Alberta released details for two draws held in the last week of August 2021.
The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) issued 450 Notification of Interest (NOI) letters to Express Entry candidates on August 23. This is the largest draw to date for the AINP. Candidates who received invitations needed a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 300.
In the second draw, AINP issued 400 NOI letters to Express Entry candidates on August 30. In this draw, candidates were required to have a CRS score of at least 301.
Since January 2021, Alberta has invited 4,007 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has set the limit of 6,250 NOI letters AINP is allowed to issue in 2021.
The Alberta Express Entry stream is an enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) which means it is linked with the federal Express Entry system. It allows the AINP to search the federal pool of candidates for profiles of people who may be eligible for a provincial nomination from the province.
To be eligible for a provincial nomination through this stream, candidates must have work experience in an eligible occupation. The AINP only provides a list of occupations that are not eligible for the stream instead of what occupations are eligible.
The Express Entry profile should indicate that the candidate is interested in moving to and settling in Alberta.
There are certain factors which increase the likelihood of receiving a nomination, such as having work experience, or a job offer in Alberta. Another factor that helps a candidate is having Canadian education. Having a direct family member, ie. parent, sibling, child, who is a permanent resident or citizen in Alberta, can support an application.
