Alberta PNP draw: CRS cut off stays at 300

Alberta held a new draw on June 16, inviting 184 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) released details of its latest draw today. Invited candidates may be eligible for the Alberta Express Entry stream.

In order to be invited, candidates needed a profile in the Express Entry system with a score of at least 300. It is the second time this month that the province issues invitations with the same minimum score requirement. The previous draw was held on June 5.

Alberta has now invited 2,284 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination since it resumed invitation rounds in January 2021 after a temporary COVID-related hiatus.

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Besides not issuing invitations during several months of the pandemic, the province was also only inviting candidates who were already in the province to apply. A spokesperson for the Alberta government confirmed to CIC News that the AINP has now removed the temporary criteria adjustments made to the Alberta Express Entry Stream in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.

"In addition to candidates living and working in Alberta, candidates may be selected and nominated if they have an Alberta job offer or have experience in an occupation that will contribute to economic development and diversification in our province," Joseph Dow press secretary to the minister of labour and immigration wrote in an email.

"Immigration continues to be a central part of Alberta’s economic and social development, particularly as we recover from the pandemic and global recession. Alberta’s government recognizes the importance of attracting skilled and talented professionals to support job creation and grow Alberta’s economy."

Alberta is allowed to issue 6,250 nomination certificates in 2021. Not everyone invited to apply will receive a provincial nomination, just as not everyone who receives a nomination will be granted permanent residence. This depends on the submitted applications being complete and candidates meeting the eligibility criteria throughout the various stages of the application process.

The province is not required to issue its share of nominations for a given year.

How does the Alberta Express Entry Stream work?

This enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) allows the provincial government to search the federal government's Express Entry pool of candidates for profiles of people who may be eligible for the Alberta Express Entry stream.

The first step is to create a profile in the Express Entry system.

Express Entry is the application management system for the three Federal High Skilled programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker Program, and Federal Skilled Trades Program.

If you are eligible for Express Entry, you will get a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). You get points depending on your age, education, work experience, language ability in English or French, and other factors.

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. If the lowest-scoring candidates in the new Alberta draw receive the nomination, their new CRS scores will be 900, more than enough to be invited in a subsequent Express Entry draw.

Eligibility for an Alberta nomination

In order to be eligible for the provincial nomination through the Alberta Express Entry stream, you need to have work experience in an eligible occupation. The AINP does not provide a list of eligible occupations, rather it offers a list of occupations that are not eligible for the stream.

Many who apply under this stream work as food service supervisors, transport truck driver, and cooks among others.

Your Express Entry profile should indicate that you have an interest in moving to Alberta. Certain factors increase your likelihood of being nominated, like having work experience, or a job offer in Alberta. A Canadian education also helps. It also helps your application if you have a parent, child, or sibling who is a permanent resident or citizen in Alberta.

The point of this particular PNP is to support the province's economic development and diversification priorities.

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