests for Express Entry, but they use different scoring scales and question formats. Your choice usually comes down to which test format and available test dates suit you best.
Talk To ImmigCanada About Your Options
If your CRS score is close to 420, or you’re not sure how a provincial nomination or a language retest could move your file, ImmigCanada can walk through your profile and map out the fastest realistic path to an ITA. Book a consultation with ImmigCanada team today.