Alberta Skilled Worker Immigration Program; Comprehensive review 2023

Prerequisites and requirements for Alberta immigration streams

Alberta's migration streams are divided into 7 streams, which are divided into two categories. The first category (including 3 programs) are programs designed specifically for skilled workers and known as “Streams for Workers”. The second category (including 4 programs), known as “Streams for Entrepreneurs”, is suitable for entrepreneurs and people who want to start a new business in the province of Alberta. Each of these streams has different conditions and rules that we will mention below so that you can choose the most suitable option based on your conditions.

1- Alberta opportunity stream conditions

The Alberta Opportunity Stream, known as the Alberta Opportunity Stream, is for people who are currently working in Canada and have a full-time job offer from an Alberta employer. Of course, any type of job offer is not acceptable and you must have a job offer in one of the qualified jobs. Also, the candidates of this stream must have the minimum necessary criteria such as language knowledge, work experience, education, etc., which we will mention below.

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. You must have legal status and a temporary work permit in the province of Alberta throughout your application. If you are a temporary resident of a province other than Alberta, you are not eligible for this program.
2. Almost all occupations in TEER categories 0 to 5 are eligible and people from various occupations can apply for this stream. Of course, some jobs do not fall into this category, which you can see in the table below.
3. For jobs in TEER categories 0 to 3, you must have a minimum score of 5 in English or French. This minimum score is equal to 4 for jobs in TEER categories 4 and 5.
4. You must have completed at least high school and provide your diploma or graduation (the degree must be equivalent).
5. Your work experience should be relevant to the job you are currently applying for. You must also have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in Alberta when you file your application; With the condition that this work experience is related to the last 18 months. If you are not in Alberta and you are working in other provinces of Canada or even other countries, you need to have 24 months of full-time and related work experience, which is related to a maximum of the last 30 months.
6. You must have a job offer or job offer for the job you are applying for at the time of application review. This job offer must be submitted by an employer in Alberta and show that you are going to work in the province of Alberta. Your job offer must be full-time, with no expiration date, and indicate that the employer will employ you for at least 12 months.

2- Stream Express Entry Alberta conditions

The Alberta Express Entry Stream allows the Government of Alberta to nominate individuals who are already enrolled in the Express Entry system. That is, this government is among the people who are in the pool Canada Express Entry are, they choose people who can meet the labor market needs of this province. It then sends them an invitation to apply for an Alberta nomination. People who are selected must have one of the following conditions:

• Have skills in one of Alberta's most in-demand occupations or have a close family member in Alberta
• have skills in one of the fields of “healthcare” or “technology” and also have a job offer from an Alberta employer (people who fall into one of these two categories, their applications will be reviewed faster. Also people who are in Canada and They work in the field of technology, they do not need a job offer.)
• They have experience and skills in some key jobs such as jobs in tourism, construction, agriculture and hospitality.

Express Entry candidates who receive an Alberta provincial nomination through this stream are awarded an additional 600 CRS points in the Express Entry pool. This invitation practically guarantees receiving an invitation for permanent residence in Canada.

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. You must have an active and valid profile in the Express Entry pool
2. You must meet the minimum requirements of one of the Express Entry programs (Federal Skilled Worker, Federal Skilled Trade or Canadian Work Experience)
3. Your main occupation in the Express Entry profile must be one of the most in-demand occupations in Alberta and your occupation must not be on the list of occupations that are not eligible in Alberta.
4. You must show that you intend to live and work in Alberta and express your interest in moving to Alberta permanently.
5. You must have at least 300 points in the CRS comprehensive scoring system
6. You do not have active requests for other Alberta streams

3- Stream conditions of rural modernization

The Rural Renewal Stream is for rural communities and associations that hire newcomers to meet their needs and the labor market. In fact, this stream is designed to develop the local economy of Alberta and communities or local associations of Alberta can hire new forces to improve their rural and local economy. These associations must submit an application to the Government of Alberta to hire foreign workers prior to hiring and must be eligible to be accepted.

Then, after selecting the desired candidate, these associations must support him and in addition to providing a full-time job offer, they must also provide a letter of recommendation or confirmation to the candidate so that he can qualify for this stream. Skilled workers and refugees who have an EMPP referral can apply for this stream; Of course, these people must have the following conditions.

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. First of all, you must have a full-time job offer and a letter of recommendation from the village or local association, and the necessary explanations are mentioned in these two sheets.
2. You must intend to live in the province of Alberta and work for the local or rural association that supports your application.
3. You must have a job offer for a qualifying job, and most jobs from TEER categories 0 to 5 are acceptable. Only some jobs are not eligible for this stream, which you can see in the table below.
4. Depending on the field of work, you may be asked to provide licenses, documents or certificates that are relevant to your work. For example, if you want to work as a kindergarten teacher, you must have and present a level 2 or 3 kindergarten teacher/coach license.
5. You must have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in a qualifying occupation within the last 18 months for your application to be accepted for this stream. Of course, for people with EMPP letters of recommendation, their work experience in the last 10 years is acceptable. This work experience can be a combination of experience in Alberta, elsewhere in Canada or abroad.
6. Depending on your occupation, you must also have a minimum score in English or French, which is a minimum score of 5 for occupations in TEER categories 0 to 3 and 4 for occupations in TEER categories 4 and 5. Therefore, obtaining a minimum score of 4 or 5 in the CLB or NCLC exams is mandatory.
7. A minimum of a diploma (12-year high school diploma) is required and the degree must be equivalent to the equivalent of the Canadian educational standard.
8. Also, if you are not within Canada and you are applying for this stream, you must provide the necessary financial capacity and show that you can afford to pay for yourself and your family. This requirement also applies to people who are inside Canada but not currently working, but people who have an EMPP nomination do not need to provide financial support.

