Get 50 CRS Points for Express Entry With French Language Skills
• Are you in the process of submitting a profile at Express Entry?
• Can you speak French?
• Even if you’re thinking of living in a province other than Quebec?
Then read on!
- Are you in the process of submitting a profile at Express Entry?
- Can you speak French?
- Even if you’re thinking of living in a province other than Quebec?
Then read on!
You now have a way to add to your points total and improve your chances of getting a PR visa to Canada. That’s because a key part of getting an ITA after uploading a profile to Express Entry is your points total under the portal’s Comprehensive Ranking System, or CRS.
Let’s quickly review the CRS points system and see how your French-language skills can help push you over the finish line.
| Factor | Points per factor – with spouse or partner | Points per factor – without spouse or partner |
|---|---|---|
A: Core Factors
|
Maximum points
|
Maximum points
|
B: Spouse or C. Law Partner
|
Maximum points
|
Maximum points
|
C: Skill Transferability Factors
|
Maximum points
|
Maximum points
|
D: Additional Points
|
Maximum points
|
Maximum points
|
Please note that:
- Core Factors (A) + Spouse or C. Law Partner (B) = 500 points maximum total allowed
- Skill Transferability Factors or C = 100 points maximum total allowed
- A + B + C (Core + Spouse + Transf.) = 600 points maximum total allowed
- A + B + C + D (Core + Spouse + Transf. + Additional) = 1200 points maximum total allowed
As you can see from the above chart, an additional 50 points for French Language Skills for someone who maybe doesn’t have a job offer or a PN nomination, can make the difference between being selected from your pool of candidates and offered an ITA or losing out and having to wait for another round of invitations.
So, how good does my French have to be to get those 50 additional points?
It has to be quite good, but so does your English. Let’s see why.
You have to score the equivalent of NCLC level 7 in your French language tests. The following table shows the minimum, equivalent scores you need on both the TEF and TCF French language tests in order to achieve the required NCLC 7 score.
| NCLC Level | Speaking | Listening | Reading | Writing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TEF French Language Test | ||||
| NCLC 7 | 310 – 348 | 249 – 279 | 207 – 232 | 310 – 348 |
| TCF French Language Test | ||||
| NCLC 7 | 10 – 11 | 458 – 502 | 453 – 498 | 10 – 11 |
However, you will also need to achieve a minimum CLB 5 in your English Language tests (IELTS or CELPIP) if you want to be awarded the full 50 points for your French language skills. If your CLB level is below 5 for your English test, you can only be awarded a maximum of 25 additional points.
At the same time, CLB 5 is a reasonably achievable score for your English language tests (CELPIP level 5 in all 4 skills; IELTS level 5 in all skills except Reading for which you only need level 4). So, if you’re about to submit a profile to Express Entry, you will likely have English language test scores of at least CLB 5 or higher and will be eligible to gain a maximum of 50 additional points for your French language skills.
If I already have 600 points from my Core, Spouse/Partner, and Transferability factors (A + B + C), then can I include any additional points from my French language tests?
Yes!
That’s because – as we explained right below the first chart at the beginning – your points total for all four areas (A + B + C + D) can be up to 1200 points, and your French language abilities fall under D (additional points). In other words, those additional 50 points could be the difference for your profile.
Remember, you should always be looking to upgrade your skills in all 4 areas. Including your French Language skills, should you already have the ability to speak and understand at least some French.
If I include French Language skills in my Express Entry profile, does that mean I have to settle in Quebec?
No, it won’t.
Canada is an officially bilingual nation (English and French) and any French-language skills you can demonstrate are considered beneficial, no matter where in Canada you choose to settle.
Express Entry Historical Points Cutoffs by Draw
Express Entry Historical ITAs by Draw
Get a PNP Nomination (600 points!) from Manitoba with Your French Skills
Twenty thousand by twenty-twenty.
