Alberta PNP holds largest draw ever with CRS cutoff at 300

Alberta invited 500 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on September 7.

Following two large draws in August, the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) held its largest draw to date. The previous record was 473 in March 2019.

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Invited candidates were in the Express Entry system, and their score had to be at least 300, the minimum requirement to qualify for the Alberta Express Entry stream.

Alberta has now invited 4,507 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination since it resumed invitation rounds in January 2021. It had taken a temporary hiatus in the latter months of 2020. Alberta is allowed to issue 6,250 nomination certificates in 2021.

How does the Alberta Express Entry Stream work?

The Alberta Express Entry stream is an enhanced Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It allows the provincial government to search the federal government’s Express Entry pool of candidates for profiles of people who may be eligible for a provincial nomination.

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.

Alberta Express Entry Stream Eligibility

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 drivers, 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 helps too. Also, having a parent, child, or sibling who is a permanent resident or citizen in Alberta supports your application.

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