Alberta Invites 743 Candidates Through Opportunity Stream

Alberta has invited 743 candidates to apply for provincial nomination through the Alberta Opportunity Stream, marking one of the province’s largest immigration selections of the year.

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) conducted two draws between August 14 and 19, inviting a combined 767 candidates. The Alberta Opportunity Stream accounted for 743 invitations, while another 24 went to candidates through the Dedicated Health Care Pathway for applicants outside Express Entry.

Two draws target different candidates

The August 14 Alberta Opportunity Stream draw invited 743 candidates. Applicants needed a minimum score of 58.

The August 19 Dedicated Health Care Pathway draw issued 24 invitations, with a minimum score of 60. It was the eighth healthcare-focused draw conducted by Alberta this year.

The latest healthcare draw had the lowest number of invitations for this type of selection so far in 2026.

Together, the two selections brought the AAIP’s total number of provincial immigration draws to 71.

Opportunity Stream leads 2026 selections

The Alberta Opportunity Stream accounted for 96.9 per cent of the invitations issued in the two latest draws.

As of August 25, Alberta had issued at least 11,982 invitations to candidates seeking provincial nomination during 2026.

The province has also identified healthcare as one of its immigration priorities this year. Other priority areas include construction, technology and manufacturing.

Alberta increases nomination allocation

Alberta recently received an additional 200 nomination spaces, increasing its 2026 allocation from 6,403 to 6,603.

As of August 25, the province had issued 4,560 nominations, leaving 2,043 spaces available.

The Alberta Opportunity Stream has the largest allocation, with 3,562 spaces. Alberta had issued 2,551 nominations through the stream, leaving 1,011.

The Rural Renewal Stream has 1,057 spaces, with 628 nominations issued and 429 remaining. The Tourism and Hospitality Stream has 156 spaces, of which 140 had been used.

The Dedicated Health Care Pathways have 518 spaces, with 284 nominations issued and 234 remaining.

The Alberta Express Entry Accelerated Tech Pathway has 619 spaces, with 422 nominations issued. The Priority sector draws and initiatives also have 619 spaces, with 495 nominations issued.

Alberta has separately used supplementary nomination spaces for 50 practice-ready physicians and 12 Francophone candidates.

Thousands remain in the EOI pool

The AAIP also reported 36,255 Worker Expression of Interest profiles in its pool as of August 25.

The Alberta Opportunity Stream represented about 62.5 per cent of those profiles, with 22,648 candidates waiting in the pool.

Across all streams, 1,335 nomination applications were awaiting a final decision.

The Alberta Opportunity Stream had 530 applications awaiting processing. The Rural Renewal Stream had 94, while the Accelerated Tech Pathway had 189.

The Priority sector draws and initiatives had 256 applications awaiting processing. The Dedicated Health Care Pathways had 42, and Tourism and Hospitality had seven.

Entrepreneur streams had 217 applications awaiting processing, although they are handled separately from the Worker Expression of Interest pool.