Streams for workers

• Alberta Opportunity StreamQualified candidates who live and work in Alberta and have a job offer from an Alberta employer can apply for an AAIP nomination.

• Alberta General Express Entry Stream for candidates in the Express Entry (EE) system who have a Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of at least 300, and who are currently working in an eligible occupation.
• Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway falls under the Express Entry stream and is open to applicants who are currently working in Alberta’s technology industry or who have received a job offer from that industry in 38 occupations identified by the province.
• Rural Renewal Stream for candidates with a job offer from an Alberta employer for work in a rural Alberta community.

Streams for entrepreneurs 

• Farm Stream for those who wish to operate a farming business in Alberta.
• Graduate Entrepreneur Stream for international graduates of a designated post-secondary institution in Alberta, who wish to start a business in Alberta.
• Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream for foreign nationals who graduated from outside Canada and who wish to start a business in Alberta.
• Rural Entrepreneur Stream for entrepreneurs who want to acquire a business or start one in a rural Alberta community.

Summary of AAIP Options

Alberta Opportunity Stream

Qualified candidates who live and work in Alberta and have a job offer from an Alberta employer can apply for an Alberta Advantage Immigration Program nomination

Minimum Requirements:

• Must have a valid work permit;
• Must be working in an eligible occupation in Alberta that matches your work experience;
• A minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 or 5 depending on occupation
• A minimum of a high school degree;
• A minimum of 12 months of work experience in Alberta in the last 18 months, or a minimum of 24 months of work experience in Canada in the last 30 months.

Eligible applicants

At the time your application is submitted, and at the time the AAIP assesses your application, you must have a valid work permit – not status maintained during processing (formerly implied status) or restoration status.

Valid work permits are based on one of the following:

• a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
• a LMIA exemption for workers based on one of the following exemptions as determine by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC):
  • international trade agreements
  • workers transferred within a company
  • International Experience Canada
  • Mobilité Francophone
  • R205(d) for religious work
  • an open work permit issued by IRCC to:
    • vulnerable workers who have demonstrated they are experiencing abuse or are at risk of abuse in the context of their employment in Canada, including under the Vulnerable Workers Open Work Permit (VWOWP) exemption, or
    • the family members of a vulnerable worker under the VWOWP exemption
  • a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) held by a graduate of an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution
    • PGWP holders must also meet specific occupation, education and work experience requirements as set out below.
  • an open work permit issued under one of IRCC’s open work permit public policies:
    • temporary policy changes to the Post-Graduation Work Permit Program (PGWPP). Permit must beheld by a graduate of an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution.
      • Holders of this open work permit must also meet the same specific occupation, education and work experience requirements as PGWP holders as set out below
    • an open work permit issued under the public policy for Hong Kong recent graduates
    • an open work permit issued under IRCC’s Ukraine immigration measures (also known as the Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel (CUAET)).

Ineligible applicants

The following individuals cannot apply for or be nominated under the Alberta Opportunity Stream:

• refugee claimants or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process – the AAIP does not intervene in the federal refugee claim, appeal or removal process
• temporary residents living or working in a province or territory of Canada other than Alberta, or
• foreign nationals living or working in Canada who do not have valid temporary resident status

*This National Occupation Classification (NOC) code consists of both eligible occupations and ineligible occupations. The ‘Occupation’ column specifies which occupations are ineligible for each NOC Code listed.

Language Requirements

Education requirements

All applicants except Post-Graduation Work Permit holders

As of January 1, 2021, at the time your application is submitted, you must have completed a minimum of high school education equivalent to Canadian standards.

You must provide a copy of an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) issued by an organization designated by IRCC for your highest level of education. If your ECA report shows that your credential is not equal to completion of Canadian high school or the foreign educational institution is not recognized, you do not meet the education requirement.

You do not need to provide an ECA if:

• you have a Canadian degree, diploma or certificate from a recognized Canadian post-secondary, technical college or secondary institution, or
• you have a valid Alberta Qualification Certificate or a trade certificate recognized by Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT).

Candidates who submitted an application before January 1, 2021 were required to have completed a minimum of high school education in their country of origin at the time of application. An ECA was not required for these applicants.

Alberta Express Entry Stream

Overview

You may get selected for the Alberta Advantage Immigrant Program, formerly known as the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), if you have strong ties to Alberta or if you can help support the government’s economic development and diversification priorities.

If you are nominated by a Canadian province, you receive 600 additional Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) points, and an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence in a subsequent draw from the Express Entry candidate pool.

International graduates who have completed their studies in a Canadian post-secondary institution may also be considered under this stream.

General Express Entry Stream Selection Criteria

You can only apply to the Alberta Express Entry stream after receiving a Notification of Interest (NOI) letter from the province. Eligible candidates will be contacted directly by the AAIP through their Express Entry profile.

Only those Express Entry candidates who receive an invitation, or NOI letter from the AAIP can submit an application for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

The AAIP will select candidates based on the self-declared information in their Express Entry profile.

You may receive a NOI if you:

• Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool;
• Have stated an interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta;
• Are working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification; and
• Have a minimum CRS score of 300.

In addition, the AAIP is more likely to select you if you have one or more adaptability factors. You must:

• Have a valid Alberta job offer and/or work experience; and/or
• Be a graduate of an Alberta post-secondary institution with a valid Alberta job offer; and/or
• Have Parent, child, brother and/or sister who is a permanent resident living in Alberta, or a Canadian citizen living in Alberta.

