Alberta AAIP Tourism & Hospitality Stream: Eligibility & Jobs

Alberta AAIP Tourism & Hospitality Stream: Alberta is launching a new immigration stream on March 1, 2024, focused on tourism and hospitality workers in the Province. Although the complete eligibility details will not be released until March 1, we are happy to share some clues as to who will qualify for this immigration stream, and what the eligibility criteria will be.

Who is eligible for the AAIP Tourism and Hospitality Stream?

The new Alberta Tourism and Hospitality stream is not opening until March 1, 2024, and the full eligibility criteria will only be released on that date. At the time this article is being written, we can divide the eligibility criteria into two categories: what we know already and what will not be known for certain until March 1, but we can make an educated guess about it.

This is what we know so far about who will be eligible for the AAIP Tourism and Hospitality stream when it opens:

• working in Alberta, with a valid work permit
• work experience in an eligible occupation full time, for at least 6 months
• working for an Alberta employer in an eligible industry – note, that the eligible industries have not yet been defined, other than the generic ‘tourism and hospitality business’
• have a permanent, non-seasonal job offer from an approved employer – again, the eligible employer has not specifically been defined, but likely will include operating in a specific industry, with legal business premises in Alberta, and some sort of official registration (like incorporation or CRA registration, etc)

This is what currently we don’t know, but can make a fairly educated guess about:

• salary must meet or exceed the provincial prevailing wage
• work experience and job offer must be full-time, or a minimum of 30 hours per week
• work experience and job offer must be non-seasonal
• education level of the applicant must be equivalent to a Canadian High School diploma, with a valid Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) (less than 5 years old)
• Language skills of the applicant must be a min of CLB 4 in either English or French, with a valid language test (less than 2 years old)

The program itself has a limited number of spots, projected to be 800-950 in total, and once that number of applications are received, it will close. For that reason, it’s important to apply as soon as possible and ensure that your application is prepared correctly.

What occupations are eligible for the Alberta Tourism and Hospitality Stream?

Alberta has released a list of 18 occupations that will be eligible for the Tourism and Hospitality stream. The fact that the median wages have also been published along with each eligible occupation makes us think that applicants will need to demonstrate that they have a job offer from their employer that is equivalent to, or higher than, the provincial median wage.

• Program leaders and instructors in recreation, sport and fitness. Median wage $19.23.
• Restaurant and food service managers. Median wage $26.44. 
• Accommodation service managers. Median wage $34.67. 
• Food service supervisors. Median wage $18. 
• Chefs. Median wage $19. 
• Cooks. Median wage $17.
• Maitres d’hotel and hosts/hostesses. Median wage $15. 
• Bartenders. Median wage $17.50. 
• Hotel front desk clerks. Median wage $17. 
• Tour and travel guides. Median wage $18. 
• Outdoor sport and recreational guides. Median wage $18.50. 
• Food and beverage servers. Median wage $17.
• Food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations. Median wage $15.
• Support occupations in accommodation, travel and facilities setup services. Median wage $17. 
• Light duty cleaners. Median wage $18.
• Specialized cleaners. Median wage $18.
• Janitors, caretakers and heavy-duty cleaners. Median wage $21.
• Dry cleaning, laundry and related occupations. Median wage $16.50.

How to prepare for the Alberta Tourism and Hospitality Stream?

Although not explicitly stated yet, it is likely that applicants will need a valid language test and a valid Education Credential Assessment(ECA). You can start to prepare in advance by scheduling your language test and ordering your ECA.

You should also prepare scanned copies of:

• passport photo page
• current work permit
• language test results
• educational credential assessment results along with copies of degrees, diplomas and transcripts
• payslips for your eligible work experience

At the time you apply, you will also need to include reference letters for your qualifying work experience plus a job offer from your Alberta employer. There will likely be specific information required in these letters, and those specific details will be released on March 1 when the program opens.

How to apply for AAIP Tourism and Hospitality Stream?

Most AAIP applications start in the AAIP application portal. Candidates need an Alberta digital ID to access the portal and prepare their application.

There are a series of online forms that comprise the AAIP application, mostly asking for basic personal information, work history, education history and address history.

When you have completed the online form entries, there will be a series of upload fields where you can upload the supporting evidence needed for your application.

What is the application process for Permanent Residence through the AAIP Tourism and Hospitality Stream?

Any application for a Provincial Nominee Program is a two-step process to obtain Permanent Residence in Canada. For Alberta PNP programs, the first step is to apply online using the AARP portal and then wait for a decision from Alberta. If you are approved and receive an Alberta Nomination Certificate, you then use that Nomination Certificate to apply for Permanent Residence in Canada through their PR portal.

In the first step of the application, the Alberta portion, usually only the principal applicant’s information and documents are required. In the second step of the application, the federal or IRCC portion, the information and documents of your entire family will be required.

What is the cost to apply for Alberta Tourism and Hospitality Stream?

Most of Alberta’s economic immigration programs cost $500 to apply. This amount is paid by credit card when you submit your electronic application. Note that you will pay additional processing fees to IRCC for the second stage of your application after you receive your nomination certificate from Alberta.

Alberta Opportunity Stream vs. Tourism and Hospitality Stream

Most applicants who qualify through the Tourism and Hospitality stream would have formerly been able to apply to the AAIP using the Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS). Alberta closed the AOS stream on February 15, 2024, and stopped accepting applications on that date. The AOS stream is set to return at an unknown future date, with a new set of eligibility criteria, which we suspect will involve an invitation-only system like BC or Ontario’s provincial nomination programs.

The purpose of revamping the AOS stream is to ensure that Alberta can process its application inventory in a reasonable amount of time, and can target specific occupations that the Province needs. Therefore, it’s reasonable to assume that not everyone who previously could have applied under AOS will be able to do so under the new system. For that reason, if you are eligible to apply under the Tourism and Hospitality stream, we recommend that you do so as quickly as possible.

Alberta Advantage Immigration Program vs. Express Entry

Although Express Entry is Canada’s largest immigration program by numbers, it is very difficult to qualify for an invitation to apply (ITA). Potential applicants are scored against a list of priorities that the federal government has established, and the required scores in late 2023 and early 2024 have been very high. Applicants need to be young (less than 35), highly educated (Master’s degree), highly fluent in English or French (or both), with a substantial amount of skilled work experience and a Canadian sibling, Canadian education or Canadian work experience to qualify. Provincial nominee programs are generally more accessible to those who are older, have lower-skilled work experience, have lower language abilities and/or lower levels of education.