Alberta had 970,975 immigrants in its 2021 Census private-household population, alongside 3,141,915 non-immigrants and 64,825 non-permanent residents. More recent administrative figures show 25,085 economic permanent resident admissions to Alberta in 2023, while 2024 figures for nominations and study permits describe program capacity and projections rather than completed admissions.
Contents
- Alberta’s immigration population
- When immigrants arrived
- Age and citizenship profile
- Permanent resident admissions by category
- Express Entry activity and processing
- AAIP nomination activity
- International student permits
Alberta’s immigration population
The 2021 Census recorded Alberta’s population at 4,262,635 people. The province’s population grew 11.6% from 2011 to 2016, then grew 4.8% from 2016 to 2021. These are province-wide population changes, not immigration counts. They provide context for the scale of the population in which immigration status was measured.
The Census immigrant-status table covers 4,177,715 people in private households. Within that table, Alberta had 970,975 immigrants, 3,141,915 non-immigrants and 64,825 non-permanent residents. The table’s immigrant-status definition includes people admitted on or before May 11, 2021, and the province-wide table is based on 25% sample data for people in private households. It therefore should not be read as a count of every resident or as a current administrative total.
| Alberta population measure | Count | Measurement period |
|---|---|---|
| Total population | 4,262,635 | 2021 Census |
| Private-household population in immigrant-status table | 4,177,715 | 2021 Census |
| Immigrants | 970,975 | 2021 Census |
| Non-immigrants | 3,141,915 | 2021 Census |
| Non-permanent residents | 64,825 | 2021 Census |
Sources: Population and population growth rate, provinces and territories, 2011 to 2016 and 2016 to 2021 and Immigrant status and period of immigration by place of birth.
When immigrants arrived
Alberta’s 2021 Census profile shows immigration accumulated across several decades. The province had 127,275 immigrants admitted before 1980 and 91,320 admitted from 1980 to 1990. The count then reached 126,610 for the 1991-to-2000 period and 239,260 for 2001 to 2010.
The largest listed arrival period was 2011 to 2021, with 386,505 immigrants. A narrower period within it, 2011 to 2015, accounted for 193,340 immigrants. These periods are Census admission periods, not annual flows. In particular, the 2011-to-2021 figure spans eleven calendar years and should not be compared directly with a single-year admissions total.
The arrival-period figures also use the Census scope described above: people in private households and immigrant status for people admitted on or before May 11, 2021. They describe when Alberta’s immigrant population was admitted, rather than the date a person first moved to the province or the date of a later status change.
Age and citizenship profile
The 2021 Census profile groups Alberta’s immigrant population by age when people immigrated. It included 85,135 people who were under age 5 when they immigrated, 169,075 who were age 5 to 14, and 175,855 who were age 15 to 24. The largest listed group was people who were age 25 to 44 when they immigrated, at 450,070. Another 90,845 were age 45 or older when they immigrated.
These are age-at-immigration categories, not the current ages of immigrants in 2021. The distinction matters: someone admitted as a child may have been an adult by the Census, while someone admitted at age 35 may still be in the same broad life stage. The categories describe the composition of the immigrant population by the age at which admission occurred.
Citizenship was measured separately in the same 2021 private-household profile. Alberta had 3,792,705 Canadian citizens and 385,010 people who were not Canadian citizens. Citizenship status is not interchangeable with immigrant status: a Canadian citizen may be an immigrant, and a person who is not a Canadian citizen may have a different immigration status.
Source: Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Alberta.
Permanent resident admissions by category
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recorded 25,085 total economic permanent resident admissions to Alberta in 2023. The published category figures included 6,151 federal economic skilled admissions, 516 federal economic caregiver admissions and 90 federal economic business admissions.
The Provincial Nominee Program accounted for 15,326 admissions. Alberta also received 197 Agri-Food Pilot admissions, 46 Rural and Northern Immigration admissions and 2,759 temporary-resident-to-permanent-resident pathway admissions. These figures are destination-based permanent resident admissions for 2023; they are not the same measure as the Census stock of immigrants accumulated through 2021.
| 2023 Alberta economic admission category | Permanent resident admissions |
|---|---|
| Federal economic skilled | 6,151 |
| Federal economic caregiver | 516 |
| Federal economic business | 90 |
| Agri-Food Pilot | 197 |
| Provincial Nominee Program | 15,326 |
| Rural and Northern Immigration | 46 |
| Temporary-resident-to-permanent-resident pathways | 2,759 |
| Total economic admissions | 25,085 |
Source: Table 2: Permanent residents admitted in 2023 by destination and immigration category.
Express Entry activity and processing
Express Entry received 4,365 principal-applicant permanent-residence applications naming Alberta as the destination in 2022. The comparable count rose to 8,365 in 2023 and was 7,275 in 2024. Across 2022 to 2024, Alberta was named as destination on 20,000 principal-applicant applications.
These figures count applications and destination selections, not completed admissions. A destination entry also does not establish that an applicant had already settled in Alberta. The annual totals are therefore best used to describe application activity associated with Alberta during each year.
At the end of 2024, the 80% processing time for Canadian Experience Class Express Entry applications was 5 months. The corresponding 80% processing time was 6 months for Federal Skilled Worker applications and 6 months for Provincial/Territorial Nominee Express Entry applications. These processing figures are Canadian program measures for applications in the named classes, not an Alberta-specific guarantee for every applicant.
Source: Express Entry Year-End Report 2024.
AAIP nomination activity
Alberta received a maximum 2024 Alberta Advantage Immigration Program allocation of 9,750 nomination certificates. The allocation is a program capacity figure. It is not a count of all Alberta immigrants, nor does it mean every person represented by the allocation had become a permanent resident by the end of 2024.
For comparison, Alberta received 6,500 AAIP nomination certificates in 2022, and all 6,500 were issued. The 2022 issued count and the 2024 maximum allocation are related program measures, but they describe different years and should not be treated as an admissions series.
The 2024 Alberta Express Entry draw history records the following early-year activity:
| Draw date | Notification of Interest letters | Lowest CRS score |
|---|---|---|
| January 2, 2024 | 42 | 309 |
| January 11, 2024 | 44 | 312 |
| January 16, 2024 | 22 | 312 |
| February 1, 2024 | 80 | 382 |
| February 6, 2024 | 44 | 302 |
| February 20, 2024 | 33 | 311 |
| March 5, 2024 | 34 | 303 |
| March 19, 2024 | 41 | 304 |
The draw table reports Notification of Interest letters and lowest Comprehensive Ranking System scores. A Notification of Interest letter is an invitation to continue in the provincial process, not a completed nomination or permanent residence admission.
Sources: Alberta Advantage Immigration Program - Updates and Alberta Express Entry Stream Draw History Summary 2024.
International student permits
Alberta issued 22,306 study permits in 2023 when K-12 and graduate students were excluded. Across all levels of study, the province issued 34,903 study permits in 2023. The two figures use different scopes, so they should not be combined or compared as though they were the same series.
For the 2024 study-permit allocation model, Alberta’s population share was 11.67%. The initial provincial-territorial allocation for Alberta was 45,824 applications, with projected approvals of 27,495. The projected approvals were described as 23% higher than in 2023. These are administrative allocation and projection figures rather than counts of permits actually issued.
After the initial adjustment, Alberta’s allocation was 40,894 applications and projected approvals were 24,537. The adjusted figures replaced the initial figures for the adjusted scenario; they do not represent an additional 40,894 applications or an additional 24,537 approvals on top of the initial table.
Source: Minister Miller issues statement on international student allocations for provinces and territories.