World Visa Academy – Daily Global Visa and Immigration Update

Date: 23/07/2026

Canada
Express Entry issues 5,000 more invitations as France language draw cutoff drops sharply

What it means:
IRCC ran its seventh Express Entry draw of July, issuing 5,000 invitations through the French language proficiency category. The CRS cutoff fell to 399, a steep 21 point drop from the 420 threshold seen just two weeks ago on July 9. This is now the most accessible French language draw since March, and it brings July's total invitations across all categories to 15,545, one of the strongest months of the year.

Impact:
Candidates with moderate French test scores who were previously shut out at a CRS of 420 now have a realistic shot at an invitation. Consultants should encourage clients sitting between 380 and 410 to check their Express Entry profile, and should point out that even a modest TEF or TCF score can now translate into a real pathway. Anyone who has not yet taken a French test should strongly consider it, since this is currently the highest volume Express Entry category in the whole system.

Canada
Government changes how it reports pending immigration files, revealing 1.5 million cases in the system

What it means:
For the first time, Canada's immigration department has replaced its old monthly backlog dashboard with a new format that shows how many files are actually being worked on versus how many are simply waiting for space to open up under the yearly admission targets. The new numbers show more than 1.5 million temporary residence, permanent residence, and citizenship files still pending as of the end of May. Within permanent residence specifically, about 38 percent of all pending files are not being processed at all right now, they are just sitting in a queue.

Impact:
This is important context for anyone managing client expectations. A file that is waiting for space rather than actively being reviewed will not move faster no matter how complete the paperwork is. Consultants should explain this distinction clearly to clients, especially those in family sponsorship or protection categories, where the waiting for space share is highest. This also means old comparisons to last year's backlog numbers are no longer valid, since the reporting method itself has changed.

Australia
Travel warning for Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia remains in effect

What it means:
Australia's Smartraveller service raised its advice level for Jordan, Oman and Saudi Arabia to Level Three earlier this week, telling Australians to reconsider non essential travel. This puts all three countries alongside Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE, which are already at the same warning level, while Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine, Syria and Yemen remain at the highest do not travel level.

Impact:
This continues to affect trip planning rather than visa eligibility itself. Consultants working with Australian clients travelling to or through Jordan, Oman or Saudi Arabia should keep reminding them to check their travel insurance coverage under the new advice level and to build extra flexibility into flight bookings, since airspace and border conditions in the region can shift with little notice.

No major new policy changes or big announcements reported from other countries worldwide today.

Pro Tip for Immigration Consultants
When a government changes its reporting format, like Canada just did with its immigration backlog data, do not compare the new numbers directly to old ones. Read the fine print on what is actually being measured before drawing conclusions for clients.