Who Alberta is inviting for PR in 2026? Well, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) has shared its nomination numbers for 2026. The allocation is the same as its revised 2025 total after the increase.
For 2026, the federal government has given the AAIP 6,403 nomination spaces. This is about a 31% increase compared to the program’s original 2025 allocation of 4,875.
The AAIP published details about its 2026 nomination numbers and how they will be used on its “processing information” page on January 13, 2026.
In adds of the time of writing, the AAIP has already issued 111 nominations from its 2026 allocation.
Alberta is the fourth province or territory to release its 2026 nomination numbers, after Saskatchewan, British Columbia, and Yukon.
How Will Alberta Use Its 2026 Nomination Spaces?
Alberta is one of the few provinces that clearly shares how many nominations will be issued under each stream.
So far, Alberta is the only province to publish a full breakdown by stream.
The table below shows how many nominations the AAIP plans to issue through each stream, and how many have already been issued as of January 13.
More than half, about 53%, of Alberta’s 2026 nominations have been set aside for the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
| Stream | Nomination Allocation | Nominations Already Issued | Remaining Nominations |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | 3,425 | 70 | 3,355 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | 1,000 | <10 | N/A |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathways (Express Entry and non-Express Entry) | 500 | <10 | N/A |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | 150 | 10 | 140 |
| Alberta Express Entry Stream | Accelerated Tech Pathway: 600 | Accelerated Tech Pathway: <10 | N/A |
| Law Enforcement Pathway: 38 | Law Enforcement Pathway: <10 | N/A | |
| Priority sectors and other initiatives: 600 | Priority sectors and other initiatives: 16 | 584 | |
| Entrepreneur Streams | 90 | <10 | N/A |
The AAIP has stated that this breakdown may change at any time without notice. Nominations can be moved between streams and pathways based on program needs.
Which Candidates Will Alberta Prioritize In 2026?
In 2026, Alberta plans to focus on workers in key industries, including
- Healthcare
- Technology
- Construction
- Manufacturing
- Aviation
- Agriculture
These priority areas are mostly the same as in 2025, except for manufacturing, which has been added. This shows that Alberta is facing a growing shortage of workers in manufacturing.
Along with these industries, Alberta will also give priority to candidates who have valid job offers in communities included under the Rural Renewal Stream.
While these are Alberta’s main focus areas for 2026, they are not the only ones. The province may still invite candidates from other occupations and sectors.
Extra Nominations Beyond Alberta’s Main Allocation
In 2026, the federal government has set aside 10,000 immigration spaces across all Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) for two special groups of candidates, whether they are inside or outside Canada:
- Licensed and practice-ready doctors with job offers (5,000)
- French-speaking foreign nationals (5,000)
Any nominations issued to doctors or French-speaking candidates under these federal initiatives will not count toward a province’s regular nomination allocation.
Because of this, Alberta is likely to issue more than 6,403 nominations in 2026. This will allow the province to welcome more doctors and French-speaking residents.
To qualify under these special initiatives, candidates must meet the following conditions:
- Physicians: Must have a job offer in one of the eligible National Occupational Classification (NOC) codes (31100, 31101, or 31102) and must be practice ready by meeting Alberta’s Dedicated Healthcare Pathway requirements.
- Francophones: Must work in an AAIP-eligible NOC and show a minimum NCLC level 5 in all four language skills.
These initiatives fit within Alberta’s existing immigration program. No new streams or pathways have been created for them.
At this time, it is not clear how the 10,000 federal spaces will be divided among provinces and territories. Alberta has said it will publish confirmed nomination numbers once IRCC provides official details for both Express Entry and non-Express Entry pathways.
Expressions Of Interest And Applications Waiting For Processing
Expressions Of Interest
As of January 13, Alberta had 45,659 worker Expressions of Interest (EOIs) in its pool that are eligible for selection draws. The breakdown by stream and pathway is shown below:
| Stream | Number Of EOIs |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | 28,377 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | 3,248 |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathways (Express Entry and non-Express Entry) | 1,505 |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | 5,139 |
| Alberta Express Entry Stream | Accelerated Tech Pathway: 2,752 |
| Law Enforcement Pathway: 87 | |
| Family Connection and Occupation in Demand Pathway: 299 | |
| Priority sectors and other initiatives: 4,252 |
Note: In early 2025, Alberta announced that from March 17, 2025, it would stop inviting candidates under this pathway. However, applicants may still claim points for having a qualifying family connection in Alberta.
Applications Waiting To Be Processed
As of January 13, Alberta had 1,386 applications waiting to be processed across all streams. The breakdown by stream and pathway is shown below:
| Stream | Number of applications to be processed |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | 741 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | <10 |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathways (Express Entry and non-Express Entry) | 29 |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | 73 |
| Alberta Express Entry Stream | Accelerated Tech Pathway: 88 |
| Law Enforcement Pathway: <10 | |
| Priority sectors and other initiatives: 124 | |
| Entrepreneur Streams | 246 |
A Brief Look At Alberta’s 2025 Nomination Numbers
In 2025, the AAIP held 77 draws. Out of these, 38 draws focused on candidates under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.
Even with many Express Entry draws, most nominations last year were issued through the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
According to recent data from the AAIP, Alberta issued 6,603 nominations in 2025. This total includes extra nominations provided by IRCC through a small Express Entry administrative overage.
More than 85% of all nominations issued in 2025 were given to temporary foreign workers who were already living and working in Alberta.
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