Express Entry for French speakers

Express Entry is the system IRCC uses to manage permanent residence applications for 3 federal skilled worker programs. French speakers have two advantages in it: extra points for French and invitation rounds reserved for French-proficient candidates.

Who can enter Express Entry

You must be eligible for at least one of three programs:

• the Federal Skilled Worker Program;
• the Federal Skilled Trades Program;
• the Canadian Experience Class.

Candidates create an online profile and are ranked with the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Those invited (ITA) have 60 days to submit a permanent residence application.

Extra points for French

Under IRCC's CRS criteria, if you score NCLC 7 or higher in all 4 French abilities, you get:

• 25 points if your English is CLB 4 or lower, or you did not take an English test;
• 50 points if your English is CLB 5 or higher in all 4 abilities.

These points are added on top of the usual language points, even if French is your second language.

French-language rounds

"French-language proficiency" is one of the categories IRCC uses for targeted rounds. Requirement: French results of at least NCLC 7 in all 4 abilities, plus any conditions in each round's instructions.

According to IRCC's published round data, there were 10 French-language rounds from January to August 19, 2026:

That is 50,500 invitations in total, with minimum scores between 382 and 420, clearly lower than Canadian Experience Class rounds over the same period, which were mostly between 507 and 523.

What this means for Vietnamese candidates

• NCLC 7 is higher than the NCLC 5 needed for C16. People who come on C16 can keep studying to reach NCLC 7, which brings both the extra points and access to French-language rounds.
• Canadian work experience on a C16 permit may later make you eligible for the Canadian Experience Class.

Note Minimum scores change with every round, without notice. The figures above are past data, not a forecast.