Alberta

Alberta Opportunity Stream

Alberta Opportunity stream was introduced on June 14, 2018. It is an amalgamation of the earlier Employer-Driven and Strategic Recruitment streams.

Unlike the previous Employer-Driven stream, there is no need for an employer to be part of the application under the Alberta Opportunity stream. Candidates can apply on their own and do not require their employer’s signature for the application.

The income threshold requirement for applicants applying to the Alberta Opportunity Stream has been removed for any application submitted after November 1, 2018.

To qualify in this stream, you must:

• Have a valid status as a temporary resident that authorizes you to work.
• Work in an eligible occupation under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels 0, A, B, C and D in Alberta that matches your previous work experience.
• Provide official test scores with your application demonstrating a minimum score of Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) 4 in each English language skill area or Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) 4 in each French language skill area (note: this will be raised to CLB or NCLC 5 in January 2020).
• If applying under NOC code 3413 (nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates) you must score a minimum of CLB or NCLC 7 in each language skill area.
• You must have a minimum of high school education in Canada or your country of origin (note: this will be raised to high school education equivalent to Alberta’s standards in January 2021).
• You must have either a minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months, or 24 months of full-time experience in your current occupation in Canada or abroad in the last 30 months.
• Your wages and benefits must meet provincial minimum wages and standards.

Post-Graduate Work Permit holders must meet additional criteria:

• Your present occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta.
• Your credential must be from one of the approved programs issued by an Alberta Advanced Education approved public or private post-secondary institution.
• You are not eligible to apply to the AOR stream if your occupation is on the Government of Canada’s list of high and low wage positions in the province of Alberta.
• You must have a minimum of six (6) months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.

Alberta Express Entry Stream

In 2018, AINP announced it will have a federal system of Express Entry once again.

Applicants who have an Express Entry profile with the Government of Canada can be chosen by the Government of Alberta and receive a Notification of Interest letter. Other AINP applicants can not apply to this stream directly.

Candidates will be contacted directly by the AINP and must receive a notification of interest before they are able to submit an application under the Alberta Express Entry Stream. Applicants may receive a Notification of Interest letter if they:

• Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool;
• Have demonstrated an interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta;
• Are working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification; and
• Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300;
• Have an Albertan job offer and/or work experience;
• Are a graduate of a Canadian post-secondary institution;
• Have a relative that is living in Alberta.

Self-Employed Farmer Stream

This stream is for applicants with the financial resources and farm management experience to purchase and establish a farm in Alberta.

AINP works closely with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development to assess the eligibility of an applicant in this stream.

There are three major criteria for applicants to meet. First, they must prove they have farm management skills. This may include providing financial documentation of their existing farm businesses, documentation of their training and work experience, providing a business plan, and showing proof that financial institutions are willing to finance the plan.

Second, the applicant must have sufficient financial resources to develop a sustainable farming operation. They must be able to invest a minimum of $500,000 of equity and show evidence of this amount in net worth.

Lastly, the applicant must be investing in a primary production farming business in Alberta, which means operations that produce eggs, milk, grain, seeds, fruit, vegetable, honey, livestock, game production animals, or poultry.