Alberta held its smallest selection round for the Alberta Opportunity Stream in 2026

In the September selection round, the province invited only 113 candidates with a minimum score of 58.

Alberta held a selection round for the Alberta Opportunity Stream on September 23, 2026. A total of 113 candidates received invitations to apply for a provincial nomination, with a minimum score of 58.

Points in this selection process are calculated using the Worker Expression of Interest system, which is administered by the province itself. The Express Entry profile is not required for this stream.

The previous stream-based selection took place on September 1, 2026. At that time, the province invited 575 candidates with a minimum score of 56. The number of invitations dropped by a factor of five, while the cutoff score rose by 2 points.

What the 2026 tryouts reveal

113 invitations—the smallest draw for the Alberta Opportunity Stream in 2026. Prior to this, the smallest draws were on April 10 and June 5, with 447 and 462 invitations, respectively; in the province’s other draws that year, it invited between 575 and 993 people through this stream. The largest draw of 2026 remains the one held on May 27, with 993 invitations.

The minimum score for 2026 ranged from 50 to 65. It was lowest on June 5 and highest on April 10. The province set the threshold at 58 on both June 17 and August 14.

This is the second draw under the stream in September: combined with the September 1 draw, Alberta has invited 688 candidates over the past month. Since the beginning of 2026, there have been 11 draws under the Alberta Opportunity Stream, and 7,465 invitations have been issued.

Who Is Eligible for the Alberta Opportunity Stream?

This stream is intended for temporary foreign workers who are already working full-time in Alberta. Applicants must have the appropriate work permit, a full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in a qualifying occupation, work experience, and must meet the language and education requirements.

The requirements are described in detail in the article on immigration to Alberta for those who are working temporarily in the province, and you can read about other immigration streams in the overview of Alberta’s provincial program.