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AINP - Alberta PNP - Alberta Express Entry (AEE) Stream
The only PNP stream of Alberta aligned with Express Entry that will get you an additional 600 points
Home > Permanent Residence > Provincial Nominee Programs (PNP) > Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) > AINP - Alberta Express Entry (AEE) Stream
The guide below takes a deep look into one of the streams of Alberta's Immigrant Nominee Programs (AINP), the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream. The guide will go through an overview of the stream, its eligibility requirements, how it works, the documentation needed, its cost and processing times.
Overview of the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream
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The Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream is one of Alberta's PNP streams that is aligned with Express Entry, which means that a candidate needs a valid Express Entry profile to be eligible to the stream.
Alberta, through this stream, chooses its future newcomers to the province under a set of specific requirements. |
The AINP goes through all the candidates already in the Express Entry pool, and sends Notification of Interest letters (equivalent to invitations to apply) to the ones whose profile corresponds best to their needs.
The AEE stream has minimum eligibility requirements, however, Alberta does not send Notification of Interest letters to every candidate that meets these minimum criteria. In fact, Alberta conducts periodic AEE draws, and each draw has its own criteria (in addition to the minimum criteria). More information is available in the draw history section of this guide.
If nominated, a candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points in their Express Entry profile, thus guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply.
The AEE stream has minimum eligibility requirements, however, Alberta does not send Notification of Interest letters to every candidate that meets these minimum criteria. In fact, Alberta conducts periodic AEE draws, and each draw has its own criteria (in addition to the minimum criteria). More information is available in the draw history section of this guide.
If nominated, a candidate will receive an additional 600 CRS points in their Express Entry profile, thus guaranteeing an Invitation to Apply.
Eligibility Requirements
As said earlier, meeting these minimum eligibility requirements does not necessarily mean that you will receive a Notification of Interest letter from the AINP. These are other sets of criteria that are specific to each draw (criteria are not disclosed).
There are 5 minimum criteria of eligibility under the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream:
The following adaptability factors may increase the chances of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:
The following factors may decrease (but not necessarily eliminate) the chances of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:
There are 5 minimum criteria of eligibility under the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream:
- Having at a minimum, a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300.
- Meeting the criteria of minimum one of the federal immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class (CEC), Federal Skilled Trades (FST) or Federal Skilled Worker (FSW).
- Having an active Express Entry profile in the pool of candidates.
- Intending to, and being able to work and live in the province of Alberta.
- Currently working and having experience in a job (occupation) that supports the province’s economic development and diversification. There is no available published list of in-demand occupations, but there is some information that could hint to possible in-demand occupations in the province (See In-Demand Occupations section below).
The following adaptability factors may increase the chances of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:
- Having graduated from a post-secondary institution in Alberta and a valid job offer,
- Having a valid job offer and/or work experience in Alberta, and/or
- Having a Canadian citizen or permanent resident immediate family member (parent, child, brother and/or sister) who is currently living in the province of Alberta.
The following factors may decrease (but not necessarily eliminate) the chances of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:
- Having an Express Entry profile expiring in less than 3 months, and/or
- Working in an occupation on the list of (see below for NOC lists):
- Occupations Subject to Alberta Refusal to Process Pilot Project
- Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations
- occupations with a high volume submission across all AINP streams
List of Occupations Subject to Alberta Refusal to Process Pilot Project
- 1221 - Administrative officers
- 1226 - Conference and event planners
- 1227 - Court officers and justices of the peace
- 1241 - Administrative assistants
- 1242 - Legal administrative assistants
- 1253 - Records management technicians
- 1411 - General office support workers
- 1414 - Receptionists
- 1511 - Mail, postal and related workers
- 1526 - Transportation route and crew schedulers
- 2113 - Geoscientists and oceanographers
- 2115 - Other professional occupations in physical sciences
- 2122 - Forestry professionals
- 2131 - Civil engineers
- 2132 - Mechanical engineers
- 2134 - Chemical engineers
- 2141 - Industrial and manufacturing engineers
- 2211 - Chemical technologists and technicians
- 2233 - Industrial engineering and manufacturing technologists and technicians
- 2253 - Drafting technologists and technicians
- 2273 - Deck officers, water transport
- 2274 - Engineer officers, water transport
- 2275 - Railway traffic controllers and marine traffic regulators
- 3214 - Respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists
- 3216 - Medical sonographers
- 3217 - Cardiology technologists and electrophysiological diagnostic technologists, n.e.c.
