Immigration
Alberta Advantage Immigration program
The province operates the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), formerly the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program. Through this program, prospective immigrants with the right mix of skills and work experience needed by the province may receive an Alberta Provincial Nomination Certificate.
Provincial Nominee program
Alberta Immigration Streams
To immigrate to Alberta, a candidate has eight options to choose from
Streams for workers
The AAIP has 3 streams for foreign workers who plan to live and work here:
- The Alberta Opportunity Stream: Qualified candidates who are already living and working in Alberta and have an employment offer from an Alberta employer to continue working full time can apply for an AAIP nomination.
- The Alberta Express Entry Stream : Qualified candidates from the federal Express Entry pool may be invited by AAIP to apply for nomination for permanent residence. Under this stream skilled tech professionals can qualify under the Accelerated Tech Pathway.
- The Rural Renewal Stream: This stream targets qualified candidates who have the community support and a job offer from an Alberta employer to work in a designated rural Alberta community can apply for an AAIP nomination.
Streams for entrepreneurs
The AAIP has 4 streams for entrepreneurs who plan to live in Alberta and start a business in the province:
- Rural Entrepreneur Stream : Experienced business people who intend to start a business or purchase an existing business in a rural Alberta community can immigrate to the province of Alberta by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI).
- Graduate Entrepreneur Stream : International graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions who wish to start a business or purchase an existing business can immigrate to the province of Alberta by submitting an Expression of Interest (EOI).
- Farm Stream : Experienced farmers who plan to own and operate a farm in Alberta can apply for permanent residence.
- Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream : Recent international graduates from outside of Canada who want to start a business can apply for permanent residence.
immigrate to Alberta
Step-by-step guide on how you can immigrate to Alberta
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, formerly the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has eight immigration streams
Depending on your specific situation, choose the stream that is right for you. Find out if you are eligible for the chosen stream.
Submit your application for your chosen stream.
Obtain a provincial nomination from Alberta.
Submit a permanent residence application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
AAIP
Summary of AAIP options
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), formerly the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, is an immigration program that nominates people for permanent residence in Alberta.
Alberta Opportunity Stream
Description
Temporary foreign workers in Alberta and international graduates who completed their education at an approved Alberta post-secondary institution are eligible to apply for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
Minimum requirements
- Must have a valid work permit
- Must be working in an eligible occupation in Alberta that suits 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.
Who is not eligible to apply?
- Refugees 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
Alberta Express Stream
Description
The Express Entry stream allows Alberta to nominate Qualified candidates with an Express Entry profile. Individuals who have demonstrated ties to Alberta and have the necessary skills to contribute to the province’s economic growth may be invited by the province to submit an application.
Minimum requirements
- Must be in the Express Entry pool;
- Must have expressed interest in immigrating to Alberta permanently;
- Must be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification;
- A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300.
Who is not eligible to apply?
- A candidate whose Express Entry profile expires in 5 months or less
- If the primary occupation in the Express Entry profile:
- is on the Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations list
- has a high volume of submissions across all AAIP streams
Alberta Accelerated pathway
Description
The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway is a fast-track immigration program for candidates currently working for, or have a job offer with, an Alberta-based tech industry employer in an eligible tech occupation.
Minimum requirements
- Must have a profile in the Express Entry pool;
- Must have expressed interest in immigrating to Alberta permanently;
- A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300;
- Must be working or received a job offer in an eligible tech occupation in Alberta.
Rural Renewal Stream
Description
The Rural Renewal Stream is for candidates who have a job offer from an Alberta employer to work in a designated rural community in Alberta.
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;
Who is not eligible to apply?
Refugees or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process cannot apply for or be nominated under the Rural Renewal Stream.
Farm stream
The Farmer Stream is for self-employed candidates interested in immigrating to Alberta to buy or start a farming business.
Minimum requirements
- Farm management skills
- Sufficient financial resources (able to invest a minimum of CAD $500,000)
- Investment plans documented in a proposed business plan and submitted with their application to the AAIP.
Who is not eligible to apply?
- Candidates are only eligible for one AAIP Nomination Certificate those who have an active nomination that has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AAIP stream cannot apply.
- have received a letter on a previous AAIP application that stated they are not eligible to re-apply to the AAIP for a specified period of time.
- have had a removal order issued against them by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) or Canada Border Services Agency.
- are a foreign national living or working in Canada with no valid temporary resident status.
- are working and living as a temporary foreign worker in a province other than Alberta
- are a live-in caregivers currently living in Canada
- are an international student studying in Canada, including students doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their program
Graduate Entrepreneur stream
The Graduate Entrepreneur Stream allows the AAIP to nominate qualified international graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions who intend to establish or operate a business in Alberta to apply for permanent residence.
Minimum requirements
- Have completed at least two years of full-time education from an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution.
- Have a valid Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) at the time of Expression of Interest (EOI) submission.
- Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 7 for each English language skill or (NCLC) of 7 for each French language skill
- Must set up a new business or buy an existing business in Alberta with a minimum 34% ownership
Foreign Graduate entrepreneur stream
The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is an immigration program for qualified foreign graduates from outside of Canada who want to establish innovative businesses in Alberta.
Minimum requirements
- Minimum of 6 months full-time work experience either managing or owning a business
- Have a degree from a post-secondary institution outside of Canada with an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA)
- A business proposal with clear financials
- Minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 5 for each English language skill or (NCLC) of 5 for each French language skill
- Must have a minimum of 34% ownership if the business is located in an urban centre or a minimum of 51% ownership if located in regional area outside Calgary
- Have sufficient settlement funds for themselves and their business
- A minimum personal investment of $50,000 to $100,000 depending on the location
Rural Entrepreneur stream
Entrepreneurs or individuals with business experience who intend to start a business or buy an existing business in a rural Alberta community can submit an Expression of Interest.
Minimum requirements
- Have either a 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.
- Completed a minimum of high school equivalent to the Canadian standard with an Education Credential Assessment
- Minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 for each English language skill or (NCLC) of 4 for each French language skill
- Minimum personal net worth of $300,000.
- Minimum personal investment of $200,000
- Must create at least one full-time job for Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents
*Important
It is also important to understand the difference between base PNP streams and enhanced PNP streams.
Enhanced streams are aligned with the federal Express Entry system. In Alberta, only the Alberta Express Entry stream is enhanced. Candidates in the Express Entry system who express their interest in immigrating to Alberta may receive a Notification of Interest from the Alberta government. They will then have two weeks to respond to it. If they are selected, they must apply through the AAIP portal.
All other current streams in Alberta are base streams. This means that they are not aligned with Express Entry. Interested individuals are required to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the province’s AAIP portal, instead of being selected through the Express Entry system
FAQ's
Frequently asked questions
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