Last updated: September 23, 2026. Draw and allocation data is from the AAIP processing information page (updated September 9, 2026).
The short version
- The Alberta Express Entry Stream lets Alberta nominate people who are already in the federal Express Entry pool. A nomination adds 600 CRS points.
- The minimum CRS is only 300, but your job matters more than your score. Alberta invites people in specific pathways and priority sectors.
- You can’t apply directly. You submit a Worker Expression of Interest ($135), wait to be invited, then apply ($1,500).
- Draw scores like “60” are Alberta EOI points out of 100, not CRS scores.
If you are in the Express Entry pool with a CRS score in the 400s, the federal draws in 2026 can feel out of reach. Canadian Experience Class draws have needed 507 or more all year. A provincial nomination changes that completely. Alberta’s Express Entry Stream is one of the more active routes to get one, but it works differently from what many people expect.
What is the Alberta Express Entry Stream?
It is part of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), Alberta’s Provincial Nominee Program. It is linked to the federal Express Entry system.
Here is how the whole path works:
- You have an active federal Express Entry profile.
- Alberta invites you to apply for a provincial nomination.
- If Alberta nominates you, your CRS score goes up by 600 points.
- You then receive an invitation in a federal PNP draw. In 2026, those draws have had cut-offs between 697 and 805, which nominees reach easily.
- You apply to IRCC for permanent residence.
For more on how federal draws work this year, see our guide to Express Entry 2026 draws and the proposed CRS overhaul.
Who is eligible?
According to Alberta.ca, every applicant must meet these minimum requirements:
- An active Express Entry profile in the federal pool
- Eligibility for one federal program: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker, or Federal Skilled Trades
- A CRS score of at least 300
- A primary occupation that fits a specific pathway or a provincial priority
- A real intention to live and work permanently in Alberta
You are not eligible if your occupation is on the AAIP’s ineligible occupations list, if you are a refugee claimant or in a removal process, or if you already have an active AAIP nomination or application.
Keep your Express Entry profile alive
Alberta says you may be less likely to be invited if your Express Entry profile expires in 5 months or less. Profiles last 12 months, so if yours is getting old, consider creating a new one.
The pathways and priority sectors
Alberta does not invite people at random from the Express Entry pool. In 2026, invitations go to these groups:
1. Accelerated Tech Pathway
For tech workers with a job in Alberta. You must be working full-time in Alberta, or have a signed job offer, in an eligible tech occupation. Your employer’s main business must also be in Alberta’s tech industry, based on a list of eligible industry (NAICS) codes. Alberta notes that its eligible occupations now include jobs that support data centres.
Part-time, casual, seasonal, contract, and agency workers are not eligible. Neither are people who work remotely for an Alberta company from outside Alberta. An initial Accelerated Tech Pathway web form is also required.
2. Dedicated Health Care Pathway
For health care workers with an Alberta job offer who are licensed to practise in an eligible health care profession. There is an Express Entry option and a non-Express Entry option. Both get faster processing.
3. Law Enforcement Pathway
A very small pathway for police officers recruited from abroad by a member of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police. It has an allocation of just 12 nominations in 2026.
4. Priority sector draws
This is where many people without a tech or health care job offer fit in. Your primary occupation in Express Entry must be in a targeted sector. In 2026, these draws have covered agriculture, manufacturing, health care, construction, aviation, and skilled trades connected to those sectors.
How to apply, step by step
Step 1: Submit a Worker Expression of Interest (WEOI). You do this in the AAIP portal with an Alberta.ca account. Since April 7, 2026, it costs $135. Your WEOI is scored out of 100 and stays in the pool for 12 months. You can only have one.
Step 2: Wait for an invitation. Alberta holds draws as needed. There is no fixed schedule. If you are selected, you get an email and have 15 days to start your application. Alberta may invite you to a different stream than the one you chose.
Step 3: Apply and pay. After you start, you have 30 days to submit your application and upload documents. The application fee is $1,500 and is not refunded, even if you are declined.
Step 4: Get a decision. If approved, you receive a nomination certificate. You then accept the nomination in your Express Entry profile, and the 600 points are added.
Alberta checks everything you declared in your WEOI. If you claim points you cannot prove, your application can be declined, and you can be banned from the AAIP for a period of time. Alberta also warns that it only emails from @gov.ab.ca addresses, and that employers are not allowed to charge you for a job offer.
Alberta EOI points: calculate your score
There is no official online calculator, but Alberta publishes its Worker EOI points grid. You can work out your score with this summary:
| Factor | How points are given | Max |
|---|---|---|
| Education level | Doctorate 12, master’s 10, bachelor’s or trades certificate 7, diploma 4 | 12 |
| Where you studied | Highest education completed in Alberta 10, elsewhere in Canada 6 | 10 |
| Language | English CLB 6+ gives 10 (CLB 5: 8, CLB 4: 5). Based on your lowest skill. Bilingual bonus 3 | 13 |
| Total work experience | 12+ months 11, 6–11 months 7, under 6 months 3 | 11 |
| Canadian work experience | 6+ months in Alberta 10, in another province 6 | 10 |
| Age | 21–34: 5, 35–49: 4, 18–20 or 50+: 3 | 5 |
| Family in Alberta | Parent, child, or sibling who is a citizen or PR | 8 |
| Alberta job offer | Permanent full-time offer 10, plus 6 for rural endorsement, tourism, or law enforcement | 16 |
| Job location | Outside the Calgary and Edmonton areas 5, inside them 0 | 5 |
| Regulated occupation | Job offer in a regulated job, and you hold the Alberta licence or trade certificate | 10 |
| Total | 100 |
You need at least CLB 4 in all four abilities to submit a WEOI. Check the official points grid PDF on Alberta.ca before you submit, as details can change.
