Between August 4-12, Alberta's AAIP ran five draws issuing 367 invitations across agriculture, healthcare, and tech streams — including the highest healthcare cutoff of 2026 so far.
Alberta kept up its steady drip of small, sector-targeted draws. Between August 4 and August 12, 2026, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) ran five draws and issued 367 invitations to apply (ITAs) for a provincial nomination, according to CIC News. The batch's most notable line: the August 4 healthcare round required the highest minimum score of any healthcare-targeted AAIP draw in 2026.
Here's the full run, newest first:
| Draw date | Stream / pathway | Invitations | Minimum score |
|---|
| August 12 | Dedicated Health Care Pathway — Express Entry | 57 | 60 |
| August 11 | Rural Renewal Stream | 127 | 51 |
| August 7 | Alberta Express Entry Stream — Priority Sectors (Agriculture) | 38 | 55 |
| August 6 | Alberta Express Entry Stream — Accelerated Tech Pathway | 95 | 60 |
| August 4 | Alberta Express Entry Stream — Priority Sectors (Health Care) | 50 | 66 |
Five rounds, 367 ITAs total. Unlike July's batch — where one Alberta Opportunity Stream draw alone accounted for 71% of everything issued — this round spread more evenly across streams. The Rural Renewal Stream took the largest single share at 34.6% of the batch, with its August 11 round of 127 invitations at a minimum score of 51.
The August 4 draw invited 50 candidates through the Alberta Express Entry Stream's Priority Sectors (Health Care) pathway at a minimum score of 66 — the highest cutoff for this specific draw type anywhere in 2026 so far. That's a meaningfully higher bar than the August 12 healthcare round eight days later, which cleared candidates at a score of just 60. Two healthcare-focused rounds in the same week, at different cutoffs and through different pathways (Priority Sectors vs. the Dedicated Health Care Pathway), is a reminder that "healthcare" isn't one lane in Alberta's system — it's several, each with its own scoring and eligibility.
Same reminder as always: the "minimum score" column is Alberta's own Expression of Interest (EOI) score, not your federal Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score. They measure two different pools on two different scales. They connect only at the end — an AAIP nomination through an Express Entry–aligned pathway adds 600 points to your federal CRS, which is effectively a guaranteed invitation at the next Express Entry round.
As of August 12, Alberta had run 69 selection rounds in 2026 and invited at least 11,215 candidates. The province's federal allocation for 2026 was recently increased from 6,403 to 6,603 nominations after Ottawa approved 200 additional spaces. Against that allocation, Alberta reports 4,184 nominations issued, leaving 2,419 slots for the rest of the year.
| Stream/pathway | 2026 allocation | Nominations issued | Remaining |
|---|
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | 3,562 | 2,268 | 1,294 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | 1,057 | 622 | 435 |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | 156 | 134 | 22 |
| Dedicated Health Care Pathways (EE + non-EE) | 518 | 256 | 262 |
| Accelerated Tech Pathway | 619 | 408 | 211 |
| Law Enforcement Pathway | 12 | Fewer than 10 | N/A |
| Priority sector draws/initiatives | 619 | 456 | 163 |
| Entrepreneur streams | 60 | 33 | 27 |
Alberta's worker pool held 36,932 Expressions of Interest (WEOIs) as of August 12, with about 63.1% sitting in the Alberta Opportunity Stream. The province also reported 1,336 nomination applications still awaiting a decision. Separately from its 2026 PNP allocation, Alberta has nominated 50 practice-ready physicians and 12 francophone candidates through supplementary spaces that don't count against the main total.
You work in healthcare: two different lanes opened this batch, at two different cutoffs — 66 for Priority Sectors on August 4, 60 for the Dedicated Health Care Pathway on August 12. Know which pathway your occupation and Express Entry status actually qualify for before assuming either cutoff applies to you.
You're in a rural or small-community job: the Rural Renewal Stream pulled the deepest this round — 127 invitations at a score of 51, the lowest bar in the whole batch and the biggest single draw.
You work in tech: the Accelerated Tech Pathway issued 95 invitations at a minimum score of 60, roughly in line with recent months.
You're weighing Alberta against a federal draw: a provincial nomination is still worth +600 CRS — often the fastest route to permanent residence if your federal score is stuck below the Canadian Experience Class cutoffs that have held above 500 most of the year. See the PNP guide for how the nomination-to-PR path works.
Tip
Alberta can only invite candidates who are actually sitting in its EOI pool on draw day. With the province still holding 2,419 nomination slots and a healthcare cutoff that jumped 6 points in a single week, a stale or expired profile — not a genuinely low score — is the more common reason strong candidates miss a round. Confirm your job offer and language test results are current before the next draw.
Alberta PNP 2026 Guide | Six AAIP draws — July 2026 | PNP Guide | CRS Calculator | All Express Entry Draws | Healthcare Workers Immigration Guide
Disclaimer: This guide is for informational purposes only and does not constitute immigration advice. Always verify information with official IRCC sources and consult a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC) or licensed immigration lawyer for advice specific to your situation.