Alberta PNP draw: Minimum CRS cut off at 302

Alberta held a new draw on April 6, inviting Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

Through the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), the Province invited a total of 200 Express Entry candidates to apply for the Alberta Express Entry stream. The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score requirement was 302, one point more than the previous two draws.

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In order to be invited in Alberta’s new Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) draw, candidates needed to have a profile in the Express Entry system.

Express Entry is Canada’s application management system for the three Federal High Skilled immigration pathways, which include the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Federal Skilled Trades Program, and the Canadian Experience Class.

If you are eligible for Express Entry, you will get a score based on the CRS, which awards points for a candidate’s age, education, work experience, language ability in English or French, and others.

Canada’s immigration department, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) regularly holds Express Entry draws, inviting the highest-scoring candidates to apply for permanent residence.

It is possible to immigrate through the Express Entry system without a provincial nomination, however, people who have lower CRS scores may opt for a PNP. Provincial nominees automatically get 600 points added to their overall score, more than enough to be invited in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

If the lowest-scoring candidates in the new Alberta draw receive the nomination, their new CRS scores will be 902.

Alberta Express Entry Stream

This enhanced PNP is for Express Entry candidates who have strong ties to Alberta, or who can support the government’s economic development and diversification priorities. During the pandemic, Alberta is only considering candidates who are already living and working in the province.

Candidates also need to have work experience in an eligible occupation. The AINP only provides a list of occupations that are ineligible for the stream’s requirements.

On November 1, 2020, the federal government increased the number of occupations that are not eligible to apply for a Labour Market Impact Assessment in Alberta. However, candidates who received an invitation on or after November 1, 2020 can still be selected through the Alberta Express Entry Stream, even if they are working in an occupation that the federal government will not process an LMIA for.

Alberta was allowed to issue 6,250 nomination certificates in 2020. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the province reduced their allocation to 4,000 nominations. All of these nominations were issued by June 2020, which is why there were no draws for the second half of the year.

The AINP has not yet released the number of provincial nomination allocations for Alberta in 2021.

Find Out if You’re Eligible for Canadian Immigration