The current study tries to explore the integration of teaching strategies designed to enhance critical thinking skills within English language instruction. The primary objective is to examine how English language instructors employ pedagogical approaches to foster critical thinking in their classrooms and to explore the interplay between critical thinking development and the English language learning process. This study has conducted in the second semester for the academic year 2024/2025. The selected samples for this study are EFL students and the instructors in English Department/College of Education/Salahaddin University. Two tools have been used in this study: the first tool is a questionnaire for 3rd year EFL university students has been applied, and the second tool is the interview with EFL instructors who are teaching different modules through teaching the foreign language. By analyzing the relationship between critical thinking sub-skills—such as analysis, inference, comprehension, and evaluation—and the overall quality of English language acquisition, the research seeks to determine whether improvements in these cognitive skills contribute to enhance language proficiency. Additionally, the study proposes innovative teaching and learning strategies aimed at equipping the university instructors and EL students with practical tools to plan and implement effective critical thinking exercises. The findings of this research are expected to provide valuable insights into the dual objectives of improving critical thinking and language learning outcomes, offering actionable strategies that can be applied in the class for the sake of enhancing EL students’ critical thinking skill.