You must receive an email request to submit an application to apply to the program.

Factors that may decrease the chances of receiving a NOI letter include:

• An Express Entry profile that expires in three (3) months or less.
• Work in an occupation:
  1. on the list of High-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta set out on the online Government of Canada Refusal to Process a Labour Market Impact Assessment list;
  2. on the Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations list; or
  3. that has a high volume of submissions across all AAIP stream.

Accelerated Tech Pathway

Applicants who are currently working or have a job offer with an Alberta-based tech industry employer in a qualifying technology occupation may be selected under the Accelerated Tech Pathway, a fast-track immigration program for technology workers from across Canada and overseas.

To be considered for this stream, Express Entry candidates must:

• Have an active Express Entry profile with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300;
• Have a full-time job (minimum 30 hours per week) or job offer in Alberta with an Alberta technology employer in an occupation; 
• Complete an online form with the AAIP providing information about their Express Entry profile and their tech job in Alberta once they determine that they meet these assessment criteria .

Once a candidate submits the online form, the AAIP then verifies that they meet the minimum eligibility criteria to apply. 

Candidates who meet the minimum eligibility criteria will receive an email from the AAIP inviting them to submit a complete application to be considered for a nomination. 

Completed applications are placed in a pool of eligible applications. These applications are then reviewed by the AAIP for provincial nomination.

Rural Renewal Stream

The Rural Renewal Stream is for candidates who have a job offer from an Alberta employer to work in rural communities in Alberta.  

The Rural Renewal Stream supports the attraction and retention of newcomers to rural Alberta through a community-driven approach that supports local economic development needs and contributes to the growth of the community. The Rural Renewal Stream empowers rural communities to recruit and retain foreign nationals to live, work and settle in their communities

Minimum Requirements:

• Must have valid full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in an eligible occupation in a designated community;
• Must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation in the 18 months before you apply. This work experience can be a combination of experience in Alberta, elsewhere in Canada or abroad;
• Must meet minimum language requirements;
• Minimum of a high school education equivalent to the Canadian education standard;
• Must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and all family members who will be moving into the designated community;

Farm Stream

The Self-Employed Farmer Stream is for candidates interested in immigrating to Alberta to purchase or start a farming business.

Minimum Requirements:

• Farm management skills;
• Sufficient financial resources (minimum investment of CAD $500,000);
• Investment plans documented in a proposed business plan.

Graduate Entrepreneur Stream

Alberta’s International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream is for international graduates of approved Alberta post-secondary institutions who are interested in establishing or operating a business in Alberta.

How it works:

Interested candidates must first submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the AAIP online portal. You will receive an EOI score within 30 days and the highest-ranking candidates will be asked to submit a Business Application.

A Business Application must be completed within 90 days of receiving an email asking you to submit one. You must also submit all required documents

Minimum Requirements:

• At least two years full time education in Alberta;
• A valid Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) at time of application;
• A minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 7;
• Must establish a new business or operate an existing business with at least 34% ownership;

Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream

The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is an economic immigration program for qualified foreign educated graduates from outside of Canada who want to launch start-up enterprises and innovative businesses in Alberta.

How it works:

If you are interested in this program, you must work with a designated agency. This agency will issue you a letter of recommendation if you meet the requirements.

You will then have to submit your letter of recommendation with their Expression of Interest (EOI) through the AAIP Portal.

The agency will also provide a written report on their assessment of your proposed business plan. You must submit this report with your application.

What are the designated agencies?

1. Empowered Startups
2. Platform Calgary

Minimum Requirements:

• A minimum of six months of full-time work experience of managing and/or owning the business;
• Must have a business plan with projected financials;
• Must have a post-secondary education from a foreign institution, and have an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA). The degree must have been completed within the last ten years;
• A 10-minute slides-only presentation that explains the business and details what an investor what want to see;
• A minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 5;
• Must have at least 34% ownership if the business is located in an urban centre, or at least 51% ownership if located in outside Calgary or Edmonton;
• Must make a minimum investment of $100,000 for an urban centre, or $50,000 for a regional area. More points are awarded for higher investments. These can be made from your own equity, or from a recognized Canadian financial institution, venture capital or angel investment firm;
• Must have a letter of recommendation from an AAIP-approved agency;
• Must have enough money to set up their business and support yourself and your family in Canada.

Rural Entrepreneur Stream

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream is for candidates who wish to start a business in rural communities in Alberta.  

How it works:

This stream is community-driven, which means that entrepreneurs who wish to establish a business in rural Alberta must first make contact with a participating community and plan an exploratory visit. After the exploratory visit, the entrepreneur must provide a business proposal containing information about the business and the benefits to the community. A supporting letter is then provided to the entrepreneur. Once the foreign national has the support of the community, they submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the AAIP.

Minimum Requirements:

• Minimum 3 years of experience as an active business owner/manager or a minimum of 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the past 10 years;
• Minimum of high school equivalent to the Canadian standard with an Education Credential Assessment (ECA);
• Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 for each English language skill or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 4 for each French language skill;
• Must have a minimum net worth of $300,000.
• Minimum investment of $200,000 from candidate’s own (and/or spouse/common-law partner) equity;

Must have a Community Support Letter from a participating rural Alberta community