5,500 Get Invitations in March 4 Express Entry Draw as CRS Cutoff Holds

(CANADA) — Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada conducted an Express Entry draw on March 4, 2026, issuing 5,500 Invitations to Apply to candidates with French-language proficiency and setting a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 397.

The round added fresh momentum to category-based selection, a track that targets defined groups rather than drawing only from the overall pool. For French-speaking candidates watching IRCC’s signals, the result pointed to continued, active selection in 2026.

IRCC applied a tie-breaking rule to profiles submitted before October 10, 2025, at 18:18:20 UTC, or 6:18 p.m. UTC per some reports. That rule matters when multiple candidates share the same CRS score, because it ranks them by when they submitted their profiles.

An Invitation to Apply marks a turning point in Express Entry because it invites a candidate to submit an application for permanent residence. Candidates without an ITA remain in the pool and can be considered in later draws if they meet eligibility and score requirements.

Wednesday’s French-language proficiency draw was the second such round of 2026. The first came on February 6, when IRCC issued 8,500 ITAs with a CRS cutoff of 400.

The March 4 cutoff also represented the lowest CRS score for the French-language proficiency category in over a year. The source data compared it with a peak of 432 from October 2025.

IRCC has moved quickly through multiple rounds early in March, using different programs and categories. The March 4 invitations marked the third draw of the week and the thirteenth of 2026, as IRCC prioritized in-Canada experience and French speakers alongside Provincial Nominee Program and Canadian Experience Class candidates.

A day earlier, on March 3, IRCC issued 4,000 ITAs in a Canadian Experience Class draw with a CRS cutoff of 508. The tie-break for that round was June 24, 2025, 22:35:48 UTC.

On March 2, IRCC ran a Provincial Nominee Program draw and issued 264 ITAs with a CRS cutoff of 710. The tie-break date listed for that round was August 7, 2025.

Taken together, the sequence showed how the type of draw can matter as much as a candidate’s CRS. The PNP and CEC streams pull from different eligible groups, and the presence of nomination points in PNP selection changes how high the cutoff can run.

In the recent set of 2026 draws highlighted in the same dataset, IRCC has also turned to healthcare and physician-focused selection. On Feb 20, 2026, it issued 4,000 ITAs under a Healthcare/Social Services round with a CRS cutoff of 467, and on Feb 19, 2026, it issued 391 ITAs in a Physicians (Canadian Exp.) round with a CRS cutoff of 169.

Another Canadian Experience Class draw followed on Feb 17, 2026, with 6,000 ITAs and a CRS cutoff of 508. That run of invitations underscored how frequently CEC-focused rounds can appear when IRCC draws from candidates with in-Canada experience.

The contrast between PNP and other rounds is built into the system’s design. Provincial nominee draws often come with smaller invitation totals and higher cutoffs, because a nomination changes the CRS dynamics and narrows the eligible pool to candidates already selected by a province or territory.

CEC rounds, by comparison, draw from candidates qualifying under the Canadian Experience Class. In 2026 so far, CEC cutoffs have hovered around 508-511, with 24,000 ITAs issued in four draws.

PNP draws have remained a small share of overall activity. The dataset described them as 5% of total ITAs, even as they continue to offer a pathway for candidates aligned with provincial labour needs.

French-language proficiency draws have also tended to be large in recent months. The dataset noted minimum 6,000 ITAs from Oct-Dec 2025 for French draws, reflecting the scale possible when IRCC prioritizes a category and the pool supports it.

For candidates trying to interpret what a French-language round means for the rest of the Express Entry pool, the most immediate takeaway is that IRCC can keep multiple lanes active in a short window. A French-category draw can run alongside CEC and PNP draws within the same week, each with its own cutoff patterns and invitation volumes.

That mix can shape the competitive picture differently depending on where a candidate fits. A candidate strong in French-language proficiency may benefit most when IRCC targets that category, while an in-Canada worker eligible for CEC may watch for frequent CEC rounds even if the CRS cutoff stays higher.

The week’s results also illustrated why tie-break rules can become decisive. When cutoffs sit at widely watched thresholds, a candidate with the same CRS score as another may still miss out if their profile submission comes after the tie-break timestamp.

The category approach also influences how candidates plan updates to their profiles. A change that improves eligibility for a targeted category can matter, even when a candidate’s CRS does not reach the same levels often seen in other streams.

IRCC has told candidates to check official updates for profile status, because draws target specific categories under a 2026 immigration levels plan emphasizing French speakers and in-Canada experience. For people in the pool, that means monitoring draw announcements and watching whether their profile status changes after a round.

After receiving an ITA, candidates typically move into a documentation and submission phase to support the information in their Express Entry profile. The process requires gathering documents and submitting an application for permanent residence within the required deadlines, with accuracy and completeness shaping how smoothly an application proceeds.

With IRCC’s early-March activity split across French-language proficiency, Canadian Experience Class, and Provincial Nominee Program rounds, candidates face a familiar reality inside Express Entry: the Comprehensive Ranking System score matters, but the stream or category a draw targets can determine who receives Invitations to Apply when cutoffs land.