Alberta invited 250 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination on January 5.

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) invited candidates who had Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores of at least 327.

Invited candidates may be eligible for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Express Entry stream. If they get the nomination, they will be one step closer to Canadian permanent residence. Provincial nominees can apply for Canadian immigration to the federal under the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). Express Entry candidates with provincial nominations get boosted to the top of the pool, and are primed to receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence.

News of the draw comes nearly a week after Alberta announced its new Accelerated Tech Pathway.

How to immigrate through the Alberta Express Entry stream

The first step to immigrating through the Alberta Express Entry stream is to create an Express Entry profile.

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.

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. The PNP provides an opportunity for Express Entry candidates with lower CRS scores to get an automatic 600-point award. So, if the lowest-scoring candidates in the new Alberta draw receive the provincial nomination, their new CRS scores will be 951.

Who is eligible for the Alberta Express Entry Stream

If you want to apply for 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. The provincial government website says these applications may take longer to process as there is a high volume of applications.

Certain factors increase your likelihood of being nominated, like having work experience, a Canadian education, or a job offer in Alberta. It also helps to have a family member already living in Alberta, such as a parent, child, or sibling.

It goes without saying you will also need to meet the eligibility requirements for Express Entry. The minimum CRS score you need to be considered is 300. You may get an invitation, called a “Notification of Interest,” if you stated in your profile that you have an interest in moving permanently to Alberta.

What happens after I receive the NOI?

You apply for a provincial nomination from Alberta.

If you get the nomination, it comes with a bonus 600 points added to your base CRS score. Then when you get an Invitation to Apply (ITA) from a subsequent Express Entry draw, you can apply for Canadian immigration.