Act now – the new Alberta tourism and hospitality stream launches March 1 2024; and no more AOS

Alberta tourism and hospitality stream: On Tuesday, Feb 13, 2024, the AAIP site announced the launch of a new PNP stream that will go live March 1, 2024. No applications will be accepted until March 1, 2024. The AAIP will only open the new tourism & hospitality stream to a limited number of applicants (out of Alberta’s total of around 10,000 nominations for 2024, it is predicted that perhaps 8-10% can be nominated under this new stream).

A benefit of the new stream is that, according to the news release, it should have expedited processing (presumably to help the tourism and hospitality sectors fill labour shortages in time for this summer peak season).

What we know so far:

No details released yet – perhaps not until March 1, 2024 other than:

• “The Tourism and Hospitality Stream is open to individuals who have already been working for a tourism and hospitality business for at least six months and who have met criteria to establish themselves in Alberta permanently.”

• “To be eligible for the immigration program’s Tourism and Hospitality Stream, candidates must have a valid full-time, non-seasonal job offer from an approved employer operating within the appropriate industry.”

Other news sources say: “According to a statement from the Alberta Ministry of Immigration and Multiculturalism, the new immigration stream targets 18 jobs:

1.     Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness. The median wage, according to the Statistics Canada Job Bank, is $19.23.

2.     Restaurant and food service managers. Median wage $26.44.

3.     Accommodation service managers. Median wage $34.67.

4.     Food service supervisors. Median wage $18.

5.     Chefs. Median wage $19.

6.     Cooks. Median wage $17.

7.     Maitres d’hotel and hosts/hostesses. Median wage $15.

8.     Bartenders. Median wage $17.50.

9.     Hotel front desk clerks. Median wage $17.

10.  Tour and travel guides. Median wage $18.

11.  Outdoor sports and recreational guides. Median wage $18.50.

12.  Food and beverage servers. Median wage $17.

13.  Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations. Median wage $15.

14.  Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities setup services. Median wage $17.

15. Light-duty cleaners. Median wage $18.

16.  Specialized cleaners. Median wage $18.

17.  Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners. Median wage $21.

18.  Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations. Median wage $16.50.”

5 Things you should be doing now

If you don’t want to miss out on the new AAIP stream, we have a few tips and suggestions for what to do right now to prepare.

Tip #5: Make sure you have an Alberta.ca Account and a valid Express Entry Profile with IRCC (if applicable)

Some AAIP streams are Express Entry linked. This means you must first have a valid Federal IRCC Express Entry profile and meet the requirements under the FSW, CEC, or FST. For other AAIP streams, the AAIP also requires candidates to apply through the AAIP Portal. To create an AAIP Portal account, you must have your own basic (unverified) Alberta.ca Account. The candidate must create this account and you cannot have an agent or representative create the account for you (if you want to work with an immigration lawyer like at Holthe Immigration Law, you create your account and then we assist with reviewing your application).

Tip #4: Understand your NOC and wage

We don’t yet have eligibility details, but we know from the press release that candidates in the new Tourism and Hospitality Stream will need to prove at least 6 months of work in one of the listed occupations. Check your 5-digit National Occupation Classification Code (NOC) carefully. Review the lead statement (opening paragraph) and the bullet points that list the main duties for that occupation and ensure that you are meeting the activities of the lead statement and the majority of the main duties (ideally at least 75%).

Also, make sure that your wage is reasonable for the job you are claiming. The AAIP often requires candidates to show that their salary met or exceeded the lowest starting wage for their occupation across all industries in Alberta.

Tip #3: Gather your proof of employment and offer letter from an Alberta employer

You will need to get letters of employment from your employer to prove that you were already working in the occupation that you are claiming for at least 6 months and that they are offering you full-time (at least 30 hours/week) non-seasonal work going forward. Your job activities and duties must match an eligible NOC.

