Alberta, a part of Western Canada, is the fourth largest province in the country and has become one of the most popular destinations for foreign nationals to study, work and immigrate. While Calgary is the largest city in Alberta, the province’s capital is Edmonton. The province borders the Rocky Mountains.

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), which functions as Alberta’s Provincial Nominee Program, was formerly referred to as the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). The AAIP is a Provincial Economic Immigration program aimed at providing nominations to foreign nationals who have the skills to fill the skilled labour shortage or those willing to start or purchase a business in Alberta. 

For the last two years, Alberta has introduced several changes to its Provincial Nominee program, such as:

• October 1, 2020 – Launch of Online Portal 
• October 1, 2020 – Implementation of $500 Processing Fee 
• October 26, 2020 – Launch of new pathways to encourage international graduates to open businesses in Alberta
• February 16, 2022 – AINP renamed to AAIP
• February 16, 2022 – Introduction of two new streams: (1) the Rural Renewal Stream and (2) the Rural Entrepreneur Stream 
• March 4, 2022 – Assistance is being provided to Ukrainian nationals to apply to the AAIP as a result of the crisis and prioritizing the assessment of applications for permanent residency made by Ukrainian nationals through the AAIP, so long as candidates must meet all program criteria. Application and post-decision service fees for the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program are also being temporarily waived for new applications and requests made by Ukrainian nationals. These measures are reviewed quarterly.
• May 1, 2022 – Lifting restrictions on hiring new temporary foreign workers by removing all occupations placed on the “refusal to process” list that was implemented during the pandemic and opening invitations to candidates who have not worked or studied in Alberta. The restrictive invitations were implemented in 2020, when Alberta limited invitations
• September 18, 2022 – Religious worker and clergy occupations eligible to apply for the AAIP three streams (Alberta Opportunity Stream, Express Entry and Rural Renewal Stream) for workers, so long as they meet existing stream eligibility requirements
• November 16, 2022 – Update to Federal NOC Codes
• January 18, 2023 – Nominations increasing for occupations in demand and introduction of family relatives to eligibility criteria

The AAIP is a provincial economic immigration program managed by the province of Alberta to welcome foreign nationals into the province. There are currently seven official streams (Express Entry also has a Tech pathway), which are divided into two categories: (1) Streams for temporary foreign workers, and (2) Streams for entrepreneurs.

Streams for temporary foreign workers include:

1. The Alberta Opportunity stream; This stream is for temporary foreign workers in Alberta who: 
   1. Already work in Alberta; and,
   2. Have a full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in an eligible occupation
   3. Have either a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or an accepted LMIA exemption work permit and 
   4. Meet other minimum eligibility criteria for residency and work permit type, occupation, language, education, Alberta job offer and work experience.

1. The Rural Renewal stream, designed to attract newcomers to rural Alberta communities. It is founded on a community-based approach that addresses local economic development needs and promotes community growth. Participating communities are responsible for recruiting and retaining foreign nationals to live, work and settle in their region. All decisions (approvals, denials and denial reasons) will be sent by email

There are two steps involved:

1. A community nomination process (community designation required) where the community recruits newcomers to meet labour needs and provides a letter of approval for the client
2. The candidate submits an application to the AAIP

Rural Community Designation Requirements:

1. Have a population of fewer than 100,000 (communities in the same economic region can form a partnership to apply);
2. Be outside the Calgary and Edmonton census metropolitan areas;
3. Have one or more employers interested in participating and offering permanent, full-time, non-seasonal employment;
4. Obtain a letter of support from the community or municipal council;
5. Submit a signed application from the economic development organization with a primary economic development function, including an economic development plan or similar document;
6. Obtain a letter of support from a settlement agency.

1. The General Alberta Express Entry stream, is for candidates demonstrated strong ties to Alberta or who can help support the government’s economic development and diversification priorities may be asked to submit an application. International graduates from Canadian post-secondary institutions may also be asked to apply under this stream. 