That’s a phrase you should keep in mind if you’re interested in immigrating to Canada and want to choose somewhere with affordable housing prices and ample opportunities for a skilled worker with less competition than in places like Ontario or B.C. Especially if you speak French as a second language.
Let’s repeat that phrase again, using numbers: 20,000 by 2020.
In fact, this is what the provincial government of Manitoba predicts the labour shortfall will be in a little over a year. That means that in Manitoba, there will be 20,000 more jobs than qualified job seekers by the year 2020.
But it gets even better if you happen to have French as a second language and are interested in migrating to Manitoba. That’s because if you apply under the Skilled Workers stream you are awarded 25 extra points for a 2nd language – either French or English. That’s far more than you get in most cases for having a second language, such as with the Federal Skilled Worker program.
But at the same time, the requirements are not nearly as tough as those for Ontario’s French-Speaking Skilled Workers stream, never mind the level of competency in French you need to qualify for a good job in Quebec. Keep in mind, of course, that if you list French as a 2nd language you will need acceptable levels of English language skills in order to qualify to immigrate to Manitoba.
Let’s take a look at Manitoba’s policy of awarding a large number of points for a 2nd language. Is the province trying to become truly bilingual? Or attract a substantial minority of French-speakers, like one finds in Northern New Brunswick? Let’s find out.
Manitoba Skilled Worker Stream – Language Requirements
Learn more about how Canada assesses language skills
When you compete an Expression of Interest online at MPNP’s online portal, you will automatically receive a ranking score. The language part of your profile that you submit when you complete an Expression Of Interest is ranked as follows:
| Language Proficiency | Points |
|---|---|
| First Official Language | |
| CLB 8 or higher | 25 per skill |
| CLB 7 | 22 per skill |
| CLB 6 | 20 per skill |
| CLB 5 | 17 per skill |
| CLB 4 | 12 per skill |
| CLB 3 or lower | 0 per skill |
| Second Official Language | |
| CLB 5 or higher | 25 points |
| Maximum total Points for Language | 125 points |
So, for example, if you have CLB 8 in English in speaking, listening and reading but CLB 7 in writing, you would get 97 points for English. If you have at least CLB 5 in French (in all skills), you would then get another 25 points giving you 122 out of a possible 125 points for language, and helping to secure your nomination from Manitoba.
Comparing MPNP’s Ranking with IRCC’s CRS points
Let’s consider a couple of cases to see how having a 2nd language can give you a nice boost in your points total with Manitoba’s PNP:
MPNP Ranking System – Language Ability
| 1st Official Language | Points | 2nd Official Language | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 6 | 20×4=80 | CLB 5 or higher | 25 |
| CLB 7 | 22×4=88 | CLB 5 or higher | 25 |
| CLB 8 | 25×4=100 | CLB 5 or higher | 25 |
| Maximum allowable language points | 125 | ||
This means that all you need is CLB 5 or higher in your 2nd official language across all skills to add 25 points to your language total points. If your 1st official language CLB is 6, for example, that means going from 80 total points to 105 total points, a significant increase.
IRCC Comprehensive Ranking System – Language Ability
Now compare the MPNP’s ranking system for language ability shown above to the Federal Comprehensive Ranking System:
| 1st official language | points | 2nd Official Language | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| CLB 6 | 9×4=36 | CLB 5 or 6 | 1×4=4 |
| CLB 7 | 17×4=68 | CLB 7 or 8 | 3×4=12 |
| CLB 8 | 23×4=92 | CLB 9 or higher | 6×4=24 |
This shows that if your CLB for your 2nd official language is 5, as in the example above, you are only awarded 4 points, compared to 25 points in the case of MPNP’s ranking system. And to get close to the MPNP points awarded you need to score a CLB 9 or higher, which means you are perfectly bilingual in both official languages. That’s a tough goal for even bilingual Canadians to meet, never mind someone hoping to immigrate to Canada!
