The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is a provincial nominee program that nominates skilled economic immigrants and entrepreneurs for permanent residency in the Canadian province of Alberta.
Different Streams under the Alberta Advantage Immigration program
The program caters to workers and entrepreneurs who can benefit Alberta with their skillset and business acumen. Three of the seven streams are for workers: the Alberta Opportunity Stream, the Alberta Express Entry Stream and the Rural Renewal Stream. The remaining four: the Rural Entrepreneur Stream, the Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, the Farm Stream and the Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, primarily cater to entrepreneurs.
Requirements under the Alberta Advantage Immigration program
Alberta Opportunity Stream
The Opportunity Stream nominates temporary foreign workers already working full-time in Alberta.
Applicants under this stream must:
- Have a valid work permit at the time of application. This can be a work permit obtained through a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), an LMIA exception, a Post-Graduate Work Permit or an Open Work Permit.
- be living and working in Alberta
- Work in an eligible occupation
- Meet the required language test scores in either French or English
- Complete the equivalent of a Canadian high school unless they are PGWP holders
- PGWP holders must have an Alberta Advanced Education-approved credential
- Have either 12 months of full-time work experience in Alberta within the last 18 months or 24 months of full-time work experience in Canada or abroad within the last 30 months.
- Be licensed, registered or certified to work in Alberta
- Have an eligible job offer from an Alberta employer
Alberta Express Entry Stream
The Alberta Express Entry Stream nominates candidates from the IRCC’s Express Entry program. Such candidates will receive a Notification of Interest letter in their Express Entry profile. To be eligible to receive this invite, candidates must:
- Have an Express Entry profile
- Have a primary occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development
- Be interested in working and settling in Alberta
- Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score above 300
Express Entry candidates can improve their chances of receiving an invite from the Alberta Express Entry by:
- Having a valid job offer in Alberta
- Graduating from a Canadian post-secondary institution
- Having a close relative who is also a permanent resident or citizen in Alberta
- Speaking French as a first language
Alberta also has a preferential pathway for tech professionals known as the Accelerated Tech Pathway. Candidates who meet the conditions can submit a form that includes their job and federal Express Entry profile.
Rural Renewal Stream
This stream helps rural Alberta communities attract newcomers vital for their economic development. Designated rural communities under this program usually have a population below 100,000, and candidates applying should be ready to commit to settling under such conditions.
The list of currently designated communities can be found on the Alberta AAIP site.
To be eligible under this program, a person must:
- Intend to reside and work in the designated community in Alberta
- Have a valid ‘Endorsement of Candidate’ Letter issued by the Economic Development Organization of the rural community.
- Have a full-time job offer or contract from an Alberta employer at the time of application
- Be licensed, registered and certified to carry out their occupation in Alberta
- Have a job offer in an eligible occupation
- Have a minimum of 12 months of work experience in the last 18 months before applying
- Meet language requirements
- Have a high school education equivalent to the Canadian education standard
- Have enough funds to support themselves and family members
Rural Entrepreneur Stream
The Rural entrepreneur stream is an immigration program for entrepreneurs who want to start or buy a business in a rural Alberta community. To be eligible under this stream, candidates must:
- Have 3 years of experience as a business owner/ manager or 4 years as a senior manager in the past 10 years
- Complete a high school equivalent to the Canadian education standard
- Meet a CLB language level 4 for English or NCLC level 4 in French
- Have a minimum net worth of $300,000
- Have a minimum investment of $100,000 from their own equity
- Have a community support letter from a participating rural Alberta community
The entrepreneur must have at least 51% ownership in the case of a new business or 100% in the case of business succession. The business must also create at least one full-time job for a Canadian citizen or permanent citizen.
Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
The Graduate Entrepreneur stream helps nominate international graduates from post-secondary institutions in Alberta who want to establish businesses in the province.
To be eligible under this stream, candidates must:
- Have a degree or diploma from an approved post-secondary institution
- Have a Post Graduate Work Permit
- Meet the minimum CLB level 7 in English or NCLC level 7 in French
- Establish or buy a business in Alberta with a minimum of 34% ownership
Farm Stream
The Farm stream caters to entrepreneurs who want to enter the farm business in Alberta, either by establishing a new farm or by purchasing an existing one.
Eligible candidates must:
- Have the required Farm management skills, including proof of existing farm business, education, training, work experience and a proposed business plan.
- Be willing to make a minimum investment of CAD 500,000 in a primary farming business in Alberta
- Document their investment plan in their business plan, to be reviewed by the Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation
Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream nominates qualified foreign-educated graduates who plan to set up their start-up enterprises in Alberta.
Such candidates must:
- Have at least 6 months of full-time experience owning or managing a business
- Complete a Canadian degree equivalent from a post-secondary institution outside Canada within the last 10 years
- Have a business plan
- Be able to deliver a presentation that outlines the business venture
- Meet minimum language benchmarks of level 5 in English and 5 in French
- Meet minimum investment criteria of $100,000 for urban centres and $50,000 for regional areas.
- Have a letter of recommendation from an AAIP-approved agency
- Have the required funds to set up and support themselves
The latest Alberta PNP draw
According to the data released by the AAIP, 134 Notification of Interest letters were issued on March 9, 2023, under the Express Entry draws.