- 3232 - Practitioners of natural healing
- 3414 - Other assisting occupations in support of health services
- 4012 - Post-secondary teaching and research assistants
- 4021 - College and other vocational instructors
- 4033 - Educational counsellors
- 4111 - Judges
- 4156 - Employment counsellors
- 4166 - Education policy researchers, consultants and program officers
- 4167 - Recreation, sports and fitness policy researchers, consultants and program officers
- 4214 - Early childhood educators and assistants
- 4413 - Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
- 5113 - Archivists
- 5123 - Journalists
- 5125 - Translators, terminologists and interpreters
- 5135 - Actors and comedians
- 5211 - Library and public archive technicians
- 5223 - Graphic arts technicians
- 5224 - Broadcast technicians
- 5225 - Audio and video recording technicians
- 5226 - Other technical and co-ordinating occupations in motion pictures, broadcasting and the performing arts
- 5252 - Coaches
- 5254 - Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness
- 6312 - Executive housekeepers
- 6313 - Accommodation, travel, tourism and related services supervisors
- 6321 - Chefs
- 6322 - Cooks
- 6332 - Bakers
- 6341 - Hairstylists and barbers
- 6411 - Sales and account representatives - wholesale trade (non-technical)
- 6511 - Maîtres d'hôtel and hosts/hostesses
- 6512 - Bartenders
- 6513 - Food and beverage servers
- 6521 - Travel counsellors
- 6522 - Pursers and flight attendants
- 6523 - Airline ticket and service agents
- 6524 - Ground and water transport ticket agents, cargo service representatives and related clerks
- 6525 - Hotel front desk clerks
- 6533 - Casino occupations
- 6552 - Other customer and information services representatives
- 6611 - Cashiers
- 6622 - Store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers
- 6721 - Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities set-up services
- 6731 - Light duty cleaners
- 6741 - Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations
- 6742 - Other service support occupations, n.e.c.
- 7231 - Machinists and machining and tooling inspectors
- 7233 - Sheet metal workers
- 7236 - Ironworkers
- 7237 - Welders and related machine operators (except pressure/alloy welders)
- 7242 - Industrial electricians
- 7294 - Painters and decorators
- 7312 - Heavy-duty equipment mechanics
- 7315 - Aircraft mechanics and aircraft inspectors
- 7321 - Automotive service technicians, truck and bus mechanics and mechanical repairers
- 7331 - Oil and solid fuel heating mechanics
- 7371 - Crane operators (except all-terrain crane operators)
- 7452 - Material handlers
- 7512 - Bus drivers, subway operators and other transit operators
- 7521 - Heavy equipment operators
- 7534 - Air transport ramp attendants
- 7611 - Construction trades helpers and labourers
- 8222 - Contractors and supervisors, oil and gas drilling and services
- 8232 - Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
- 8613 - Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers
- 8615 - Oil and gas drilling, servicing and related labourers
- 9214 - Supervisors, plastic and rubber products manufacturing
- 9222 - Supervisors, electronics manufacturing
- 9235 - Pulping, papermaking and coating control operators
- 9412 - Foundry workers
- 9432 - Pulp mill machine operators
- 9433 - Papermaking and finishing machine operators
- 9434 - Other wood processing machine operators
- 9435 - Paper converting machine operators
- 9436 - Lumber graders and other wood processing inspectors and graders
- 9441 - Textile fibre and yarn, hide and pelt processing machine operators and workers
- 9442 - Weavers, knitters and other fabric making occupations
- 9445 - Fabric, fur and leather cutters
- 9447 - Inspectors and graders, textile, fabric, fur and leather products manufacturing
- 9461 - Process control and machine operators, food and beverage processing
- 9463 - Fish and seafood plant workers
- 9465 - Testers and graders, food and beverage processing
- 9472 - Camera, platemaking and other prepress occupations
- 9474 - Photographic and film processors
- 9521 - Aircraft assemblers and aircraft assembly inspectors
- 9524 - Assemblers and inspectors, electrical appliance, apparatus and equipment manufacturing
- 9533 - Other wood products assemblers and inspectors
- 9617 - Labourers in food and beverage processing
List Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations
- NOC 0011 - Legislators
- NOC 0422 - School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
- NOC 0423 - Managers in social, community and correctional services
- NOC 0432 - Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
- NOC 0651 - Escort agency managers, massage parlour managers
- NOC 4031 - Secondary school teachers
- NOC 4032 - Elementary school and kindergarten teachers
- NOC 4154 - Professional occupations in religion
- NOC 5121 - Authors and writers
- NOC 5133 - Musicians and singers
- NOC 5135 - Actors and comedians
- NOC 5136 - Painters, sculptors and other visual artists
- NOC 1227 - Court officers and justices of the peace
- NOC 3223 - Dental laboratory assistants/bench workers
- NOC 4214 - Early childhood educators who do not have certification through Alberta Children's Services – Child Care Staff Certification Office or who have been certified as child development assistant (formerly Level 1)
- NOC 4216 - Other instructors
- NOC 4217 - Other religious occupations
- NOC 5232 - Other performers, not elsewhere classified
- NOC 5244 - Artisans and craftspersons
- NOC 5251 - Athletes
- NOC 6232 - Real estate agents and salespersons
List of occupations with a high volume submission across all AINP streams
- NOC 0621 - Retail and wholesale trade managers
- NOC 0631 - Restaurant and food service managers
- NOC 1221 - Administrative officers
- NOC 1241 - Administrative assistants
- NOC 1311 - Accounting technicians and bookkeepers
- NOC 4214 - Early childhood educators and assistants
- NOC 6211 - Retail sales supervisors
- NOC 6311 - Food service supervisors
- NOC 7511 – Transport truck drivers
- NOC 6322 - Cooks
Application Process Summary
For a better understanding of the process, below is a list of the steps involved in obtaining Permanent Residence through the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream. Candidates must:
You can check out our 10-step guide for Express Entry for more detailed information and advice.