But the difference is even more drastic: the federal CRS’s total points are out of a larger total, so not only does Manitoba give you more points for language, but they give you more points relative to the total number of points awarded.
Comparing MPNP with Ontario’s Express Entry French Speaking Skilled Worker Stream
The province of Ontario – which has a minority Francophone community in parts of Northern and Western Ontario as well as in the Ottawa Valley – is also seeking to increase the percentage of francophone migrants to the province up to 5% of the overall number of immigrants to the province.
Along with having a university degree and eligible work experience, and having English-speaking skills, you must have achieved a CLB 7 equivalent in your TEF which is the officially accepted test of French language ability. That’s 2 levels higher than Manitoba’s requirement of CLB 5 for a second language. So, while having a CLB 6 in French or a CLB 5 in French means you are not eligible to migrate to Ontario under their French Speaking Skilled Worker’s Stream, you’d be more than welcome to Manitoba with those scores. That’s another reason to keep Manitoba in mind, along with the surplus of job openings.
It’s clear that Manitoba’s PNP values your ability to speak a 2nd official language: whether your first language is English or French and vice versa for your 2nd language. Taken alongside the province’s projected labour shortage in the immediate future, you’d be wise to check out MPNP’s streams if you can speak both French and English. Remember, unlike Quebec, you will need English to conduct much of your daily activities in Manitoba but having French as an additional language will clearly help your chances of getting a nomination.
Putting it in Context – Manitoba’s Francophone History
Did you know that some of Manitoba’s earliest settlers were francophones from Quebec? Look at some of the towns on a map of Manitoba: Portage La Prairie, Saint Malo, Notre Dame de Lourdes, Saint Malo, or Saint Claude, among others. Other francophones came from Acadie or Acadia, which is what Nova Scotia was called when it was a French colony in the 17th and 18th centuries. Later settlers from France, Belgium, and Switzerland immigrated to Manitoba which was not yet a full province. In the late 18th century, English speaking settlers arrived in great numbers along with the transcontinental railroad and changed the character of Manitoba. In 1870, around 50% of people in Manitoba were francophones. By the late 1880’s they had fallen to 10% of the population. This was around the time of the trial and execution of rebel Metis leader Louis Riel, a controversial chapter in the province’s history.
But since the late 1970s, Manitoba has been proudly reclaiming its francophone heritage and provincial laws have re-established the province as a bilingual territory in which residents of the province have the right to be provided services in French at the provincial level. So, if you are someone who can speak French you should consider taking the TEF exam and seeing if your level is equivalent to CLB 5. Or if you are a francophone and can achieve a CLB 5 score for English in a test like IELTS or CELPIP, you should consider Manitoba as a destination. They will value your ability to speak a 2nd official language. Think of yourself as being part of a centuries-old tradition that is being rekindled and kept alive.
Bonne chance!
PNP Draw Points Cut-Offs
Some of the PNP streams for the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba use the same scoring system as Express Entry. Here are the cut-offs for 2021:
PNP Invitations
British Columbia PNP Points Cut-Offs
British Columbia uses its own scoring system:
British Columbia PNP Notifiations
BC Entrepreneur PNP Points Cut-Offs
BC Entrepreneur PNP Notifications
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program Points Cut-Offs
Saskatchewan uses its own scoring system?
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program Notifications
If you would like information about other PNPs not listed here, please let us know by emailing us or posting in our forum.
PNP Draw Points Cut-Offs
Some of the PNP streams for the provinces of Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba use the same scoring system as Express Entry. Here are the cut-offs for 2021:
PNP Invitations
British Columbia PNP Points Cut-Offs
British Columbia uses its own scoring system:
British Columbia PNP Notifiations
BC Entrepreneur PNP Points Cut-Offs
BC Entrepreneur PNP Notifications
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program Points Cut-Offs
Saskatchewan uses its own scoring system?
Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program Notifications
If you would like information about other PNPs not listed here, please let us know by emailing us or posting in our forum.
