Key takeaways
– Alberta held five Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) invitation rounds between October 9 and October 20, 2026, issuing more than 560 invitations in total.
– The largest round came on October 20, 2026, when 386 candidates were invited under the Alberta Express Entry Stream’s Priority Sectors (General) category at a minimum score of 60.
– The other four rounds targeted health care (97 invitations, minimum score 60), the Dedicated Health Care Pathway (53 invitations, minimum score 57), Tourism and Hospitality (25 invitations, minimum score 73), and the Law Enforcement Pathway (fewer than 10 invitations, minimum score 49).
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## What happened
Alberta closed out a busy stretch of provincial selections with five invitation rounds in twelve days. The run began on October 9, 2026, with 97 invitations under the Alberta Express Entry Stream’s Priority Sectors (Health care) category, at a minimum score of 60. On October 13, the province invited 53 candidates through the Dedicated Health Care Pathway, an Express Entry-aligned route, at a minimum score of 57. The next day, October 14, brought 25 invitations under the Tourism and Hospitality Stream at a minimum score of 73, the highest cut-off of the five rounds. On October 16, the Law Enforcement Pathway invited fewer than 10 candidates at a minimum score of 49, the lowest cut-off of the stretch. The sequence closed on October 20 with the biggest round of the group: 386 invitations under the Priority Sectors (General) category at a minimum score of 60.
Taken together, the five rounds issued 561 invitations in the four rounds where Alberta publishes an exact figure, plus fewer than 10 more through the Law Enforcement Pathway, for a total above 560. Alberta does not publish an exact number when a round issues fewer than 10 invitations, which is why the Law Enforcement figure is reported as a range rather than a precise count.
How the AAIP selects candidates
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is Alberta’s provincial nominee program. Candidates begin by submitting an Expression of Interest, and the province invites selected candidates to apply for provincial nomination. Some streams, including the Alberta Express Entry Stream and the Dedicated Health Care Pathway, are aligned with the federal Express Entry system, while others, such as the Tourism and Hospitality Stream, operate outside it. Each stream has its own eligibility rules, and invitations are issued by stream rather than from a single combined pool.
The minimum scores in these rounds are Alberta EOI scores, not federal Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) scores. A minimum score of 60 in one stream cannot be compared directly with a minimum score in another stream, because each stream scores candidates on different criteria. The wide range in this stretch, from 49 in the Law Enforcement Pathway to 73 in Tourism and Hospitality, reflects those different criteria rather than a single rising or falling bar.
What it means for candidates
The October rounds show Alberta selecting across several different labour needs at once: general priority-sector workers, health care workers through two separate pathways, tourism and hospitality workers, and law enforcement candidates. For candidates, the practical lesson is that stream fit matters more than a single score. A candidate who qualifies for a targeted pathway, such as the Dedicated Health Care Pathway or the Law Enforcement Pathway, may face a very different invitation landscape than a candidate in the general priority-sector pool.
The October 20 general round, with 386 invitations, was the largest single AAIP round in this stretch and nearly four times the size of the health care round that opened it. Candidates in the general priority-sector pool should keep their Expression of Interest profiles current, because Alberta does not announce invitation rounds in advance. Candidates who receive an invitation should be ready to submit a complete nomination application within the deadline stated in their invitation, since an invitation is an opportunity to apply, not a nomination itself.
Frequently asked questions
- How many invitations did Alberta issue in the October 9 to 20, 2026 AAIP rounds?
- Alberta issued 561 invitations across the four rounds with published exact figures, plus fewer than 10 more through the Law Enforcement Pathway on October 16, for a total above 560 invitations across five rounds.
- What was the largest AAIP draw in this period?
- The October 20, 2026 Priority Sectors (General) round, which invited 386 candidates at a minimum score of 60.
- Why is the Law Enforcement Pathway invitation count not exact?
- Alberta’s official draw table reports “Less than 10” rather than an exact figure when a round issues fewer than 10 invitations, so the precise number is not published.
- Are AAIP minimum scores the same as Express Entry CRS scores?
- No. AAIP minimum scores are Alberta Expression of Interest scores, scored on Alberta’s own criteria for each stream. They are not federal CRS scores and cannot be compared across streams.
- Does an AAIP invitation mean permanent residence is approved?
- No. An invitation allows a candidate to apply for provincial nomination. Nomination, and then a federal permanent residence application, are separate later steps with their own decisions.
If you are considering Alberta or another provincial nominee program, ImmiQuest Immigration can help you assess which stream fits your profile. Contact us at +1 778-855-4155, info@immiquest.ca, or visit https://immiquest.ca. Vikas Tulashyam, RCIC #R709710.
Official source: https://www.alberta.ca/aaip-processing-information