August 6, 2026. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ran Express Entry round #433 under the French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2 category, issuing 5,000 invitations to apply (ITAs) at a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 391. The round was held at 11:29:10 UTC on August 6, 2026, with a tie-breaking rule of March 18, 2026 at 23:32:40 UTC.

Primary source: IRCC Ministerial Instructions, Round #433 and the rounds of invitations table.

What the numbers show

• Category: French-Language proficiency 2026-Version 2
• ITAs: 5,000
• CRS cut-off: 391 (lowest-ranked invited candidate)
• Prior French round: July 22, 2026-5,000 ITAs at CRS 399
• Delta: cut-off down 8 points versus July 22; third consecutive French round at the 5,000-ITA size

Category membership requires French proficiency at NCLC level 7 or higher in each skill area on an approved test less than two years old. The stated economic goal in the instructions is growth through Francophone immigration outside Quebec. Invitation authority under these instructions runs August 6-7, 2026.

How this sits next to the last 48 hours

This is the third federal Express Entry round in three days:

• August 4: PNP-only, 507 ITAs, CRS 768
• August 5: Canadian Experience Class, 3,000 ITAs, CRS 516
• August 6: French-language category, 5,000 ITAs, CRS 391

For business immigration files, the pattern is capacity and category design, not a single CRS story. Nomination-led PNP scores remain in a different band than French category selection. CEC remains competitive for in-Canada work experience holders. French category selection continues to clear a much lower CRS floor than CEC or PNP-only rounds.

What our files show