How many candidates ranked above the cut-off in draw #405?

On March 15, 2026, the Express Entry pool held 231,362 candidates. 150,595 of them sat in score bands entirely at or above the 393 cut-off. A further 53,565 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 393 is not knowable from the data.

French-language proficiency · 18 March 2026

Express Entry draw #405

Q: What was the CRS cut-off for Express Entry draw #405?

The cut-off for round #405, held on 18 March 2026, was 393. It was a French-language proficiency round and it issued 4,000 invitations to apply, 4 points below the previous French-language proficiency round 2 weeks earlier. Candidates who tied at 393 were ranked by the date they entered the pool, with the cut-off timestamp set at December 29, 2025 at 12:47:31 UTC.

On 18 March 2026, IRCC issued 4,000 invitations to apply in the French-language proficiency category. The lowest-ranked candidate invited scored 393 on the Comprehensive Ranking System, 4 points below the previous French-language proficiency round 2 weeks earlier. That was the second lowest of the 10 French-language proficiency rounds held in the year to that date, which together issued 55,000 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 #405 is reproduced from IRCC's official rounds feed and has not been edited.

Minimum CRS score

393

French-language proficiency

Previous French-language proficiency round: #401 on 04 Mar 2026 at 397 (-4)

4,000
Invitations issued: #405
Round: 18 Mar 2026
Date: December 29, 2025
Tie-break

Programs eligible

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

Candidates tied on 393 were separated by how long they had been in the pool. The tie-break was set at December 29, 2025 at 12:47:31 UTC — a profile submitted before that moment was invited, one submitted after it was not.

The pool that week

Where 393 fell through the pool

IRCC published the Express Entry pool’s shape alongside this round. On March 15, 2026 it held 231,362 candidates, and the cut-off ran through them here.

Express Entry candidates by CRS range on March 15, 2026, against the 393 cut-off of round #405
CRS range	Candidates	Share of pool	Against the cut-off
601–1200	360	0.2%	All invited
501–600	13,039	5.6%	All invited
451–500	72,558	31.4%	All invited
401–450	64,638	27.9%	All invited
Cut-off — CRS 393
351–400	53,565	23.2%	Split by the cut-off
301–350	18,903	8.2%	Below the cut-off
0–300	8,299	3.6%	Below the cut-off

150,595 candidates sat in bands entirely at or above 393 — 65.1% of the pool.

A further 53,565 sat in the 351–400 band, which 393 falls inside. IRCC does not publish scores more finely than this, so how many of them cleared 393 is not knowable from the data.

In context

French-language proficiency rounds in the year to 18 Mar 2026

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

393

379
Lowest cut-off: 481
Highest cut-off: 10
Rounds: 55,000
Invitations

Reading this today

This is a record, not the current bar

Round #405 was held on 18 March 2026. IRCC has run 33 rounds since, and the current cut-off for this category is not 393.

The latest draw and the current pool All 438 rounds

Free CRS assessment

Would this round have taken you?

The table above says where 393 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 #405, 18 March 2026; pool as published on March 15, 2026.

Three fields · about 30 seconds