What Alberta published
Alberta's Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) processing page says that up to 10,000 federal immigration spaces are available across all provincial nominee programs, so that provinces and territories can nominate practice-ready physicians or Francophones, in Canada or abroad. An AAIP nomination issued in 2026 for a physician or Francophone who meets the federal criteria for this initiative does not count toward Alberta's regular 2026 nomination allocation of 6,603.
Alberta says it will publish the number of nominations issued under the initiative as IRCC confirms them, for both Express Entry and non-Express Entry pathways. When checked on October 18, 2026, the page showed 50 physician nominations and 12 Francophone nominations. These are nominations, not invitations from a new draw.
Who can use the additional spaces
- Physicians must be in NOC 31100, 31101 or 31102 and be practice-ready, meaning they meet the requirements of the AAIP's Dedicated Health Care Pathway.
- Francophone candidates may work in any AAIP-eligible NOC and must have French at CLB/NCLC 5 or higher in all four competencies.
- Candidates must still qualify under an existing AAIP stream or pathway and meet the provincial and federal requirements.
No new AAIP stream was created
Alberta states that no new streams or pathways are being created for this initiative and that existing AAIP stream designs apply. A physician or Francophone candidate cannot apply just because an additional federal space exists; the person has to fit an existing AAIP route and the program's current priorities. A provincial nomination is also separate from the final federal permanent residence decision, which includes IRCC's admissibility checks.
Two AAIP draw results posted around the same time
Alberta's draw table lists an Alberta Opportunity Stream draw on August 14, 2026 (743 invitations, minimum score 58) and a Dedicated Health Care Pathway non-Express Entry draw on August 19, 2026 (24 invitations, minimum score 60). The published AAIP score is not a federal Express Entry CRS score, and meeting the score alone does not establish eligibility for a stream.