Candidates with Tech industry experience may also qualify under the Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway (AATP) and receive an invitation through the Express Entry Stream. Candidates must be currently working for, or have a job offer with, an Alberta-based tech industry employer in an eligible tech occupation. Refer to the list of eligible Accelerated Tech Pathway occupations

Eligibility Requirements for the Alberta Express Entry stream

1. Submit a profile to the federal Express Entry pool (ideally with more than 5 months validity);
2. Have a stated interest in moving to Alberta permanently;
3. Are working or have experience working in an in-demand occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification; and

Have a minimum CRS score of 300+. Past draws have ranged from scores as low as 300 to as high as 473.

Factors Increasing your Chances to Receive an invitation to Apply (ITA):

1. Have a valid job offer and/or Albertan work experience;
2. Are a graduate of a post-secondary institution in Alberta; or
3. Having family relatives in Alberta

In addition to (i) and (ii) above, as of January 18, 2023, the AAIP added having relatives in the province such as a parent, child, brother or sister currently residing in Alberta who is a citizen or permanent residence will now meet added selection factor criteria. The province is of the opinion that

immediate family ties are critical to help new immigrants establish themselves in the province and settle successfully in Alberta.

Entrepreneurs Streams include:

1. Rural Entrepreneur Stream – primarily for entrepreneurs who want to start a new business or buy an existing business in rural Alberta areas.

There are several eligibility criteria for rural communities, including:

1. Rural Alberta communities must have populations of less than 100,000;
2. Candidate must ensure that rural community is on the list of participating communities; if not, the community may still submit an interest to participate to their workforce consultant through a Community Enrollment Form
3. Business Proposal and Exploratory Visit is required;
4. Candidate must contact the rural community contact person (contact details listed in community profile) to discuss their business proposal and exploratory visit
5. An “Exploratory Visit Report” will be required with the following:
   1. Name and contact details of the business service providers or settlement organizations you visited
   2. Description of the activity or meeting and its relation to the proposed business
   3. Copies of business cards collected
   4. Details of visits with current owners if you are buying an existing business
   5. Provide the complete Rural Entrepreneur Stream Business Proposal Summary to the community contact person
   6. Once Community Support Letter and endorsed Business Proposal Summary is received, candidate may submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to the AAIP

For further information on rural Alberta communities, view the Rural Entrepreneur Stream Community Guide.

Selection Process

The information candidates provide in their Business Proposal Summary, Net Worth Worksheet and Community Support Letter are assessed for points based on the Rural Entrepreneur Stream Points Grid. Candidates with the highest-ranking scores are selected by the AAIP to submit a Business Application which will be assessed against the eligibility criteria. The AAIP will issue a Business Application Approval Letter and/or nomination certificate.

Graduate Entrepreneur Stream

This stream is open to international graduates of Alberta post-secondary institutions who want to establish or operate a business in Alberta.

Eligibility Criteria

Selection Process 

The information provided in the EOI, the Business Proposal Summary and Net Worth Worksheet will be assessed, and points will be awarded by the AAIP based on the Graduate Entrepreneur Stream Points Grid. Candidates with the highest-ranking points will be selected and invited to submit a Business Application.

1. Farm Stream

This stream is open to entrepreneurs who wish to establish a new or purchase an existing farm in Alberta and are able to prove the following:

1. financial resources
   • Proof of ability to invest a minimum of $500,0000 CDN of equity in a primary production farming business in Alberta)
   • Documentation of minimum net worth of $500,000 CDN or ability to access a similar amount of funds from other sources 
2. farm management experience proof may include:
   • financial documentation of existing farm business
   • documentation of education, training and work experience
   • proposed business plan for the proposed farming enterprise in Alberta
   • proof that a Canadian financial institution is willing to finance your proposed farming business

A proposed business plan and application must be submitted to the AAIP for assessment. The AAIP will consult with Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation to ensure the business plan is feasible, viable and meets the needs of Alberta’s agriculture industry. Candidates displaying the greatest opportunity for Alberta’s agri-food targets are prioritized.