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TLDR

Alberta's government has announced plans for a fall 2026 referendum featuring nine ballot questions, five of them focused on immigration. The immigration questions cover charging non-permanent residents fees for health care and education, restricting access to provincially funded programs, imposing a 12-month residency requirement before some temporary residents can receive social supports, and requiring proof of citizenship to vote in provincial elections.

The vote arrives four years after the province launched "Alberta is Calling," a multimillion-dollar recruitment campaign that targeted workers in Toronto, Vancouver and Atlantic Canada with promises of higher wages, lower housing costs and shorter commutes.

Alberta rolled out the campaign in phases starting in August 2022, spending $4.95 million in its first year. A third phase in 2024 added a $5,000 refundable tax credit for eligible tradespeople who relocated, backed by $10 million in budget funding. As of February 2026, the province had approved and funded 754 applicants under the moving bonus. Alberta became Canada's top destination for interprovincial migration after the campaign launched.

The government's referendum website says Alberta's population has grown by 600,000 in five years. It cites more than $1 billion in annual spending on provincial programs for temporary residents and $600 million-plus for educating 45,000 children of temporary residents. It lists a 2025 average youth unemployment rate of 15.6%.

Alberta Premier, Danielle Smith, said the government would campaign for a "yes" vote on all nine questions. "Albertans wanted us to build an immigration system that is sustainable," she said when the referendum site launched on April 23.

A Calgary Herald op-ed by Peter Guthrie, MLA for Airdrie-Cochrane, argued the government "cannot credibly shift responsibility elsewhere" for growth it actively encouraged. Guthrie pointed to the province's own data: immigrants make up about 23% of Alberta's population, roughly 28% of the workforce, and contribute between $5 billion and $7.8 billion annually in provincial tax revenue.

"This is not a failure of immigration policy," Guthrie wrote. "It is a failure of government planning."

Lori Williams, a political science professor at Mount Royal University, said the government's referendum information has focused narrowly on temporary foreign workers and that the questions remain unclear about what authority a "yes" vote would give the province.

The Alberta Chambers of Commerce said separation-related discourse is already affecting business planning. "Alberta separation is the top business issue right now," Shauna Feth, the chamber's chief executive, said. "The concern isn't about ideology so much as it is about the uncertainty that that discourse creates."

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi called the referendum a "farce" and said Smith would "do whatever she wants, anyway" regardless of the outcome. When pressed on what she would do if voters rejected the questions, Smith said only, "We'll address it at that time."

Elections Alberta estimated the province-wide referendum would cost roughly as much as a provincial general election. The 2023 Alberta general election cost almost $37 million.

The ballot questions are non-binding. So, any changes to eligibility, fees or waiting periods for programs like health care or education would require separate provincial legislation. The government has already introduced a bill requiring businesses to register with Alberta before using the federal temporary foreign worker program.

For temporary residents, international students or foreign workers in Alberta, the areas to watch are how the province defines "Alberta-approved immigration status" and whether new residency requirements or fee structures follow the vote.