Look at where the points come from. Alberta experience, an Alberta job offer, and working outside Calgary and Edmonton are worth a lot. That is why most people invited are already working in the province.
Alberta Express Entry Stream draws in 2026
Here is every Alberta Express Entry draw from January to September 9, 2026, grouped by pathway. The minimum scores are WEOI points out of 100.
| Pathway | Draws | Invitations | Minimum score range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Priority sectors | 20 | About 990 | 47–66 |
| Accelerated Tech Pathway | 10 | 1,366 | 55–63 |
| Dedicated Health Care – Express Entry | 8 | 481 | 55–64 |
| Law Enforcement Pathway | 4 | Fewer than 10 each | 46–58 |
Priority sector draws by sector
| Sector | Draws | Minimum scores seen |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | 5 | 48–56 |
| Manufacturing | 5 | 50–56 |
| Construction (and related trades) | 5 | 59–65 |
| Health care | 4 | 55–66 |
| Aviation and skilled trades | 1 | 47 |
Most recent Alberta Express Entry draws
| Date | Pathway | Min. score | Invitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 9 | Dedicated Health Care – Express Entry | 60 | 51 |
| Sep 3 | Accelerated Tech Pathway | 60 | 96 |
| Aug 12 | Dedicated Health Care – Express Entry | 60 | 57 |
| Aug 7 | Priority Sectors (Agriculture) | 55 | 38 |
| Aug 6 | Accelerated Tech Pathway | 60 | 95 |
| Aug 4 | Priority Sectors (Health Care) | 66 | 50 |
| Jul 21 | Priority Sectors (Construction) | 65 | 53 |
| Jul 16 | Priority Sectors (Agriculture) | 56 | 29 |
| Jul 10 | Law Enforcement Pathway | 52 | Fewer than 10 |
| Jul 8 | Accelerated Tech Pathway | 55 | 149 |
A score above the minimum is not enough
Alberta says the EOI score is not the only factor in its draws, and it does not publish all of its draw parameters. It also looks at your occupation, sector, job offer, and other details. So a score of 62 does not mean you will be picked in a draw that went down to 60.
How many spots are left in 2026?
Alberta has 6,603 nominations for 2026 across all AAIP streams. As of September 9, it had issued 4,864. For the Express Entry pathways:
| Pathway | 2026 allocation | Issued | Remaining | EOIs in pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Accelerated Tech | 619 | 447 | 172 | 2,039 |
| Priority sectors and other initiatives | 619 | 527 | 92 | 5,067 |
| Law Enforcement | 12 | Fewer than 10 | — | 46 |
| Dedicated Health Care (EE and non-EE combined) | 518 | 310 | 208 | 1,302 |
The numbers are sobering for priority sectors. Only 92 nominations were left, with over 5,000 people in that part of the pool. Alberta was also still assessing applications it received in mid-to-late June, so expect a few months of processing after you apply.
There is one exception worth knowing. In 2026, Ottawa made extra spaces available to all provinces for practice-ready physicians and French speakers. Alberta says nominations for people who meet those federal criteria do not count against its 6,603 limit. For French speakers, that means CLB/NCLC 5 in French across all four skills, in any AAIP-eligible occupation.
Is this stream right for you?
It is a strong option if you already work in Alberta in tech, health care, construction, manufacturing, or agriculture, especially outside Calgary and Edmonton. You probably have the Alberta experience and job offer points that drive invitations.
It is harder if you live outside Canada. You are technically eligible if you qualify for a federal program and your occupation is in a priority sector. But without Alberta experience or an Alberta job offer, you miss out on up to 31 job-offer points and up to 10 points for Alberta work experience, and most invited candidates score 55 or more. If you are moving from the U.S. or elsewhere, a job offer from an Alberta employer is usually the first step.
If you are a nurse or other health worker, compare this with the federal healthcare category too. Our guide to Express Entry category-based selection shows how often that category has been drawn in 2026.
If you already have a provincial nomination application in process and live in a smaller Alberta community, you may also want to read about the 2026 In-Canada Workers Initiative. It speeds up some PNP-based PR applications for people who have lived outside large urban areas for two years.
The Alberta Express Entry Stream is not a lottery and not a shortcut for everyone. It rewards people who are already building a life in Alberta. If that is you, submitting a WEOI is a low-cost step. If it isn’t yet, the best preparation is an Alberta job offer, a strong language score, and patience with a program that changes its priorities often.
Sources: Alberta.ca pages “Alberta Express Entry Stream,” “Alberta Express Entry Stream – Eligibility,” “How to apply to AAIP worker streams,” “AAIP processing information” (updated September 9, 2026), and the Worker EOI Points Grid (version dated August 7, 2025); IRCC Express Entry rounds data. This article is general information, not immigration advice.
