Alberta

This Stream allows Alberta for nomination of a limited number of qualified candidates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system.

Candidates having strong ties with Alberta or who can contribute to the economic development and diversification priorities of the government may be asked to apply.
Canadian post-secondary institutions International graduates may also apply under this stream.
Only candidates advised to apply to the Alberta Express Entry Stream will be considered.
Note: - AINP will be contact the Candidates directly and they should receive a notification of interest before they are able to apply under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.
Nomination under a different AINP stream for application under the Alberta Express Entry Stream or the federal Express Entry system is not allowed.

Express Entry pool - Selection and Notification of Interest

Candidates are selected based on the profile details available in the Express Entry portal. A Notification of Interest letter will be send to their Federal Express Entry profile
This information is self-declared by candidates in the Express Entry pool.

• Existence of active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
• Declaration of interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta
• Employed in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification, and
• Having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300.

In case you have one or more of the below adaptability factors, the likelihood of receiving a Notification of Interest letter increases.

• Job offer or work experience in Alberta
• Having a graduation of a Canadian post-secondary institution
• A relative that is living in Alberta, be it your parents, child, brother or sister
• Having a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300.

Following conditions will reduce your likelihood of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:

• Your Express Entry profile expires in 3 months or less
• You are employed in an occupation:
  • Which is on the list of High-wage & low-wage occupations in the state of Alberta set out on the online Government of Canada Refusal to Process a Labour Market Impact Assessment list
  • On Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupations list, located on this page under the Alberta Opportunity Stream section
  • That has a high amount of submissions across all AINP streams

Kindly Note: - When the eligible applicant receives a Notification of Interest letter from Alberta, he/she must email a copy of the letter to the AINP at albertaexpressentry@gov.ab.ca within two weeks of receiving it in your federal Express Entry profile. You must also provide your Express Entry profile number and status information about current and past AINP applications/nominations (if applicable).
On confirmation of your information, AINP will send you an email requesting you to apply, including a form that has to be filled out and a document checklist of all required documents. This application has no fees.
Kindly Note: - Guarantee is not assured that even if the applicant meets the selection requirements he/she may receive a Notification of Interest letter or will be asked to apply. Letters of Notification of Interest and requests to apply are affected by the number of potential candidates meeting these requirements, the type (occupation/sector) of submissions in AINP processing queues and the number of available nominations.

Alberta Express Entry Stream assessment criteria

If a request is received by the applicant from AINP to apply to the Alberta Express Entry Stream, the applicants must determine if they meet the assessment criteria before application. Applicant should submit an application only if he/she can show that they meet the following criteria.
Applicant will be assessed against these criteria at the time his/her package is postmarked and at the time his/her application is assessed.
the applicant must have the following to be considered for nomination:

• Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
• Meet the criteria of at least one of the federal immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades Program or Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Determine to and be able to live and work in Alberta
• Be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification
• Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300.

Following adaptability factors may increase the chances of the applicant for being nominated:

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

Application for Alberta Express Entry Stream will not be accepted for processing if:

Applicants can qualify for Express Entry if he meets the eligibility criteria for the Skilled Worker program, Skilled Trades program, or Canadian Experience Class.

• Applicant has an active nomination which has not expired and/or is eligible for extension under another AINP stream. Candidates are only eligible for one AINP Nomination Certificate.
• A letter has been issued to an applicant on a previous AINP application that stated you are not eligible to re-apply to the AINP for a specified period of time. It will be declined If you apply during the specified period, and it is recommended that the applicant keeps his/her Express Entry profile up to date so that he/she remains eligible for consideration under the Alberta Express Entry Stream in the future.

Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS)
Eligible applicants

At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses the application, the applicant must have a valid work permit (not implied status or restoration status) for an eligible occupation. 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
• An open work permit issued by IRCC to
  • Susceptible 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 susceptible 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.

