The Canadian province of Alberta has many streams as part of the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). These are the Express Entry Stream, and the Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS), each offering new opportunities for immigrants to get permanent residence.
Find out all of the latest updates on the Albert PNP 2024 Draws.
Express Entry Under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program
With the creation of this Express Entry Stream, Alberta will now be able to directly select and invite candidates from the federal Express Entry pool to apply for a provincial nomination. They will be seeking applicants who have demonstrated strong ties to Alberta and who show a commitment to supporting the initiatives of the province as a whole.
Receiving this provincial nomination gives a great advantage to the candidate in the Express Entry pool, as they will obtain 600 extra points under the Comprehensive Ranking System and be prioritized for an Invitation to Apply for Permanent Residence. Only once the candidate receives this invitation from AINP may they officially apply for a provincial nomination.
Potential candidates for this stream must enter or have entered the federal Express Entry pool to qualify and be selected.
Alberta Opportunity Stream through AINP
Unrelated to Express Entry, the AOS is a pathway to permanent residence for individuals working in Alberta. The Alberta government put this stream into effect to simplify processes, reduce wait times, and provide fair access for applicants across all sectors and industries in Alberta. To be eligible for this stream, the federal government requires minimum criteria for language, education, and income to ensure the provincial nominees can successfully integrate into the workforce, community, and support their families long-term.
Requirements for the Alberta Opportunity Stream
1. Residency and Work Permits Requirements
You must have:
-
Temporary resident status in Canada to legally work in the country;
-
A valid work permit for a valid NOC job through:
- A Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA); unless you are
- An LMIA-exempt worker who is covered by an international trade agreement; or
- An LMIA-exempt international student who has a Post Graduation Work Permit
You cannot apply if you are:
- A refugee claimant; or
- A person who is being deported from the country
2. Language Proficiency
There are certain language tests you must qualify for. These are based off the:
- Canadian Language Benchmark or CLB; and
- Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens or NCLC
You must score 5 for both the CLB and NCLC.
This does not apply to Job NOC codes like 3413, which include nurse aids, patient services, and orderlies.
For these occupations you must score at least:
- 7 for the CLB in English; and a
- 7 for the NCLC in French
3. Education Requirements
You must have:
- A certificate or have completed a post-graduate certificate program;
- A diploma that was at least two years long; or
- An undergraduate bachelor’s degree, graduate degree; graduate-level certificate or diploma
4. Occupation Requirements
- You must work at a job in Alberta that is part of the AINP. (Most National Occupational Classification levels like 0, A, B, C, and D are accepted by the program)
- You must have enough work experience in the job you are applying with
5. Work Experience
You must apply for an applicable job under the AINP. This job must match the required work experience for your application. Please note that you cannot change the job you applied for in your application.
To qualify for this section of the application it is required you have:
- 12 months of full-time work experience in Alberta for an AINP accepted job within 18 months
- 24 months of full-time work experience in Canada within 30 months
- A Post Graduate Work Permit with six months of full-time work experience within 18 months (This work experience must be related to your degree or field of study)
- Have completed an Advanced Education Approved Post Graduate Certificate; and
- Have a job that relates to your studies
If an applicant is a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder, he or she:
- must have a minimum of six months full-time work experience in his or her current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months; and
- must currently be in an occupation related to his or her field of study in Alberta based on an approved Alberta educational credential from an Advanced Education-approved Alberta post-secondary institution. Also, if the applicant has completed an Advanced Education-approved one-year post-graduate certificate, the occupation must be related to his or her previous undergraduate or graduate field of study in Canada.
In addition to meeting the time frame requirements above, the work experience:
- must have been full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours/week (part-time work will not be considered);
- must have been in the same occupation as the ‘current occupation’ listed in the application;
- must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada;
- cannot be completed while studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of a study program.*
*Post-graduation work Permit holders who have work experience from paid co-op placements as part of of study program at an Alberta post-secondary institution may use that experience as part of the work experience requirement. For these applicants, the work experience must meet the following conditions:
- The paid co-op work term must have been full-time (minimum 30 hours per week).
- The work experience must be directly related to a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder’s ‘current occupation’.
6. Fund Requirements
You must have enough funds to support you and your family before you apply for this program. Your family unit includes:
- You;
- Dependant children (under the age of 22 and who are not married); and
- Spouse or common-law partner
You must include these family members, even if they are not immigrating with you. Please note that you must use your gross annual income which is your yearly pay after tax.
Latest Draws for the Alberta PNP (AINP).
Are you interested in working in Alberta?
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VisaPlace Immigration News Contributor
Ella Bergquist
Hello! I am one of VisaPlace's many immigration news contributors. Comment below if you have any questions or comments about this article.
