Approximately how many immigrants did Alberta receive annually in 2007?

• A. 20,000
• B. 5,000
• C. 50,000
• D. 100,000

Answer: (A)

Immigrant numbers for a province reflect its size, job opportunities, and immigration policies. In 2007 Alberta was experiencing an energy-fueled economy that attracted many skilled workers, but the overall annual intake stayed in the low tens of thousands. Approximately twenty thousand newcomers is a reasonable estimate for that year, fitting Alberta’s size and its share of national immigration at the time. Numbers as small as five thousand are too low for a province with growing needs, while fifty thousand or a hundred thousand would be much higher than Alberta typically received in that period.