Alberta Immigration Nominee Program

Alberta Immigration Nominee Program

Eligible applications who would like to work, live and settle in Alberta permanently may like
to apply for AINP. It is an economic immigration program that nominates people for
permanent residence in Alberta. Applicants who would like to be nominated must have the
desired skills and abilities to the workforce shortage in Alberta and must be able to provide
for their families. The program is run by both the Federal Government and the Alberta
Government.

If a person is nominated through the program, they may apply for permanent residence
status together with their spouse for common-law partner and dependent children.

This application for permanent residence is managed by Immigration, Refugees and
Citizenship Canada. The federal government makes final decisions on these applications.
Program nominees must meet the following federal checks to be eligible for a permanent
resident visa:

Medical
Criminal
Security

This visa will allow immigration to Alberta.

The AINP accepts application under three streams:

1. Alberta Opportunity Stream
Requirements:
Eligible Applicants:

  • 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
    • vulnerable 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 vulnerable 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:

  • 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

Eligible Occupations:

At the time, your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your
application, you must work in an eligible occupation in Alberta. Occupation requirements
also apply to your work experience and job offer. You must review the Work Experience
criteria and Eligible Job Offer criteria sections for details.

The occupation you are working in at the time your application is postmarked to the AINP
is your “current occupation.”

Most occupations under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels 0, A, B, C
and D are eligible under the AINP.

Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWPP holders:

If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder your occupation must also be related to
your field of study in Alberta. You must review the Education criteria section for details
on eligible Alberta credentials and approved Alberta institutions.

If you started attending your Alberta credential program on or after April 1, 2019 and
you have completed an Advanced Education-approved one year post-diploma certificate
or post-baccalaureate certificate, your occupation must also be related to your previous
post-secondary field of study outside Canada.

Language Requirements:

At the time of your application, you must provide test results showing minimum
Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 for all language skills in English or in French
(Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC), for the majority of NOC codes.
Only those applying under NOC code 3413 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service
associates) must provide a minimum language test score of CLB/NCLC level 7 for each
language skill in English or in French.

Effective January 1 st  2020, the language requirement has been increased to CLB/NCLC
level 5 for candidates applying under NOC 0, A and B.
Work Experience:

At the time of your application, you must have:

  • Minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in
    Alberta within the last 18 months; or
  • 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.

As a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder, you must have a minimum of 6 months full-
time work experience:

  • in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months AND
  • in an occupation related to your studies for an Alberta approved credential at an
    Alberta approved institution.

Additional requirements:

  • You must have the required licensing, registration or certification to work in your
    current occupation in Alberta.
  • You must have a bona fide full-time job offer from an Alberta employer to work in
    your current occupation in Alberta and be working full-time for that employer in
    Alberta in that occupation.
  • Your job offer 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 for 12 months,
    • Work in your current occupation, and
    • Work for an eligible AINP occupation for which you have a work permit that
      meets AINP work permit requirements.

The following individuals are not eligible, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a
week or more in a 12-month period:

  • Part-time employees, regardless of their working hours,
  • Independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, or
  • 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.

Application Process:

Step 1: Run through the AINP terms and conditions and make yourself aware of it.

Step 2: Review the AINP selection criteria listed above and make sure that you are
eligible for the stream.

Step 3: Review your language testing requirements

Step 4: Download the document checklist and complete the required forms. Forms can
be download from the official website or get in touch with us to help you with the
process.

Step 5: Mail the completed application with required documents.

2. Express Entry Stream

The Alberta Express Entry Stream allows Alberta to nominate a limited number of
qualified candidates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry
system.

Candidates who have demonstrated strong ties to Alberta or who can help support the
government’s economic development and diversification priorities may be asked to
submit an application.

International graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions may also be asked to
submit an application under this stream. Only candidates who are asked to submit an
application to the Alberta Express Entry Stream will be considered.

Eligibility:

Based on available profile information in the Express Entry portal, Alberta may select
candidates and send them a Notification of Interest letter in their federal Express Entry
profile. This information is self-declared by candidates in the Express Entry pool.

You may receive a Notification of Interest letter if you:

  • Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
  • Have stated 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.

If you have one or more of the following adaptability factors, this may increase your
likelihood of receiving a Notification of Interest letter:

  • Alberta job offer and/or work experience
  • A graduate of a Canadian post-secondary institution
  • A relative that is living in Alberta: parent, child, brother and/or sister

Application Process:

Step 1: Receive a request from the AINP to apply to this stream. If the AINP does not ask
you to submit an application, you are not eligible for consideration under this stream.

Step 2: Run through the AINP terms and conditions and make yourself aware of it.

Step 3: Review the Alberta Express Entry Stream Assessment Criteria

Step 4: Review the document checklist and complete the required forms received on
email when requested to apply.

Step 5: Mail the completed application with required documents.

3. Self-Employed Farmer Stream

Requirements

Applicants to the Self-Employed Farmer stream must meet the following criteria.
Meeting these criteria does not 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 proposed business plan for the farming enterprise you are considering in Alberta
  • proof that a Canadian financial institution is willing to finance your proposed
    farming business

Sufficient financial resources

Applicants must be able to invest a minimum of CDN $500,000 of equity in a primary
production farming business in Alberta.

Documents must be provided that 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.

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

Application Process:

Step 1: Run through the AINP terms and conditions and make yourself aware of it.

Step 2: Review the AINP selection criteria make sure that you are eligible for the stream.

Step 3: Download the document checklist and complete the required forms. Forms can
be download from the official website or get in touch with us to help you with the
process.

Step 4: Mail the completed application with required documents.

If you would like to settle down in Alberta and apply under any of the AINP streams, please
get in touch with our team of professionals, we will be more than happy to assist you.