Alberta Advantage Immigration Program – Processing times and inventory

Nomination certificate limits

The following numbers are accurate as of November 14, 2023.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) sets the limits for nomination certificates the AAIP can issue each year. AAIP will be able to issue 9,750 nomination certificates in 2023, split between Express Entry and non-Express Entry pathways (which is subject to change throughout the year). Notional increases to more than 10,000 nomination allocations per year are expected in 2024 and 2025.

These AAIP nomination allocation plans are subject to change without notice. They partially depend on several factors and include fluctuating application volumes and on how nominations can best be allocated to meet Alberta’s labour needs.

Summary of 2023 allocations by AAIP stream or pathway

Table 1. Summary of 2023 allocations by AAIP stream or pathway

9,432 nomination certificates have been issued so far in 2023. The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is on track to use its 9,750 allocated nominations for this year.

We have re-allocated some nominations from lower demand streams to add needed capacity in the Alberta Opportunity Stream and the Rural Renewal Streams. This transfer reflects the increasing demand from temporary workers in the province seeking permanent residence, as well as needs identified by designated communities participating in the Rural Renewal Stream. 

Application volumes and processing

Information on average processing times and dates and application volumes is available to help you determine how long it takes for AAIP to process a complete application for each AAIP stream or pathway.

Approximate volumes, processing times and assessment dates for each AAIP stream or pathway are provided below.

'Assessing' means an AAIP officer was assigned an application to assess and decide if an application is eligible.

The most common factors considered in AAIP application processing include:

• application quality (completeness, eligibility, outdated information or documents)
• volume of applications received
• the date the application was received
• strategic priorities, informed by labour market and economic development information
• the number of nomination certificates remaining for the year

To check the status of your application or business application, go to the 'Check Existing Applications' section of the AAIP portal.

To check the status of your Expression of Interest, go to the ‘Check Existing Expression of Interest’ section of the AAIP portal.

Streams for workers

Table 2. Streams for workers: number of applications, allocations, processing time.

Streams for entrepreneurs

Table 3. Streams for entrepreneurs: processing times for EOI scoring, business application, and final report or decision.

Applications by occupation

The AAIP has a high volume of applications in worker streams in the following occupations. When the volume of these applications exceeds the ability to issue nominations, these submissions may take longer to process or may be occupations excluded from Express Entry draws regardless of occupational demand.

• 62020 – Food service supervisors
• 63200 – Cooks
• 62010 – Retail sales supervisors
• 13110 – Administrative assistants
• 65201 – Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations
• 73300 – Transport truck drivers
• 12200 – Accounting technicians and bookkeepers
• 13100 – Administrative officers
• 21222 – Information systems specialists
• 21231 – Software engineers and designers

Express Entry draws

The AAIP regularly reviews available candidates in the federal Express Entry pool. Based on available profile information in the portal, the AAIP draws to select candidates from the pool, inviting them to submit a completed application to the AAIP. Information on Alberta Express Entry Stream Notification of Interest factors is included on the Eligibility page. Accelerated Tech Pathway candidates are invited to apply, depending on the outcome of the review of their Accelerated Tech Pathway form.

The following parameters will apply to Alberta Express Entry Stream selection for 2023:

• an estimated 31% of nominations will be allocated to candidates in in-demand occupations who have a close family connection (parent, child, brother or sister) in Alberta. In-demand occupations include occupations with significant cumulative imbalance on Alberta’s Occupational Outlook and occupations in 'High' or 'Moderately High' demand in the Short-Term Employment Forecast.
• an estimated 23% of nominations will be allocated to candidates with a primary occupation in the health care, construction, agriculture, hospitality and tourism sectors, with priority given to candidates with an Alberta job offer
• an estimated 45% of nominations will be allocated to the Accelerated Tech Pathway

Past draws

Draw information is updated within one week from a draw. Information on 2023 AAIP draws is provided below.

Read the 2022 AAIP Draw History Summary (PDF, 137 KB)

Table 4. List of past draws