Alberta PNP invites immigrants with CRS score as low as 360

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has released the details of the second draw held in January, after months of inaction.

AINP invites 100 immigrants in the provincial draw held on January 28, with the minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score set at 360 points. All the immigrants were invited through AINP’s Express Entry Stream.

The first step to being eligible for a provincial nomination under this Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) is to enter the Express Entry system.

Express Entry is Canada's application management system for all three federal highly skilled immigration streams, which include the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP), the Federal Skilled Trades Program (FSTP), and the Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Eligible immigrant applicants receive a score based on the CRS. Points are awarded for factors that the government believes will help a potential immigrant succeed in the Canadian labor market. These factors include the candidate's age, education, work experience, English or French language skills, etc.

In an approximate, IRCC holds Express entry draws every two weeks to issue invitations to candidates for Canada PR Visa. The top-rated applicants receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in Canada. If approved, they receive confirmation of permanent residence and their final step is to settle in Canada. After that, they are officially permanent residents.

Get a Free Express Entry Assessment

The applicants who get a provincial nomination from Alberta, automatically receive extra 600 CRS points. Since most Express Entry draws have minimum CRS thresholds in the 400s, the extra points effectively ensure that provincial applicants will receive an ITA in a subsequent round of Express Entry invitations.

Basics on Alberta PNP Express Entry stream

Applicants under the Express Entry system have the option of receiving an invitation to apply for a provincial nomination from Alberta, as well as other provinces with PNPs aligned with Express Entry. Candidates must have work experience in an eligible profession that allows them to support Alberta's diversification priorities and economic development.

The AINP provides a list of professions that they will not take into consideration. Any other occupation can be considered.

The federal government has increased the number of professions that are ineligible for the Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) in Alberta on November 1, 2020. However, applicants who received a notice of interest as of November 1, 2020, may be selected through the Alberta Express Entry stream, even if they are in a profession for which the federal government will not process an LMIA. 

Alberta has been authorized to issue 6,250 nomination certificates in 2020. However, due to COVID-19, Alberta has reduced its allocation to 4,000 nominations. All of these nominations were issued in June 2020. This is why there was no draw for the second half of the year.

Alberta has not disclosed the number of nominations allocated to them for the year 2021.