Alberta’s immigration ministry has started 2026 at full throttle. In results released on 22 February 2026, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) confirmed that it issued 441 invitations to apply for provincial nomination between 6 and 19 February. Six separate “targeted” rounds selected candidates from four different pathways: the Rural Renewal Stream; the Accelerated Tech Pathway; the new Law-Enforcement Pathway; and the Priority-Sectors Stream covering construction, manufacturing and agriculture.
The province is clearly leveraging the flexibility Ottawa granted in 2025, which allows provinces to design ultra-specific selection criteria. Minimum scores for an invitation ranged from 61 points in the construction-focused draw to 303 points in the law-enforcement round, illustrating Alberta’s willingness to dip deep into the Express Entry pool when there is a proven labour need in smaller communities.
![Alberta invites 441 candidates across six immigration draws]()
For professionals navigating these evolving immigration pathways, VisaHQ offers tailored visa and immigration documentation support, ensuring candidates compile the right paperwork for work permits, police clearances, and eventual permanent-residence applications. Their dedicated Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides up-to-date checklists and concierge services that can streamline the process for both employees and HR teams.
Employers in rural Alberta have been vocal about chronic vacancies—particularly in health care, agri-food and policing—made worse by the province’s record population growth of nearly 4 percent last year. By splitting invitations across multiple pathways, the province hopes to lessen competition between sectors and accelerate permanent residence for candidates who are already in Alberta on work permits.
For corporate mobility managers, the message is clear: if your assignees have Alberta job offers in tech, policing, skilled trades or designated rural areas, encourage them to watch the AAIP web page closely. Provincial nominations add 600 points to a federal Express Entry profile, virtually guaranteeing permanent residence in the next federal draw and giving employers long-term talent certainty.
The province is clearly leveraging the flexibility Ottawa granted in 2025, which allows provinces to design ultra-specific selection criteria. Minimum scores for an invitation ranged from 61 points in the construction-focused draw to 303 points in the law-enforcement round, illustrating Alberta’s willingness to dip deep into the Express Entry pool when there is a proven labour need in smaller communities.
For professionals navigating these evolving immigration pathways, VisaHQ offers tailored visa and immigration documentation support, ensuring candidates compile the right paperwork for work permits, police clearances, and eventual permanent-residence applications. Their dedicated Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/) provides up-to-date checklists and concierge services that can streamline the process for both employees and HR teams.
Employers in rural Alberta have been vocal about chronic vacancies—particularly in health care, agri-food and policing—made worse by the province’s record population growth of nearly 4 percent last year. By splitting invitations across multiple pathways, the province hopes to lessen competition between sectors and accelerate permanent residence for candidates who are already in Alberta on work permits.
For corporate mobility managers, the message is clear: if your assignees have Alberta job offers in tech, policing, skilled trades or designated rural areas, encourage them to watch the AAIP web page closely. Provincial nominations add 600 points to a federal Express Entry profile, virtually guaranteeing permanent residence in the next federal draw and giving employers long-term talent certainty.
