AINP Express Entry draw invites candidates with CRS score as low as 300

In the last two draws held in the month of October, Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) invited 401 Express Entry candidates to apply for a provincial nomination. In the first of these draws that was held on October 24, a total of 372 candidates with Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score as low as 300 were invited. At the same time, the October 30 draw invited 29 Express Entry candidates with CRS score of 350 or above.

AINP Express Entry

The AINP Express Entry stream allows Alberta to select the candidates with the skills that match the requirements of the province’s labour market from the federal Express Entry pool. The selected candidates are nominated by Alberta for permanent residence in Canada. The nominated candidates also receive an additional 600 CRS score points. With these additional points, they are guaranteed an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent federal Express Entry draw.

AINP Express Entry eligibility

To be eligible for selection through the Alberta Express Entry stream, the candidate must have a valid Express Entry profile. Though a job offer is not mandatory to be invited, priority will be given to those candidates who have any one of the following:

• A job offer from an Alberta employer or work experience in the province
• Graduation from one of the post-secondary institutions of Alberta
• A relative such as a parent or child or sibling living in Alberta

The following factors may reduce a candidate’s chances to be invited:

• The Express Entry profile of the candidate expires within three months
• The candidate’s occupation is on the Ineligible Occupations List of Alberta Opportunity Stream
• The candidate’s occupation is on the list of high-wage and low-wage occupations in Alberta
• The candidate’s occupation has a high volume of submissions across all AINP streams.

AINP Express Entry minimum CRS score
The minimum CRS score required for the candidates to be invited in the October 24 AINP Express Entry draw was as low as 300, while in October 30 draw, the minimum CRS score required was 350. Compared to the minimum CRS score required in the periodic federal Express Entry draws, these are very low. The highest CRS cut-off threshold for a federal Express Entry draw in the year 2019 was 475. However, once the candidates invited by the AINP receive provincial nomination, an additional 600 CRS points are added to their total CRS score. It means their score would be much above the minimum CRS score to be invited in a federal Express Entry draw and they would receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in Canada in the subsequent Express Entry draw.
Canada Provincial Nominee Program is a great option if your CRS score is not likely to meet the minimum requirement for a federal Express Entry draw. All you need to do for finding out the most viable immigration pathway for you is to fill our free assessment form!