Alberta is a province in Western Canada that is not only beautiful but also rich in natural resources. The province has prairies, vast forests, mountains, glaciers and over 600 lakes. The province has such a lovely atmosphere that it’s difficult to overlook Alberta as a choice for your Canada immigration.
Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) is one of the various Canadian provincial nominee programs (PNPs) that offer a great pathway for securing permanent residence in Canada.
The program run by the provincial government in collaboration with Canada’s federal government allows those candidates to apply for PNP nomination for Canada PR who have the skills and abilities to meet the labour market needs of the province.
Why should I choose to move to Alberta?
The Alberta province in Canada has a wealth of natural resources and has experienced steady and high economic growth in the recent years. The province has immense career and job opportunities for foreign nationals. This combined with a high standard of living makes Alberta a great immigration choice.
How do I move to Alberta province?
You need to apply for provincial nomination for Canada PR under Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) to move to the province as a permanent resident. This will entitle you to live and work in the province for a duration of 5 years. You can get extension on the validity of your PR status, subject to meeting certain PR visa requirements.
What are the options available to me?
Under AINP, you can seek immigration through one of the following immigration streams:
- Alberta Opportunity Stream
This immigration stream is meant for candidates who have a valid temporary resident status in Canada that authorizes them to live and work in Canada for a limited duration (e.g. a temporary foreign worker).
You must be living and working in the Alberta province to be eligible to apply for PNP nomination through this stream.
- Self-Employed Farmer Stream
This immigration stream has been designed for candidates with education, skills and proven work experience in farm management activities.
Any candidate aspiring to seek immigration under this stream must have minimum financial resources of CDN $500,000 or above, along with a proposed business plan.
- Alberta Express Entry Stream
This stream allows the province to nominate a limited number of eligible candidates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry system for Canada PR visas.
What is the eligibility criteria?
The eligibility criteria differs across the three immigration streams. Please find it below:
- Alberta Opportunity Stream
- Work permit
At the time your application being filed and assessed by Alberta, you must have a valid work permit (not implied status or restoration status) for an eligible occupation.
- Occupation
- Your occupation must not be on the ineligible occupations list.
- If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder your occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta.
- Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must review both AINP’s Ineligible Occupation list and the Government of Canada’s list of high-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta to determine occupation eligibility.
- Language requirements
- CLB 5 or above for NOC 0, A and B occupations.
- CLB 4 or above for NOC C and D occupations.
- For NOC code 3413 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates), AINP requires a minimum language test score of CLB 7.
- Education
- At the time of filing your application, you must have completed a minimum of high school education in your country of origin.
- Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must have a credential issued by an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution.
- Work experience
At the time of filing your application:
- You must have a minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.
Or
A minimum of 24 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Canada and/or abroad within the last 30 months
- This work experience can be a combination of experience gained in Alberta, in Canada (outside Alberta) and/or abroad.
- Post-Graduation Work Permit holders need to have a full-time work experience of minimum 6 months in their current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.
- Work experience must have been paid and full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours a week.
- It must be for the same occupation as your current occupation.
- It must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status, if completed in Alberta or Canada.
- Must not have been gained while studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of a study program, unless you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder who completed work during paid co-op work terms as part of your program of study at an Alberta post-secondary institution.
- You must have the required licensing, registration or certification to work in your current occupation in Alberta at the time of filing and assessment of your application.
- Job offer
You must have a reliable full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in your current occupation in Alberta.
The job offer or employment contract must be signed by your Alberta employer and you. It must offer:
- paid and continuous work.
- full-time work which is defined as minimum of 30 hours a week.
- employment for 12 months or more.
- work in your current occupation.
- wages and benefits that meet provincial minimum wage.
- meet or exceed the requirements set out in your LMIA.
Or
if you are LMIA exempt, meet or exceed the lowest starting wage for your occupation across all industries.
- work for an eligible AINP occupation for which you have a work permit that meets AINP work permit requirements.
Alberta Express Entry
Alberta may select and send you a Notification of Interest letter in your federal Express Entry profile.
You may receive a Notification of Interest letter if you:
- have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool.
- Meet the eligibility criteria for at least one of the federal immigration programs i.e.
- Federal Skilled Worker Program
- Federal Skilled Trades Program or
- Canadian Experience Class
- Intend to and be able to live and work permanently in Alberta
- Be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification
- Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300
Your chances of receiving a Notification of Interest increases if you have one or more of the following adaptability factors:
- Alberta job offer and/or work experience
- A graduate from a Canadian post-secondary institution
- A relative that is living in Alberta – parent, child, brother and/or sister
Self-Employed Farmer Stream
For the Self-Employed Farmer stream, you must meet the following criteria to be considered for AINP nomination for Canada PR visa.
- Farm management skills
You must prove that you have farm management skills. As a proof, you may submit:
- financial documentation of an existing farm business.
- documentation of training, education and work experience.
- a proposed business plan for the farming enterprise you intend to start in Alberta.
- proof that a Canadian financial institution is readt to finance your proposed farming business.
- Adequate financial resources
- You must be able to invest a minimum of CDN $500,000 of equity in a primary production farming business in Alberta.
- You must provide documents that reflect a minimum net worth of CDN $500,000 or confirmation that you have access to a similar amount from other sources.
- You may be required to show the ability to invest more than the minimum amount.
- Primary production investment
- You must document your investment plans in a proposed business plan.
- The applications that represent the best opportunity for growth relevant to Alberta’s agri-food targets are given priority.
Is my occupation eligible for AINP application?
Alberta province has a list of ineligible occupation for AINP and this list keeps getting updated on a regular basis. Get in touch with one of our immigration consultants to get more information about this.
How do I apply for AINP nomination?
The application process for AINP can be summarised in the following steps:
- Read the terms and conditions for AINP.
- Check your eligibility as per the AINP selection criteria for the relevant immigration stream including the language proficiency requirements.
- Download the Document Checklist for the AINP immigration stream you are applying for and fill in the required forms.
- Send your complete application by mail or courier to the address shared by the province.
Note: Alberta does not accept applications by email or fax.
- Then, the province will send you a notification informing that they have received your application.
- Then your applications will be assessed and you will be issued a nomination package by email advising you how to apply to apply for Canada PR with IRCC.