The New Alberta Immigrant Nomination Program

After a false start in January, the Government of Alberta has now unveiled its revised Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). The Province’s hope is that this new program will be simpler, faster and more balanced than its predecessors.

Under the new AINP, there are only three available streams: the Self-Employed Farmer Stream, the new Alberta Opportunity Stream and the new Express Entry Stream.

Alberta Opportunity Stream

The Alberta Opportunity Stream replaces the old Employer-Driven and Strategic Recruitment Streams.

In order to be eligible under the Alberta Opportunity Stream, applicants must be working full-time in Alberta, in an eligible occupation and meet selection criteria related to language, education, work experience and income.

The introduction of this stream creates an opportunity for foreign nationals who are ineligible, or who would not be competitive candidates, under Express Entry, to gain Canadian permanent residency.  This includes foreign workers in NOC C and D occupations.

Express Entry Stream

With the release of the new AINP, the Province now has the ability to invite a limited number of candidates into Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry pool.

Candidates with an Alberta Enhanced Express Entry Nomination will gain an additional 600 CRS Points within the Express Entry ranking system, which given recent trends within the system, would lead to their selection for permanent residency.

Closing Remarks

While we are always cautious with any changes in immigration law and policy (of which there have been many), these new changes to the AINP are very promising. The application forms and process are significantly improved, there is finally a realistic option for semi-skilled workers to gain permanent residency and Alberta is finally on a level playing field with other Provinces and Territories.

There are a limited number of nominations under the new AINP and we expect these openings to fill up quickly. As such, if you are interested, we suggest you apply as soon as possible.

For more information about the new AINP, please visit www.albertacanada.com or contact one of our lawyers or consultants.