Alberta Selects 367 Immigrants in New Round of Targeted Provincial Invitations

Five AAIP Selections Took Place in August

August 17, 2026
CIC News Update
Alberta, PNP
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Alberta has expanded its latest provincial immigration activity by selecting hundreds of prospective immigrants across several strategically important sectors.

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) issued 367 invitations between August 4 and August 12, 2026. The selections covered healthcare, agriculture, technology and rural employment, showing that the province continues to use occupation-specific and pathway-based immigration to respond to workforce needs.

The latest rounds also bring Alberta’s immigration activity for 2026 to a significant level, with more selection rounds expected as the province works through its remaining nomination capacity.

Also Read Alberta Holds Five Immigration Draws, Inviting 367 Workers Across Key Sectors

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Five AAIP Selections Took Place in August

Rather than conducting a single general draw, Alberta divided its latest invitations among five different pathways.

The selections were designed to identify candidates who meet the requirements of specific economic sectors or settlement-focused programs. The minimum scores varied considerably depending on the pathway used.

Date	Selection Category	Invitations	Minimum Score
August 12, 2026	Dedicated Health Care Pathway – Express Entry	57	60
August 11, 2026	Rural Renewal Stream	127	51
August 7, 2026	Alberta Express Entry – Agriculture Priority	38	55
August 6, 2026	Accelerated Tech Pathway	95	60
August 4, 2026	Alberta Express Entry – Health Care Priority	50	66

The Rural Renewal Stream produced the biggest selection, accounting for 127 invitations. The Accelerated Tech Pathway followed with 95 invitations.

Combined, the five rounds selected 367 candidates who can now proceed toward Alberta provincial nomination, provided they complete the required application process and continue to meet program conditions.

Health Professionals Receive Two Targeted Selections

Healthcare continues to be one of Alberta’s prominent immigration priorities.

The province conducted two healthcare-focused selections during this period. The first took place on August 4 through the Alberta Express Entry priority-sector initiative, when 50 candidates were invited with a minimum score of 66.

Eight days later, another 57 candidates were selected through the Dedicated Health Care Pathway under Express Entry. That round required a minimum score of 60.

The August 4 selection is particularly noteworthy because its score threshold of 66 was the highest minimum score recorded in Alberta’s healthcare-focused draws of this type during 2026 up to that point.

Technology Workers Continue to Find Opportunities

Alberta also maintained its focus on skilled professionals in the technology sector.

On August 6, the province selected 95 candidates through the Accelerated Tech Pathway. Applicants needed a minimum score of 60 to receive an invitation in that round.

The continued use of a dedicated technology pathway indicates that Alberta is seeking to attract workers with skills that can contribute to the province’s growing digital and technology-driven economy.

For technology professionals considering Canada, Alberta’s targeted selections can therefore offer an alternative to relying exclusively on federal Express Entry invitations.

Agriculture and Rural Immigration Remain Important

Agriculture was another sector included in the latest selection activity.

The August 7 Alberta Express Entry round invited 38 candidates under the province’s agriculture priority category. The minimum score was 55.

At the same time, Alberta selected 127 candidates through the Rural Renewal Stream. This pathway is designed around regional workforce and settlement needs, making it particularly relevant to candidates prepared to establish themselves in eligible communities outside Alberta’s largest population centres.

The latest figures demonstrate that Alberta’s immigration strategy extends beyond major metropolitan employment hubs and includes efforts to strengthen labour supply in smaller communities.

AAIP Has Issued More Than 11,000 Invitations in 2026

With the latest selections included, Alberta had conducted 69 provincial immigration draws by August 12, 2026.

The AAIP had issued at least 11,215 invitations during the year to candidates seeking a provincial nomination.

For candidates connected to Express Entry, obtaining a provincial nomination through an enhanced stream can significantly improve their position in the federal selection system because the nomination contributes a substantial number of additional CRS points.

However, an invitation from Alberta does not automatically result in permanent residence. Candidates must still submit the necessary documentation and meet the requirements of both the provincial and federal immigration processes.

Alberta Now Has 2,419 Nomination Spaces Remaining

Alberta’s 2026 nomination capacity was recently increased after the federal government approved an additional 200 spaces.

The province’s allocation therefore rose from 6,403 to 6,603 nominations for the year.

By August 12, Alberta had used 4,184 of those spaces. This left 2,419 nomination places available for the remainder of 2026.

How Alberta’s Nomination Allocation Has Been Used

AAIP Stream	2026 Allocation	Nominations Issued	Remaining
Alberta Opportunity Stream	3,562	2,268	1,294
Rural Renewal Stream	1,057	622	435
Tourism and Hospitality Stream	156	134	22
Dedicated Health Care Pathways	518	256	262
Accelerated Tech Pathway	619	408	211
Law Enforcement Pathway	12	<10	N/A
Priority Sector Draws/Initiatives	619	456	163
Entrepreneur Streams	60	33	27

The Alberta Opportunity Stream has consumed the largest portion of the province’s available nomination capacity, with 2,268 nominations issued from an allocation of 3,562.

Alberta has also made use of supplementary spaces outside its regular PNP allocation. These include nominations for 50 practice-ready physicians and 12 French-speaking candidates.

Nearly 37,000 Worker Profiles Are in the EOI Pool

The number of candidates seeking selection remains substantially higher than the number of invitations available.

As of August 12, Alberta reported 36,932 Worker Expressions of Interest in its pool. The Alberta Opportunity Stream represented the overwhelming majority of these profiles, with 23,291 submissions.

Other pathways also had thousands of candidates waiting for consideration, highlighting the level of competition within the AAIP.

Pathway	Worker EOIs	Applications Awaiting Final Decision
Alberta Opportunity Stream	23,291	627
Rural Renewal Stream	1,728	61
Tourism and Hospitality Stream	3,490	15
Dedicated Health Care Pathways	1,335	42
Accelerated Tech Pathway	2,046	211
Law Enforcement Pathway	51	N/A
Priority Sector Draws/Initiatives	4,991	163
Entrepreneur Streams*	N/A	217

*Entrepreneur programs use a different selection mechanism and are not included in the worker EOI pool.

Over 1,300 Applications Are Still Under Review

Alberta’s selection figures also provide insight into its processing workload.

There were 1,336 nomination applications awaiting a final decision as of August 12. The Alberta Opportunity Stream had the largest number of pending cases at 627.

The Accelerated Tech Pathway followed with 211 applications awaiting decisions, while the priority-sector pathways had 163 pending applications.

This distinction is important for applicants because receiving an invitation is only one stage of the provincial nomination process. Candidates must subsequently submit a complete application, provide supporting evidence and satisfy the applicable program requirements before a nomination can be issued.

Conclusion

Alberta’s latest activity suggests that candidates with experience in priority occupations may continue to benefit from targeted selection strategies.

Healthcare and technology professionals remain visible within the province’s immigration activity, while agriculture workers and candidates interested in rural settlement are also being considered through dedicated pathways.

At the same time, the large number of profiles in Alberta’s EOI system means that simply submitting a profile does not guarantee an invitation.

Candidates should closely examine their occupation, work history, job offer, Express Entry profile, settlement plans and pathway-specific requirements before determining which AAIP option is most appropriate.

With 2,419 nomination spaces still available as of August 12, Alberta retains substantial capacity for additional selections during the rest of 2026. Future draws, however, will depend on provincial priorities, nomination availability and the composition of candidate pools.

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