- Meet the eligibility requirements of the federal FSW, FST or CEC programs.
- Generate their Express Entry profile, and specify their interest in the province by selecting "Alberta" or “All Provinces and Territories”.
- Qualify for the minimum AEE stream eligibility requirements.
- Obtain a Notification of Interest letter directly in their Express Entry profile.
- Email a copy of the letter to the AINP at lbr.pnpoffice@gov.ab.ca within 2 weeks of receiving it, providing your Express Entry profile number and status information about current and past AINP applications/nominations (if applicable).
- The AINP will then send you an email with a link to the AINP portal to submit the application.
- Apply to the AEE stream in the AINP portal by completing the online application and uploading all requested documents.
- Accept the Alberta provincial nomination (after the AINP processes their application) within 30 days of receiving it on their Express Entry profile.
- Obtain an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry profile, and receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA).
- Apply for permanent residence through your Express Entry profile.
You can check out our 10-step guide for Express Entry for more detailed information and advice.
Required Supporting Documents
All required documents must be uploaded through the AINP portal. Specific requirements for documents are explained in detail here.
Application Fees
The fee for the Alberta Express Entry stream is set at 500 CAD. It can only be paid by a credit or debit card. Application fees are non-refundable.
Processing Times
The AINP does not publish processing times information on the Alberta Express Entry stream. You should expect at least 3 months for your application to be processed and could be longer depending on multiple factors such as the application quality (completeness, eligibility, outdated application information/documents), volume of applications received, etc.
Draw History
You can check out our awesome Live PNP Monitor to see the latest news and draw history on the Alberta Express Entry stream, as well as for all the other PNP streams.
Do I have to stay in the Province?
This is a tricky question and there are multiple situations that can happen. You can learn more about this subject on our dedicated article: Can I move to another province?
Does the Stream have In-Demand Jobs?
Some streams target specific NOC codes, meaning that if you have experience in those in-demand jobs, you either (i) have more chances to be invited or (ii) that you can be eligible to the stream.
In the case of the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream, there is no official list of occupations targeted by the province. However, you can check the list of occupation in high demand published the government of Alberta (not the AINP) here.
There is also a list of NOC codes (not official, but gathered from previous candidates) that have been targeted in the relatively recent past in the AEE stream. This list will not of course guarantee you a Notification of Interest letter, but can only serve as guidance :
You can find check about all NOC codes targeted by the other provinces in our in-demand NOC codes article.
In the case of the Alberta Express Entry (AEE) stream, there is no official list of occupations targeted by the province. However, you can check the list of occupation in high demand published the government of Alberta (not the AINP) here.
There is also a list of NOC codes (not official, but gathered from previous candidates) that have been targeted in the relatively recent past in the AEE stream. This list will not of course guarantee you a Notification of Interest letter, but can only serve as guidance :
- NOC 0601 - Corporate sales managers
- NOC 0621 - Retail and wholesale trade managers
- NOC 0631 - Restaurant and food service managers
- NOC 0731 - Managers in transportation
- NOC 1122 - Professional occupations in business management consulting
- NOC 1215 - Supervisors, supply chain, tracking and scheduling co-ordination occupations
- NOC 1221 - Administrative officers
- NOC 1241 - Administrative assistants
- NOC 1242 - Legal administrative assistants
- NOC 1311 - Accounting technicians and bookkeepers
- NOC 2132 - Mechanical engineers
- NOC 2145 - Petroleum engineers
- NOC 2173 - Software engineers and designers
- NOC 2253 - Drafting technologists and technicians
- NOC 2282 - User support technicians
- NOC 3012 - Registered nurses and registered psychiatric nurses
- NOC 4011 - University instructor
- NOC 4214 - Early childhood educators and assistants
- NOC 6235 - Financial sales representatives
- NOC 7245 - Telecommunications line and cable workers
- NOC 7246 - Telecommunications installation and repair workers
- NOC 8232 - Oil and gas well drillers, servicers, testers and related workers
You can find check about all NOC codes targeted by the other provinces in our in-demand NOC codes article.
