Invited at 382. Not 523.
Same pool, same year, same profile — one difference. In 2026, French-language draws have issued more than 50,500 invitations, at cut-offs roughly 130 CRS points below the Canadian Experience Class rounds. If your score is stuck between 430 and 500, French is currently the cheapest way to move.
No account, no card.
The gap, in 2026 numbers
| Draw type | 2026 CRS range | Most recent round |
|---|---|---|
| Canadian Experience Class | 507 – 523 | 523 — 1,000 invitations (18 August 2026) |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 708 – 805 | 760 — 442 invitations (17 August 2026) |
| French-language proficiency | 382 – 400 | 382 — 5,000 invitations (19 August 2026) |
Provincial nomination adds 600 points, which is why that row looks the way it does — it is not a comparable path unless a province picks you.
French pays you twice
Most articles blur these two together. They are separate rules, and you can benefit from both at once.
1 — A different pool
NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities
That is what puts you in the French-language proficiency category. You are then ranked against that category only — the pool where cut-offs have stayed between 382 and 400 all year.
2 — Extra CRS points, everywhere
Up to 50 additional points
- 50 points — NCLC 7+ in all four French abilities and CLB 5+ in all four English abilities.
- 25 points — NCLC 7+ in French, with English at CLB 4 or lower, or no English test.
These points count in every round, not only the French ones.
Read this before you spend a dollar
NCLC 7 in all four abilities is roughly a B2 level. It is not tourist French and it is not a weekend project — and the requirement covers all four abilities, so your weakest skill decides your result. There is no score guarantee here, from us or from anyone.
TCFskool is built for candidates going from about B1 to B2 or C1. If you have never studied French, start with a beginner course and come back when you can hold a simple conversation — you will waste less money that way.
What you train with here
The interface is in English. The training material is in French, because the exam is in French — that part is not translated on purpose.
1175 documents
Studio-voiced audio, A1 to C2, one listen only — like the real exam.
1175 documents
Every text type on the exam, corrected and explained question by question.
90 topics
Tasks 1 to 3, each with an annotated model answer and AI grading.
90 topics
Record, get transcribed, get scored on the official FEI grid.
Written and spoken answers are graded on the three dimensions of the official France Éducation international grid — linguistic, pragmatic, sociolinguistic — with the estimated CEFR level converted to an NCLC band, so you always know how far you are from 7.
Find out where you stand today
Three minutes of listening and reading, plus one free AI-graded writing correction. You get an estimated CEFR level, the NCLC band it maps to, and what it would be worth in CRS points.
Sources
- Express Entry round results, 2026 — CRS cut-offs and invitation volumes.
- Comprehensive Ranking System criteria, IRCC — additional points for French as a second official language.
- Permanent resident admissions by country of citizenship, first half of 2025, IRCC.
Cut-offs change with every round and are never a prediction of your own result. Always check the current requirements on canada.ca before making a decision.