How many candidates ranked above the cut-off in draw #394?

On February 2, 2026, the Express Entry pool held 238,920 candidates. 158,407 of them sat in score bands entirely at or above the 400 cut-off. A further 53,276 sat in the 351-400 band, which the cut-off runs through — IRCC does not publish scores at a finer resolution than these bands, so how many of that group cleared 400 is not knowable from the data.

French-language proficiency · 6 February 2026

Express Entry draw #394

Q: What was the CRS cut-off for Express Entry draw #394?

The cut-off for round #394, held on 6 February 2026, was 400. It was a French-language proficiency round and it issued 8,500 invitations to apply, 1 point above the previous French-language proficiency round 7 weeks earlier. Candidates who tied at 400 were ranked by the date they entered the pool, with the cut-off timestamp set at February 03, 2026 at 11:11:44 UTC.

On 6 February 2026, IRCC issued 8,500 invitations to apply in the French-language proficiency category. The lowest-ranked candidate invited scored 400 on the Comprehensive Ranking System, 1 point above the previous French-language proficiency round 7 weeks earlier. That was the 3rd lowest of the 10 French-language proficiency rounds held in the year to that date, which together issued 56,500 invitations at cut-offs between 379 and 481.

Read and checked by Jay Sharma, Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant R710507, licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants. Round #394 is reproduced from IRCC's official rounds feed and has not been edited.

Minimum CRS score

400

French-language proficiency

Previous French-language proficiency round: #388 on 17 Dec 2025 at 399 (+1)

8,500
Invitations issued: #394
Round: 06 Feb 2026
Date: February 03, 2026
Tie-break

Programs eligible

Federal Skilled Worker Program, Canadian Experience Class and Federal Skilled Trades Program

Candidates tied on 400 were separated by how long they had been in the pool. The tie-break was set at February 03, 2026 at 11:11:44 UTC — a profile submitted before that moment was invited, one submitted after it was not.

The pool that week

Where 400 fell through the pool

IRCC published the Express Entry pool’s shape alongside this round. On February 2, 2026 it held 238,920 candidates, and the cut-off ran through them here.

Express Entry candidates by CRS range on February 2, 2026, against the 400 cut-off of round #394
CRS range	Candidates	Share of pool	Against the cut-off
601–1200	423	0.2%	All invited
501–600	14,911	6.2%	All invited
451–500	74,811	31.3%	All invited
401–450	68,262	28.6%	All invited
Cut-off — CRS 400
351–400	53,276	22.3%	Split by the cut-off
301–350	18,949	7.9%	Below the cut-off
0–300	8,288	3.5%	Below the cut-off

158,407 candidates sat in bands entirely at or above 400 — 66.3% of the pool.

A further 53,276 sat in the 351–400 band, which 400 falls inside. IRCC does not publish scores more finely than this, so how many of them cleared 400 is not knowable from the data.

In context

French-language proficiency rounds in the year to 06 Feb 2026

A cut-off means little on its own. Against its own category’s previous twelve months, this one was the 3rd lowest of 10.

400

379
Lowest cut-off: 481
Highest cut-off: 10
Rounds: 56,500
Invitations

Reading this today

This is a record, not the current bar

Round #394 was held on 6 February 2026. IRCC has run 44 rounds since, and the current cut-off for this category is not 400.

The latest draw and the current pool All 438 rounds

Free CRS assessment

Would this round have taken you?

The table above says where 400 fell through the pool. Whether your own score reaches a category, and what would move it — a language retake, a provincial nomination, a spouse’s credentials — is a different question, and it is the one worth answering.

Data: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Round #394, 6 February 2026; pool as published on February 2, 2026.

Three fields · about 30 seconds