Over the past three weeks, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) has conducted six provincial immigration draws between February 26 and mid-March, issuing more than 1,400 invitations to eligible candidates.
These invitations were distributed across multiple streams, including the Alberta Opportunity Stream, Rural Renewal Stream, Alberta Express Entry Stream for priority sectors such as healthcare, the Accelerated Tech Pathway, and the Dedicated Health Care pathway for non-Express Entry candidates.
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As of now, the AAIP has held a total of 18 draws in 2026, with the majority of invitations going to candidates under the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
Draw highlights (February 26 to March 16)
Most of the recently published draws took place in March, with Alberta focusing heavily on rural immigration and professionals in high-demand sectors like healthcare and technology.
The number of invitations and minimum cutoff scores varied across draws. Notably, around 57.5% of the 1,447 invitations issued during this period were allocated through the Alberta Opportunity Stream, making it the dominant pathway.
A key milestone was the March 16 draw, which marked Alberta’s first Express Entry draw in 2026 specifically targeting healthcare as a priority sector.
Provincial nomination updates
For 2026, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has allocated 6,403 nomination spaces to Alberta. As of March 17, the province has already issued 1,127 nominations, leaving 5,276 spots still available.
At the same time, 1,253 applications are currently under processing across all AAIP streams and pathways. So far this year, Alberta has issued at least 3,956 invitations to apply for provincial nomination through its 18 draws.
Nomination distribution by stream
The Alberta Opportunity Stream continues to account for the largest share of nominations, representing 53.5% of the total allocation. Other key pathways include the Rural Renewal Stream, Dedicated Health Care pathways, and the Accelerated Tech Pathway under Express Entry.
While several streams such as law enforcement and entrepreneur pathways have issued fewer nominations so far, a significant number of slots remain open across most categories.
Expression of Interest (EOI) pool and application inventory
As of March 17, Alberta reported 43,871 worker profiles in its Expression of Interest pool, excluding entrepreneur streams. A substantial 63.7% of these candidates are in the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
In terms of processing, over 1,250 applications are currently in the inventory, with the majority again coming from the Alberta Opportunity Stream. Other streams such as tech, healthcare, and rural renewal also have active applications under review.
Key focus areas for 2026
Alberta has made it clear that it will prioritize candidates working in high-demand industries, including healthcare, technology, construction, manufacturing, aviation, and agriculture.
Rural immigration is also a major priority this year. Through the Rural Renewal Stream, the province is actively targeting candidates with valid job offers in designated communities to address labor shortages and support regional growth.
