Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP)

In order to help Alberta’s economy stand strong, the Government of Alberta has introduced the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) through which  prospective immigrants with required experience and skills are targeted by the province and are offered an Alberta Provincial Nomination Certification, which helps them accelerate their overall immigration process and gain Canada permanent residency.

The Alberta Immigration Nominee Program (AINP) offers three major immigration streams – the Express Entry Stream, the Opportunity Stream and the Self-Employed Farmer stream.

1. Alberta Express Entry Stream

Since 2018, the Alberta Express Entry Stream allows the province to nominate a set number of qualified candidates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s (IRCC) Express Entry system.

Applicants can only apply to the Alberta Express Entry stream after receiving a Notification of Interest (NOI) letter from the province. The eligible candidates are contacted directly by the AINP through their Express Entry profiles.

Only those Express Entry candidates, who receive an invitation (NOI letter) from the AINP, can submit an application for a provincial nomination under the Alberta Express Entry Stream.

AINP generally gives priority to Express Entry Candidates who have demonstrated strong ties to Alberta and who are working in an occupation that “supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification priorities.”

Eligibility criteria

In order to apply under the Alberta Express Entry Stream, applicants need to meet the following assessment criteria. The applicant must:

• Have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
• Meet the criteria of at least one of the federal immigration programs: Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades Program or Federal Skilled Worker Program
• Intend to live and work in Alberta
• Be working in an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification
• Have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300

In addition, the AINP is more likely to select candidates with one or more following adaptability factors. The candidate must:

• Have a valid Alberta job offer and/or work experience;
• Be a graduate of an Alberta post-secondary institution with a valid Alberta job offer; or
• Have a parent, child, brother and/or sister who is a permanent resident living in Alberta, or a Canadian citizen living in Alberta.

2. The Opportunity Stream

The Alberta Opportunity stream offers temporary foreign workers in Alberta, who meet criteria on their language skills, academic history, and duration of employment a pathway to obtain Canadian permanent residence under AINP.

Eligibility criteria

In order to apply to the AINP through the Alberta Opportunity stream, applicant must:

• Be employed in an eligible occupation under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) level of 0, A, B, C, or D;
• Have either minimum 12 months full-time work experience in their current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months, or

Have 24 months of full-time work experience in their current occupation in Canada and/or abroad within the last 30 months;

• Be in Canada on a valid temporary foreign worker status;
• Have a valid work permit;
• Be able to demonstrate language ability in English and/or French. Applicants working at NOC Skill Level 0, A, or B: A must have minimum score equivalent to Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) of 5 in each skill – Listening, Reading, Writing & Speaking. For applicants working at NOC Skill Level C* or D: A minimum score equivalent to CLB 4 in each skill;

Note: Applicants with NOC code 3413 (Nurse Aides, orderlies and patient service associates), requires a minimum language test score of CLB 7 in each language skill.

• Have completed high school or a higher level of education. Candidates with Foreign education should have their credentials accessed through an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) firm recognized by IRCC.

3. Self-Employed Farmer Stream

The Self-Employed Farmer Stream offers permanent residence options to applicants who hold farming experience and have enough funds to purchase or develop an existing farm in the province of Alberta.

Eligibility Criteria

In order to apply under the Self-Employed Farmer Stream, applicant must:

•  Invest a minimum of CDN $500,000 in a primary production farming business in Alberta;
• Demonstrate financial documentation of their existing farm business;
•  A minimum net worth of CDN $500,000;
• Provide documentation of their education, training, and work experience;
• Provide a proposed business plan for the farming enterprise they are considering in Alberta; and
• Provide proof that a Canadian financial institution will finance their proposed farming business.