Alberta invited 401 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for Canadian permanent residence in its last two draws of October, the province’s immigrant nominee program has revealed. 

A draw held October 24 selected 372 candidates with a profile in the federal Express Entry system, which manages the pool of candidates for Canada’s three Federal High Skilled economic immigration categories — the  Federal Skilled Worker Class, Federal Skilled Trades Class and the Canadian Experience Class.

Alberta is one of nine Canadian provinces with a nominee program that allows them to select a set number of economic immigration candidates for Canadian permanent residence each year.  Each provincial nominee program has at least one stream that allows them to nominate candidates in the Express Entry pool who match their individual economic needs.

Express Entry candidates with a provincial nomination receive an additional 600 points toward their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score and are effectively guaranteed an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence in a subsequent draw from the Express Entry pool.

Express Entry candidates invited by Alberta in its October 24 draw had CRS scores as low as 300 and a second draw held October 30 rendered 29 invitations to candidates with a CRS score of 350 and up.

On their own, a CRS score of 300 or 350 has never been high enough to receive an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence in one of the regular all-program draws from the Express Entry pool.

However, the additional 600 points from a provincial nomination would put both scores well past even the highest CRS threshold of 2019, which was 475, and assure an invitation to apply for Canadian permanent residence.

In order to be considered for a provincial nomination through the Alberta Express Entry Stream, candidates must be eligible for one of the three Express Entry-managed programs and have a valid profile in the Express Entry pool.

Alberta Express Entry Stream eligibility

Alberta may select profiles from the Express Entry pool belonging to candidates who can demonstrate strong ties to Alberta, or who can support the province’s economic development and diversification objectives. Those selected will be invited to submit an application for a provincial nomination through the Alberta Express Entry Stream, which is managed by the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).

A job offer in Alberta is not required, but the AINP says it is more likely to issue invitations to an Express Entry candidate who:

The following factors may decrease a candidates likelihood of being selected: