Two Alberta draws have taken place so far in April, inviting a total of 320 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination for permanent residence.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) recently released the details of the provincial nominee program draws from April 1, and April 14.

The first Alberta Express Entry Stream draw this month invited 120 candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

Candidates did not need to have a job offer in order to be invited, however, they did need to have profiles in the federal Express Entry system.

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Express Entry candidates also needed to have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 381. These points are calculated based on a candidate’s human capital factors such as age, work experience, education, and official language ability.

The CRS requirement dropped to 353 for the April 14 draw, where 200 Express Entry candidates were invited to apply for a provincial nomination from Alberta.

If these candidates receive the provincial nomination they will receive an additional 600 CRS points toward their overall score, which will effectively guarantee that they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence in a subsequent federal Express Entry draw.

Express Entry is Canada’s application management system for three federal immigration programs: Federal Skilled Worker Program, Federal Skilled Trades Program, and Canadian Experience Class.

Since Canada’s special coronavirus measures came into effect on March 18, Express Entry draws have typically been inviting Canadian Experience Class candidates and candidates who received a provincial nomination, such as those invited through the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

Eligibility criteria for Alberta Express Entry Stream

Express Entry candidates need to have work experience in an occupation that supports Alberta’s “economic development and diversification priorities” in order to be eligible for an invitation through the Albert Express Entry Stream.

The AINP does not provide a list of eligible occupations.

While it is not necessary to have a job offer to be eligible for this stream, the AINP says it may give priority to candidates who meet the following three criteria:

• a job offer and/or work experience in Alberta;
• a degree from a Canadian post-secondary institution and a valid job offer; or
• a parent, child or sibling already living in the province.

So far this year, Alberta has issued 1,207 invitations to Express Entry candidates. In 2019, a total of 6,884 invitations were issued through the Alberta Express Entry Stream. Alberta’s provincial nomination allocations for 2020 have not yet been released.

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