If you are interested in living and working in Alberta, PNP in Alberta may be for you. According to wikipedia, Alberta is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Territories (NWT) to the north, and the U.S. state of Montana to the south. Job opportunities in Alberta are an attractive option for many foreign workers seeking stable, long term employment.
You may have an opportunity to fast track your Canadian permanent residence by applying for the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP).
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What Is the Alberta AINP Program in canada?
PNP in Alberta is an immigration program operated on behalf of the Government of Alberta. The Alberta PNP or AINP lets the province who have appropriate skills and experience and who have ties to the province receive a nomination certificate from the Government of Alberta which will accelerate their immigration process.
Those who successfully apply for the program can get permanent residence, when they receive a Provincial Nomination (PN) from the province.
Alberta Opportunity Stream
This stream replaced two previous programs called Employer-Driven Stream and Strategic Recruitment Stream. This new program allows people who meet minimum requirements and work a suitable profession, to apply for nomination from the province.
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 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 4 for both the CLB and NCLC in 2018 to qualify. These score requirements will change to 5 for both CLB and NCLC in 2019.
This does not apply for 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
From July 10, 2018, you must meet all the requirements for graduation, if you are Post Graduation Work Permit Holder. This must be approved by Alberta Advanced Education for both private and public high school.
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)
- 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 you 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 a period of 18 months
- 24 months of full time work experience in Canada within a period of 30 months
- A Post Graduate Work Permit with six months full time work experience within an 18 month period (This work experience must be related to your degree or field of study)
*Please note that if you are part of the Alberta credential program after October 1, 2018 you must:
- 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 also be related to his or her previous undergraduate or graduate field of study 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 be in 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 the work experience requirement. For these applicants, the work experience must meet the following conditions:
a. The paid co-op work term must have been full-time (minimum 30 hours per week).
b. 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.
Alberta Self-Employed Farmer Stream
This stream allows individuals with experience in farming, and who have the appropriate funds to purchase or develop a farm in Alberta, to apply for permanent residence
This Self Employed Farmer stream in Alberta was created to help foreign immigrants start their own farms in Canada.
The basic requirements to apply to the Alberta Self Employed Farmer Stream are assessed on your:
- Education: You must have completed high school and received a diploma. Please note that these must be equal to Albertan education standards.
- Experience
- Income: You must earn at least $21,883 a year for any application handed in from 2018 to 2019; and $23,392 a year for any application handed in from 2020 to 2021
- Language skills: Must meet Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 4 until June 13, 2019, and CLB or NCLC of 5 starting on June 14, 2019.
Requirements for the Self-Employed Farmer Stream
A proposed business plan for an Albertan Farm
Education, training and work experience necessary to develop a sustainable farming business
Evidence of sufficient financial resources to develop or sustain farming operation and
A minimum of $500,000 CAD of equity to invest in the farming enterprise
- A minimum of net worth of $500,000 CAD or confirmation of access to these funds from other sources
Reasons You Cannot Apply for This Stream
- A refugee claimant;
- Being removed or in the process of being removed from Canada;
- Work as a caregiver in Canada;
- Work as a Temporary Foreign Worker who is not living in Alberta; or
- Study in Canada as an international student doing internships or co-op work placements
Alberta Express Entry Stream
This stream allows the Alberta government to select candidates from the pool of the Federal Express Entry selection system. A successful nomination within this stream leads to 600 additional points on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS).
If nominated through this route, an applicant can then apply for Canada Permanent Residency through Express Entry by uploading their provincial nomination credentials into the platform. The other option for people interested in immigrating to Alberta is to begin the process by creating a new Express Entry profile. Once this is done, the individual can then show an interest in the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program directly through the system. If an Alberta nomination is then received, the prospective immigrant will consequently gain 600 points on his or her Express Entry score, significantly increasing their chances of being given an Invitation to Apply during the next Express Entry draw.
Apply for PNP in Alberta (AINP)
Using the AAIP online portal
A link to the AAIP portal will be emailed to you. You must enter the same email address you used to submit your Notification of Interest letter or that you provided with your Accelerated Tech Pathway form, as well as your Express Entry profile number. After you create an application, the link in the email will no longer work and you will enter the portal via the portal main page:
The AAIP portal is only for candidates. You are responsible for your AAIP online portal account. Portal access is not available for third party representatives and family members.
You must have a basic MADI account to access the portal. A MADI account is a free online identity for accessing Government of Alberta services online. Instructions on how to create a MADI account are in the portal and on the MADI website. You may also use an existing basic or verified MADI account.
The email address used to set up your MADI account is the email address that the AAIP will use to correspond with you. It must also be the same email address you used to submit a copy of your Notification of Interest letter or that you provided in your Accelerated Tech Pathway form. If you need to change your email address for corresponding with the AAIP, you must update your MADI account.
You should not share your MADI account with others, including family members and third party representatives, as your information or documents could be modified without your knowledge or consent.
You are responsible for the information provided to the AAIP for your application. Incorrect or fraudulent information could result in your application being declined, and you could be banned from applying to the AAIP for a period of time.