Ineligible applicants

The following individuals cannot apply for or be nominated under the AOS:

• Refugee claimants or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process. The AINP 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

AOS Selection requirements (Applies to all candidates unless otherwise noted)	Effective January 1, 2020	Effective January 1, 2021
Residency Status/Work Permit	No change	No change
Occupation	No change	No change
Language	CLB/NCLC 5 for candidates working in NOC 0, A or B occupation. No change for NOC C or D occupations	CLB/NCLC 5 for candidates working in NOC 0, A or B occupation. No change for NOC C or D occupations
Education (for all applicants except Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Holders)	Minimum High School in Country of Origin	Minimum High School equivalent to Alberta standard
Education (Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Holders only)	If you started attending an Alberta program on or after April 1, 2019, entry level certificates are not eligible. Eligible credentials include post-diploma or post-baccalaureate certificates, diplomas, degrees and graduate level certificates/diplomas)	If you started attending an Alberta program on or after April 1, 2019, entry level certificates are not eligible. Eligible credentials include post-diploma post-baccalaureate certificates, diplomas, degrees and graduate level certificates/diplomas)
Work Experience (for all applicants except Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Holders)	No change	No change
Work Experience (Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) Holders only)	Eligible post-graduate certificate holders must show occupation/work experience is related to their prior post-secondary field of study outside Canada	Eligible post-graduate certificate holders must show occupation/work experience is related to their prior post-secondary field of study outside Canada

Work experience requirements

At the time the application being postmarked the applicant must have either:

• a minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in his/her current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months; or
• a minimum of 24 months of full-time work experience in his/her 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 require a minimum of 6 months full-time work experience in their current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.
For all applicants, including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, work experience in the qualifying period:

• must have been full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours a week
• must be for the same occupation as the current occupation
• Must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada
• Cannot 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 during paid co-op work terms as a part of your program of study at an Alberta post-secondary institution.
  To qualify, the work terms must have been:
  • paid and full-time (minimum 30 hours per week)
  • for work experience directly related to your current occupation, and
  • for work experience all gained in Alberta

Following are the requirements for all applicants, including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, for licensing, registration and certification:

• Applicant must have the required licensing, registration or certification to work in your current occupation in Alberta at the time his/her application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses his/her application for nomination.
• A valid Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Trade (AIT) recognized trade certificate, If the applicant is working in a compulsory trade in Alberta.
• A valid certification as a child development worker (formerly Level 2) or child development supervisor (formerly Level 3) if the applicant is working as childcare worker.

Eligible job offers

For all applicants, including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination, the applicant must have a bona fide full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in his/her current occupation in Alberta.
Applicant’s Alberta employer must be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province, territory, or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Alberta.
Applicant’s job offer or employment contract must be signed by you and your Alberta employer and must offer:

• Continuous, paid work
• Full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours/week
• Employment for 12 months or more
• Work in your current occupation
• Wages and benefits that meet provincial minimum wage and:
  • 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 in Alberta as set out on the Alis website
• work for an eligible AINP occupation for which you have a work permit that meets AINP work permit requirements

Applicant must meet the terms agreed to in his/her job offer or employment contract at the time of application and assessment.

Applicants not eligible based on job offer

The following individuals are not eligible to apply for or be nominated under the Alberta Opportunity Stream, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:

• Part-time, casual or seasonal employees, regardless of their working hours
• Independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, including individuals listed as Directors, Shareholders or Agents of the Alberta employer on the Corporate Registry System (CORES)
• Employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial operations, such as a home-based business
• Employees who do not work on premises in Alberta, such as those who work in a “virtual” location or serve the employer by telecommuting from a location outside Alberta 

Self-Employed Farmer Stream
Requirements

Applicants to the Self-Employed Farmer stream must meet the following criteria. Meeting these criteria does not assure or guarantee a nomination or permanent residence.

Farm management skills

Applicants must prove that they have farm management skills.
Proof of this may include, but is not limited to:

• Financial documentation of an existing farm business
• Documentation of education, training and work experience
• A business plan or project for a farming venture you are considering in Alberta
• A proof from a Canadian financial institution that is willing to finance your proposed farming business

Financial resources

Applicants must be able to invest a minimum of CDN $500,000 of equity in a primary production farming business in Alberta.
Documented proof to show a minimum net worth of CDN $500,000 or confirmation of the ability to access to a similar amount of funds from other sources.
Applicants may be required to show the ability to invest more than the minimum.

Primary production investment

Applicants must document their investment plans in a proposed business plan.
Applications representing the best opportunity for growth relevant to Alberta's agri-food targets will be given priority.

Eligibility

The following individuals are not eligible under the AINP Self-Employed Farmer Stream:

• Refugee claimants, or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process. It is not the mandate of the AINP to intervene in the federal refugee claim, appeal or removal process.
• Live-in caregivers currently living in Canada
• Temporary foreign workers working and residing in a province other than Alberta
• International students studying in Canada, including students doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their study program