If Canada PR is your goal, you have probably heard the same advice again and again: “Get a good IELTS score.”
And yes, English is important. A strong English score can make a major difference to your Express Entry profile.
But here is the part many candidates overlook in 2026: IELTS and French are not really competing with each other.
One can prove your English ability. The other can potentially give your profile an entirely different advantage.
And if you are preparing for Canada PR, ignoring French simply because you are already preparing for IELTS could be one of the biggest opportunities you miss.
IELTS is important. But French can add something IELTS cannot.
Let’s make this simple. IELTS General Training is one of the approved English-language tests for Express Entry. Depending on your scores, your English proficiency can contribute significantly to your CRS score and can help you meet the language requirements for your immigration program.
But IELTS itself does not give you a special “IELTS bonus.”
Your English results are converted into Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) levels, and those levels determine how many points you receive.
French works differently in one very important respect.
If you achieve NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities, and you also have at least CLB 5 in all four English abilities, you can receive 50 additional CRS points for French.
That is not a small difference. It is a direct 50-point addition to your Express Entry CRS score. And that’s why the question changes.
Instead of asking: “Should I do IELTS or French?”
The smarter question is: “How can I use English AND French to make my profile stronger?”
The biggest misconception: French is not replacing IELTS
Learning French does not mean you can simply forget about English.
For many Express Entry candidates, English remains extremely valuable. A strong first official language score can contribute substantial CRS points, and English may also be required depending on the immigration program and your individual circumstances.
French, however, can work as an additional weapon in your profile.
Think about it this way:
IELTS can build your foundation.
French can give you another lane.
And that second lane is so important because Canada currently has a dedicated French-language proficiency category under Express Entry category-based selection.
To qualify for that category, candidates need French test results showing at least NCLC 7 in all four language abilities, along with the other requirements applicable to the round.
That is a very different opportunity from simply improving your English score by another half band.
So which is better for Canada PR: IELTS or French?
My honest answer is: It depends on what your profile looks like.
If you have weak English and have not yet met the minimum language requirement for your intended Express Entry program, English should obviously be taken seriously.
But if your English is already reasonably strong, continuously chasing a slightly higher IELTS score may not always be the most interesting way to improve your profile.
This is where French becomes extremely interesting.
Imagine two candidates with broadly similar education, age and work experience.
Candidate A focuses almost entirely on pushing their English score higher.
Candidate B has strong English and also develops French to NCLC 7 across all four abilities.
Candidate B may unlock up to 50 additional CRS points for French and may also become eligible for French-language category-based Express Entry rounds, assuming all other requirements are met.
That is why French has become much more than a “nice extra language” for Canadian immigration.
The 50-point French advantage people keep overlooking
Here is the number worth remembering: 50 CRS points.
Under the current CRS rules, if you score NCLC 7 or higher in all four French abilities and CLB 5 or higher in all four English abilities, you can receive 50 additional points.
If you have NCLC 7+ French but CLB 4 or lower in English, or no English test, the additional French points are 25 instead.
For someone sitting just below a competitive CRS range, 50 points can be significant.
And this is exactly why waiting until the last moment to think about French can be a bad strategy.
You cannot build NCLC 7 French overnight. French learning requires TIME.
You need to develop listening, speaking, reading and writing, not simply memorise a few basic phrases before your test.
The people who start early have something the last-minute candidates don’t: time to build actual language ability.
And there is another reason French is different
Your French does not have to be your first official language to potentially earn the additional 50 CRS points.
IRCC specifically states that strong French skills can earn up to 50 additional points even when French is your second language.
This is a major distinction. You don’t necessarily have to choose between being an “English candidate” and a “French candidate.”
You can become both. That is where the real strategic advantage lies.
What about French-language Express Entry draws?
This is probably the biggest reason Canada PR applicants should not treat French as just another language-learning hobby.
French-language proficiency is currently one of Canada’s Express Entry category-based selection categories.
In these rounds, IRCC identifies candidates who meet the requirements of the particular category and then ranks eligible candidates according to CRS.
For the French-language category, the current minimum language requirement is NCLC 7 in all four French abilities.
So French can potentially give you two advantages:
- Additional CRS points
- Access to a dedicated French-language category
That combination is what makes French particularly interesting for people planning their Canada PR strategy.
Of course, a French category does not guarantee an invitation. Category eligibility is only one part of the process, and IRCC still ranks candidates and determines invitations according to the rules of each round.
But being eligible for an additional selection pathway is fundamentally different from simply having a slightly better test score.
“But I already have IELTS. Why should I start French now?”
Because your immigration plan should not be built around one exam.
It should be built around improving your overall profile.
If you have already invested months preparing for IELTS, that does not make French irrelevant.
In fact, it may make French the logical next step. You already understand the discipline required for a language exam. You already know what it feels like to prepare for listening, reading, writing and speaking.
Now imagine adding another official language to the profile you are building.
That is not starting from zero. That is adding another layer to an immigration strategy you have already started.
The real FOMO: everyone is chasing English
There is a practical reason French deserves attention. English is the obvious choice. Almost every Canada PR candidate knows they need to think about English.
French is different. Not everyone who enters the Express Entry pool has it.
And that means a French qualification can give your profile an advantage that another English-only candidate simply does not have.
The opportunity is especially interesting if you are already comfortable with English and have enough time to work toward NCLC 7 French.
Because while one candidate is asking: “How do I increase my IELTS score?”
another candidate may be asking: “How do I make my profile eligible for another category and add 50 CRS points?”
Those are two very different strategies.
So, IELTS or French?
If you are starting your Canada PR journey today, don’t think of this as an either-or decision.
Get your English right. Then seriously consider French.
IELTS can help establish your English-language profile.
French can potentially add up to 50 CRS points and open the door to the French-language proficiency category under Express Entry.
And the important threshold is not “knowing a little French.”
It is NCLC 7 in all four abilities if you want the current French-language category and the maximum additional French-language CRS bonus when paired with CLB 5+ English.
That means the smartest time to start French is not when you suddenly need 50 more CRS points. It is before you need them.
Because by the time you realise French could have changed your profile, someone else may already have spent the last 8 to 12 months preparing.
And in Canadian immigration, sometimes the difference between watching the next draw and being ready for it is not another degree, another job title or another year of experience.
Sometimes it is simply having a second official language.
The bottom line: IELTS is important. French can be STRATEGIC.
If Canada PR is your serious goal, don’t ask yourself whether French is “worth it” only after your CRS score becomes a problem.
Ask the question now.
Because the biggest advantage of learning French for Canada PR is not that it gives you a language certificate.
It is that it can give your profile options that an English-only profile does not have.
And once you understand that, French stops looking like an extra subject. It starts looking like a serious part of your Canada PR strategy.
Start early. Build the language properly. Aim for NCLC 7. And don’t wait until you need those 50 points to wish you had started French sooner.
Ready to Make French Part of Your Canada PR Strategy?
At LingoRelic, we help Canada PR aspirants learn French with a clear focus on reaching the level they actually need, not just memorising French for the sake of an exam. If French could strengthen your profile, the best time to start building it is before you urgently need those extra points.
Start your French journey with LingoRelic and give your Canada PR profile one more advantage.
You know where to reach us.
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