The letter of employment should be on company letterhead and should include your full name, and it should be signed by your supervisor or the HR Manager. The letter should contain the company’s physical address, telephone number and email address, full contact details for your supervisor or HR Manager, your start and end dates of work, your job title, a description of your activities of work, a list of your job duties that isn’t simply cut and pasted from the NOC, that your employment is on a full-time basis, number of hours of work per week you worked, and your annual salary and benefits (historical and what they are offering you from now on).

Make sure your employer is properly incorporated either Federally or Provincially, that they are in the tourism or hospitality sector according to NAICS codes, that they have a valid business licence (if required), and that they have an office or place of work in Alberta where employees need to work regularly.

Tip #2: Prove your intent to reside and ability to settle in Alberta

Candidates will likely need to show that they can establish themselves economically in Alberta and that they have a connection to Alberta. The economic establishment might mean that people show settlement funds according to FSW requirements. The ability to settle might also mean that candidates have to meet minimum language requirements such as CLB 5 or 7 depending on your NOC. Proving your intent to reside in Alberta may also involve proving you have a Canadian Citizen or PR sibling or that you have resided in Alberta. Be ready to show bank account statements, language test results from an approved organization, lease, driver’s license or other official documents to prove residency, and proof of relationship (if applicable).

Tip #1: Tell the truth

Only claim legitimate work experience that you can prove with employment letters and paystubs or tax records. IRCC and the Provinces share information. If you never listed a job in the tourism or hospitality industry on your prior study permit or work permit or Express Entry profile and now all of a sudden try to claim this work, beware of IRCC alleging that you have misrepresented. Misrepresentation is illegal and can get you barred from Canada as inadmissible for 5 years.

Need help?

We are immigration lawyers and are here to assist if you need help trying to figure out the new Alberta PNP landscape or if you want to retain us to work with you every step of the way. It all starts with a consultation.

The end of AOS?

I have bad news for those of you who have been working hard in Alberta and who may not have CLB language levels of 7: if you were relying on the AAIP Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) for your PR, you will likely need to find another strategy. The Alberta PNP abruptly, and without warning, announced a pause in all AOS applications as of February 15, 2024.

Only if you were lucky enough to have completely submitted your AOS application through the AAIP Portal, including submitting the application processing fee of $500, before February 15, 2024, can you have a chance at being considered for nomination under AOS.

There is no guarantee that Alberta will open AOS again in 2024. Taking a look at the inventory which is updated to February 12, 2024, shows that the AAIP already has 5,093 AOS applications in the queue waiting for a decision on whether Alberta will nominate, with the AAIP taking about 6 months to process applications received before September 8, 2023. I guess that AOS will not reopen in 2024 because there is already such a large number of applications under this category in the queue and Alberta only has a total of around 10,000 nomination spots for the entire year, across all streams (though Alberta’s exact allocation of nominations from IRCC for 2024 has not yet been announced). It is even possible that Alberta does not resurrect AOS and simply lets it fade away, to be replaced by streams that target prioritized occupations.

Which Alberta PNP streams are open?

Everyone who didn’t get their AOS application submitted in time and who did not get a nomination under AOS will have to find a different pathway to PR in Alberta. Keep in mind that AAIP still will issue nominations through:

·       the Alberta Express Entry Stream, which includes the Dedicated Healthcare Pathway and the Accelerated Tech Pathway (make sure to watch our video that explains the Accelerated Tech  Pathway);

·       the Rural Renewal Stream;

·       Streams for Entrepreneurs (Rural Entrepreneur Stream, Graduate Entrepreneur Stream, Farm Stream and the Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream); and

·       A new Tourism and Hospitality Stream is set to launch on March 1, 2024.

Which occupations does Alberta prioritize?

The good news for some is that the Alberta PNP is continuing to prioritize filling labour shortages in these sectors:

·       healthcare,

·       technology,

·       construction,

·       agriculture,

·       tourism and hospitality and

·       other in-demand sectors (according to ALIS wage report data).