Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP
The province operates the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), formerly the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program. Through this program, prospective immigrants with the right mix of skills and work experience needed by the province may receive an Alberta Provincial Nomination Certificate.
Alberta is a prosperous province rich in natural beauty and resources.
Located in Western Canada, Alberta is home to two of Canada’s largest cities, Calgary and Edmonton, and is the most populous of the country’s three ‘Prairie provinces’. It is also renowned as one of the most beautiful parts of North America, with famous national parks, such as Banff and Jasper.
Overview of the AAIP
The province operates several immigration streams divided among two categories:
Workers
Alberta Opportunity Stream
Alberta Express Entry
Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway
Rural Renewal Stream
Entrepreneurs
Farm Stream
Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
Rural Entrepreneur Stream
Summary of AAIP Options
Category | Is a job required? | Is the stream aligned with Express Entry? | Is it currently receiving applications? | Connection to province |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Alberta Opportunity Stream | Yes | No | Yes | Have work experience in the province |
Alberta Express Entry Stream | No | Yes | Yes | Have work experience in the province OR Have a parent, child, brother or sister who is a permanent resident or Canadian citizen of Alberta |
| Accelerated Tech Pathway | Yes | Yes | Yes | Work full-time in Alberta or having a job offer for full-time work in Alberta |
| Rural Renewal Stream | Yes | No | Yes | Must intend to and be able to reside and work in the designated community in Alberta |
Farm Stream | No | No | Yes | N/A |
Graduate Entrepreneur Stream | No | No | Yes | Completed education in Alberta |
Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream | No | No | Yes | N/A |
| Rural Entrepreneur Stream | No | No | Yes | Must have a community support letter from a participating rural Alberta community |
Alberta Opportunity Stream
The Alberta Opportunity Stream was launched in June 2018. This stream targets foreign nationals who are already working in Alberta and who have an official offer of employment from their Alberta employer to continue working full-time in the province. Candidates for this stream must meet a range of eligibility requirements regarding work experience, job offer, language proficiency, and education.
Application Fee: CAD $500
Minimum Requirements:
Must have a valid work permit;
Must be working in an eligible occupation in Alberta that matches your work experience;
A minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 or 5 depending on occupation
A minimum of a high school degree;
A minimum of 12 months of work experience in Alberta in the last 18 months, or a minimum of 24 months of work experience in Canada in the last 30 months.
Alberta Express Entry Stream
The Alberta Express Entry stream was launched in June 2018. The stream allows the province to offer provincial nominations to select candidates with active profiles in the federal Express Entry system. Alberta will automatically consider profiles in the federal Express Entry pool. While the exact selection criteria is unknown, AAIP states that it will seek candidates who demonstrate strong ties to Alberta and who can support regional economic development and diversification.
Express Entry candidates who receive a provincial nomination through this stream will a 600-point increase to their Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) Score, virtually guaranteeing they will receive an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for Canadian permanent residence in the subsequent Express Entry draw.
Application Fee: CAD $500
Minimum Requirements:
Must be in the Express Entry pool;
Must have expressed interest in immigrating to Alberta permanently;
Must be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification;
A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300.
Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway
The Accelerated Tech Pathway allows certain Express Entry candidates with an Albertan job offer at a company in a tech industry or in an eligible tech role to apply for nomination with expedited processing.
To be eligible for the Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway, candidate must be eligible under the Alberta Express Entry stream. Candidates must also be working in one of 38 tech occupations identified as in-demand by the AAIP, or hold a job offer with Alberta employer that is part of an eligible tech industry.
Application Fee: CAD $500
Minimum Requirements:
Must have a profile in the Express Entry pool;
Must have expressed interest in immigrating to Alberta permanently;
A minimum Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) score of 300;
Must be working or received a job offer in an eligible tech occupation in Alberta.
Rural Renewal Stream
The Rural Renewal Stream is for candidates who have a job offer from an Alberta employer to work in rural communities in Alberta.
