Alberta Gains 200 More PR Nomination Spots for 2026

Alberta will be able to nominate 200 more workers for permanent residence in 2026 after the federal government increased the province’s allocation under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program.

The change raises Alberta’s total nomination allotment to 6,603 from 6,403. The province announced the increase on August 10 and adjusted allocations across several AAIP streams.

More Spots for Key Worker Streams

The Alberta Opportunity Stream received the largest increase, rising by 137 spaces to 3,562 nominations. The Rural Renewal Stream gained 57 spots, bringing its allocation to 1,057.

The Tourism and Hospitality Stream increased by six spaces to 156, while the Dedicated Health Care Pathways rose by 18 to 518. The Accelerated Tech Pathway gained 19 spots, bringing its total to 619, while priority sector draws and initiatives also increased by 19 to 619.

Two categories received fewer places. The Law Enforcement Pathway fell from 38 to 12 nominations, while entrepreneur streams dropped from 90 to 60.

Alberta said the expanded capacity strengthens its “ability to support regional labour market needs and advance key provincial priorities.”

Thousands of Nominations Already Issued

As of July 30, Alberta had issued 3,892 AAIP nominations. It also issued 65 nominations to practice-ready physicians and francophones through separate federal initiatives.

With the revised allocation, the province reported 2,711 nomination spaces still available at the end of July. Among the main streams, 2,085 Alberta Opportunity nominations had already been issued, along with 613 Rural Renewal nominations, 388 Accelerated Tech nominations and 420 nominations through priority sector draws and initiatives.

In 2025, Alberta was allocated 6,603 nominations but ultimately issued 6,750 after receiving a small administrative coverage through Express Entry. It remains unclear whether a similar adjustment will occur this year.

Alberta continues to prioritize rural settlement and workers in healthcare, technology, construction, manufacturing, aviation and agriculture. The province says these remain its main focus areas, although applicants from other sectors can still be considered.

Demand Remains Far Higher Than Supply

Demand remains much higher than the number of spaces available. Alberta reported 36,948 Worker Expressions of Interest in its inventory as of July 30.

The Alberta Opportunity Stream accounted for 23,056 submissions, or 62.4 per cent of the total. Other pools included 4,963 candidates under priority sector draws, 3,558 under tourism and hospitality, 2,136 in the Accelerated Tech Pathway and 1,850 in the Rural Renewal Stream.

Health care pathways had 1,332 expressions of interest, while the Law Enforcement Pathway had only 53.

The size of these pools, along with labour market needs, likely influenced how Alberta redistributed its nomination spaces. The province’s largest increase went to the stream carrying by far the greatest number of expressions of interest.

Canada plans to admit 380,000 new permanent residents in 2026 under its 2026–2028 Immigration Levels Plan. Of those, 91,500 are expected to arrive through provincial nominee programs.

Because Alberta can issue only 6,603 provincial nominations this year, many candidates currently waiting in the AAIP pool may need to remain under consideration for future years.

The additional 200 spaces provide some relief, but they represent only a small share of the nearly 37,000 worker profiles currently waiting.