The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) is set to launch a new expression of interest system on September 30, mean it will not proceed with the remaining monthly application acceptance dates for 2024.
After submitting an expression of interest, a worker is placed in a selection pool. AAIP will invite selected candidates from that pool to apply on the basis of candidate ranking and provincial labor market needs and priorities.
The new system, according to the AAIP website, will allow for ongoing intake of expression of interests.
As of July 25, 2024, the number of applications accepted for assessment to Alberta Opportunity Stream, Rural Renewal Stream and Tourism and Hospitality Stream are as follows:
Application acceptance opening date
Alberta Opportunity Stream
Rural Renewal Stream
Tourism and Hospitality Stream
June 11, 2024
430
142
134
July 9, 2024
n/a
154
143
July 11, 2024
441
n/a
n/a
As of July 25, 2024, there are 446 web form submissions in the pool, which were received between May 23 and June 11, 2024.
The invitations to apply for the Accelerated Tech Pathway will be done through the existing pool.
Application acceptance opening date
Number of invitations to apply sent (from pool of web form submissions)
Web form received date ranges of invitations sent
June 11, 2024
30
May 16 – 19, 2024
July 9, 2024
50
May 19 – 23, 2024
AAIP is also set to launch a new permanent residency (PR) immigration program for foreign nationals looking to work in Canada as police officers.
“We are creating a new Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) pathway for law enforcement to help Alberta’s police services address crime and meet their recruitment objectives for public protection,” as per an update on the AAIP website.
“Invited applicants must have a job offer from an Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police member and meet all other Express Entry criteria.”
Employers who are eligible for law enforcement must also be members of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police.
The eligible occupations include:
commissioned and non-commissioned police officers and related occupations in public protection services;
police investigators and other investigative occupations, and;
other specialized law enforcement occupations.
Alberta welcomed 57,585 new permanent residents in 2023, according to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) data.
This was a 16.3 per cent rise in numbers from the year before that, when Alberta welcomed 49,520 PRs.
The province also welcomed 59,995 temporary foreign workers under the International Mobility Program (IMP) and 20,415 through the Temporary Foreign Worker Program (TFWP).
The province also issued 41,950 study permits to international students in 2023.
Alberta Advantage Immigration Program
Alberta allows foreign nationals to gain PR through the federal Express Entry system’s Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) program, Federal Skilled Trades (FST) program and Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and the PNPs of the 10 Canadian provinces.
Through AAIP, Alberta welcomes skilled worker applications under the Alberta Opportunity Stream, the Express Entry system, which includes the Accelerated Tech Pathway, and the Rural Renewal Stream.
AAIP has in place a two-step immigration system, which is comprised of an application for nomination to the provincial government and – for those nominated – an application for permanent residence to the federal government.
The Alberta Opportunity Stream was designed to simplify the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program application process, reduce waiting times and make the system fairer for candidates and employers.
The Express Entry Stream allows Alberta to nominate a limited number of qualified candidates from the federal Express Entry pool, through periodic draws.
The Rural Renewal Stream allows qualified candidates with a job offer from an Alberta employer to work in a designated rural Alberta community to apply for Alberta immigration.
The Farm Stream, managed by the AAIP in close collaboration with the Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, targets applicants with farm management skills and sufficient financial resources to invest in a farming business in Alberta.
The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is aimed at qualified foreign-educated graduates from outside Canada, who wish to receive permanent residence upon launching start-up enterprises in Alberta.
The Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is aimed at international graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions who want to establish or operate a business in the province.
The Rural Entrepreneur Stream is aimed at entrepreneurs who want to start a business or buy an existing business in a rural Alberta community.
