Largest PNP Draw by Alberta broke records at 300 CRS cut off

On September 7, Alberta invited 500 Express Entry candidates to file for a provincial nomination. The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) staged its largest draw to date in September, following two large draws in August. The previous high was 473 in March of this year. Candidates that were invited had to be in the Express Entry system and have a minimum score of 300 to be eligible for the Alberta Express Entry stream.

Since the invitation rounds commenced in January 2021, Alberta has invited 4,507 Express Entry candidates to file for a provincial nomination. It came to a halt in the latter months of 2020. Alberta will be authorised to give out 6,250 nomination certificates in 2021.

How does the Alberta Express Entry Stream of immigration work? 

The Alberta Express Entry programme is a more advanced version of the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). It enables the provincial government to scan the federal government's Express Entry pool of candidates for candidates who might be qualified for a provincial nomination.

Express Entry is the application management system for the Canadian Experience Class, the Federal Skilled Worker Program, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. If you are eligible for Express Entry, you will be granted a score based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Your age, education, employment experience, English or French language skills, and other factors all contribute to your point total.

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Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canada's immigration service, organises Express Entry drawings on a regular basis, inviting the top-scoring individuals to apply for permanent residency.

Through the Express Entry system, it is possible to immigrate without a provincial nomination; however, individuals with lower CRS scores may choose to file for a PNP. The overall score of provincial nominees is automatically increased by 600 points. If the lowest-scoring candidates in the new Alberta lottery are nominated, their new CRS scores will be 901, which will be more than enough to be invited to the next Express Entry draw.

What is the Eligibility of Alberta Express Entry Stream?

To apply for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Express Entry stream you must have enough working experience in the relevant occupation. The Alberta Immigration Nominee Program provides a list of occupations that do not qualify to be applied for. All the other occupations (apart from the not eligible ones) can therefore be applied for. For example, cooks, transport truck drivers and food service supervisors are a few of the opportunities available to people who apply through this channel.

 Your Express Entry profile should show that you want to move to Alberta. Work experience or a job offer in Alberta, for example, can increase your chances of being nominated. A Canadian education is also beneficial. Having a parent, kid, or sibling who lives in Alberta would also boost your chances of receiving Alberta provincial nomination.