Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program: Applicants from the Express Entry with Low Scores Invited

The province of Alberta has issued invitations to live and settle permanently through a series of draws conducted in 2019.

So far two draws on September 11 and September 18, 2019, were conducted recently. Out of which applicants with an Express Entry profile and scored as low as 302 points were selected to apply for permanent residence.

Alberta mainly looks for candidates who have skills and abilities to fill job shortages in the province. The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program is an undertaking or partnership between the Alberta provincial government and the federal government of Canada, where the final decision is made by the federal government.

The most interesting fact about the Alberta provincial nominee program is that the selected candidates can apply for permanent residence together with their spouse or common-law partner and dependent children. This solely exemplifies the motto of the Canadian immigration that is “Family reunification”.

The Alberta immigration searches the federal express entry system for suitable applicants who demonstrates strong ties to the province or who can help support the Alberta government’s economic development and diversification priorities were selected.

The applicants who receive a “notification of interest” in the Express Entry profile can only apply to the province.

However, in such cases, it is not mandatory to have a job offer in the province. Having a strong connection in Alberta like:

• A job offer issued by an Albertan employer;
• Any continuous work experience for a minimum of one year in Alberta;
• Graduated from Alberta in a post-secondary institution;
• Blood relatives like parents, children, siblings who are Canadian permanent residents living in Alberta can increase the chances of being invited, but in such cases, the demand for the candidate’s occupation should also satisfy, in order to be selected.

As of September 14, 2019, the details of the nominations are as below:

• Number of nominations that can be issued for the 2019 Calendar year – 6000
• This limit is set by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
• As of September 14, 2019, 4,378 nomination certificates have been issued
• Approximately 1,650 applications await assessment for eligibility
• On September 11, Alberta invited 339 people to apply with scores of 302 in all the streams
• On September 18 issued 139 Notifications were issued to Express Entry candidates with CRS scores as low as 350.

The applicants in the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) may receive a nomination provided they have:

• A positive and active EOI profile in the federal Express Entry System;
• Have notified about the interest in immigrating permanently to the province of Alberta;
• Is employed in any of the occupations that bring significant benefits to the Albertan economy; and
• A minimum Comprehensive Ranking Score of 300.

Like the criteria listed above for increasing the chances of getting an invitation, likewise there are factors that may decrease the chances of receiving a Notification of interest include:

• An active Express Entry profile that may expire in the next three (3) months or lesser than that;
• If the applicant works in the High -Low wage occupation list of the province and without a proper Labour Market Impact assessment;
• Ineligible list of the Alberta Opportunity Stream;
• Or when there is a high volume of application submission flooding the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program stream.

The advantage of a provincial nomination is the additional 600 points awarded to an Express Entry candidate’s Comprehensive Ranking System score, assuring a sure shot of invitation to apply for permanent residence in the next Express Entry invitation round.