Application Fee: CAD $500
How it works:
This stream is community-driven, which means that candidates must first obtain the support of a participating community in Alberta. Designated communities work to attract and retain foreign nationals, employers make them a job offer, and the community is responsible for ensuring that the candidate meets the stream criteria. A letter of support is then provided to the foreign national. Once the foreign national receives the endorsement they submit their application to the AAIP.
Minimum Requirements:
Must have valid full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in an eligible occupation in a designated community;
Must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in an eligible occupation in the 18 months before you apply. This work experience can be a combination of experience in Alberta, elsewhere in Canada or abroad;
Must meet minimum language requirements;
Minimum of a high school education equivalent to the Canadian education standard;
Must demonstrate that they have sufficient funds to support themselves and all family members who will be moving into the designated community;
AAIP Farm Stream
The Alberta Farm Stream targets foreign nationals with extensive experience owning and operating a farm who have the financial resources to launch a new farming operation in Alberta. Candidates for this stream must consult with the province and submit a highly detailed proposal outlining their plan to launch a new agricultural farm in Alberta.
Graduate Entrepreneur
The Graduate Entrepreneur stream offers a pathway to permanent residence to international graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions that wish to start and operate a business in the province. This stream uses a points-based Expression of Interest to rank system candidates. Those with the highest-ranking points will be invited to submit a detailed Business Application. Successful applicants will be issued a nomination by the province, which can be used to apply for Canadian permanent residence.
Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
The Foreign Entrepreneur Stream offers a pathway to permanent residence to recent graduates who have completed a foreign post-secondary credential and who have an intention of starting and operating a business in the province of Alberta. Candidates who meet the minimum stream requirements can register a profile using AAIP’s online portal and submit a Business Application for the chance to start a business in Alberta, and, eventually apply for permanent residence.
Rural Entrepreneur Stream
The Rural Entrepreneur Stream is for candidates who wish to start a business in rural communities in Alberta.
Application Fee: CAD $3,500
This stream is community-driven, which means that entrepreneurs who wish to establish a business in rural Alberta must first make contact with a participating community and plan an exploratory visit. After the exploratory visit, the entrepreneur must provide a business proposal containing information about the business and the benefits to the community. A supporting letter is then provided to the entrepreneur. Once the foreign national has the support of the community, they submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the AAIP.
Minimum Requirements:
Minimum 3 years of experience as an active business owner/manager or a minimum of 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the past 10 years;
Minimum of high school equivalent to the Canadian standard with an Education Credential Assessment (ECA);
Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 for each English language skill or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 4 for each French language skill;
Must have a minimum net worth of $300,000.
Minimum investment of $200,000 from candidate’s own (and/or spouse/common-law partner) equity;
Must have a Community Support Letter from a participating rural Alberta community.
FAQ:
Some of the benefits of living in Alberta include lower provincial taxes, and a lower cost of living than other popular provinces.
Alberta also offers higher wages. The minimum wage in Alberta is at $15 per hour. This is the highest in Canada (except for Nunavut).
Alberta is known as one of the most beautiful parts of North America. When you have some time off, you may be able to enjoy its famous national parks such as Banff and Jasper.
Alberta has some advantages when it comes to cost of living. For example, there are no provincial health care premiums and no provincial sales tax (PST).
This means that you will only have to pay the Goods and Services (GST) that is paid by everyone in Canada. This is 5%.
In other provinces, you would pay both GST and PST. For example, in British Columbia, you would be 7% PST and the 5% GST, which means you would be paying 12% in sales tax.
In addition, Alberta offers tax rebates and credits that help with your finances.
Yes. You do not need a job offer for four of Alberta’s five immigration streams.
However, having a job offer may increase your chances under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.
The first step towards moving to Canada is to get an assessment of your specific situation. Call us today at 1+613.222.7154 for an assessment to see if you are eligible to move to Canada, or fill out our online assessment form.