4- Stream conditions of rural entrepreneurs

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream is for entrepreneurs who want to start a business in Alberta or buy an existing business in a rural Alberta community. The minimum investment amount for this stream is 100,000 Canadian dollars, which was previously 200,000 Canadian dollars; This amount can be the capital of the entrepreneur himself or his wife. (+ )

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. You must have at least 3 years of experience as an active business owner/manager or at least 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the last 10 years.
2. You must have at least a high school diploma or high school diploma and have it equivalent.
3. You must have a minimum English or French score of 4 on one of the CLB or NCLC exams.
4. You must intend to reside in Alberta.
5. Your net worth must be at least CAD 300,000 and your and your spouse's assets (or both) are acceptable.
6. You must own at least 51% of the business to obtain Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.
7. Your business must create at least one full-time job for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.
8. A letter of support from Alberta rural communities and associations is required.

5- Stream conditions of agriculture and farming

The Farm Stream is for entrepreneurs who have the financial resources and experience to manage a farm and want to start a new farm in Alberta or buy an existing farm. Applicants must submit their application along with a business plan to the Government of Alberta for evaluation. The Government of Alberta will then consult with the provincial Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation to ensure that the business plan is feasible and meets the needs of Alberta's agriculture industry.

Note that if the Government of Alberta detects fraud in this stream or concludes that it has received false information, in addition to rejecting the application, it will disqualify the candidate from submitting an application for 5 years. So, be careful about the conditions of this stream and how to apply.

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. You have to show that you have various skills to start and maintain the farm and you can provide the following documents to prove it; Of course, the cases are not limited to these cases:

• Financial documents from your agricultural businesses or financial documents of the farm/farms you own
• Documents showing that you have the necessary experience or education to start and maintain a farm or have been trained in it
• A proposed business plan that you would like to establish in Alberta
• Proof that a Canadian financial institution will financially support you to start an agricultural business

1. The minimum investment amount for this stream is 500,000 Canadian dollars and you must have a minimum net worth of 500,000 Canadian dollars or have access to this amount of capital through other means (such as attracting investors).

6- Alberta graduate entrepreneur stream conditions

The Graduate Entrepreneur Stream allows the province of Alberta to select individuals from among eligible international graduates who have studied at an Alberta institution of higher education. These individuals must intend to establish and operate a business in Alberta or purchase an existing business.

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. You must have attended a public institution of higher education in Alberta for at least two years and received a degree or diploma.
2. At the time of application review, you must be in possession of a Graduate Work Permit (PGWP).
3. You must have a minimum English or French score of 7 for all language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
4. You must own at least 34% of the shares of the business.

7- Stream conditions of foreign graduate entrepreneurs

The Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream is another Alberta immigration stream designed for people who completed their higher education in a country other than Canada. Also, these people should be planning to launch a start-up or a new and innovative business to be eligible for this stream. For this stream, you must submit your business plan to eligible agencies for review. If the business plan is accepted, you will receive a recommendation letter from the agency, which is mandatory and must be submitted along with the letter of interest to work and live in Alberta.

The minimum criteria required to be eligible for this stream:

1. You must have at least 6 months of full-time work experience that shows you have owned or managed a business. You can also apply for this stream if you have worked in business accelerators or managed them.
2. At the time of sending the letter of interest, no more than 10 years have passed since your graduation and the degree you received can be equivalent to Canadian degrees.
3. You must present your business plan along with the budget forecast according to the defined frameworks. You should also prepare a maximum 10-minute presentation during which the business will be introduced to investors.
4. Have a minimum English or French score of 5 for all language skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing).
5. You must own at least 34% of the business and your partners must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents. Also, if your business is located outside of Calgary and Edmonton, you must own at least 51% of the business.
6. You must be able to invest at least CAD 100,000 in urban areas and CAD 50,000 in rural or regional areas. This capital can be yours or your spouse's, or you can get it through venture capitalists or reputable Canadian financial institutions.
7. You must also provide a certificate of financial ability and show that you have the necessary financial ability and can cover the costs of yourself and your family while starting the business.

Costs of immigrating to Alberta

To immigrate to Alberta, you only need to pay the application fee, which is equal to 500 Canadian dollars. This fee is non-refundable and is charged to review your case; That is, if your case is rejected, this amount will not be returned to you. Of course, apart from paying the fee application, you must also provide a certificate of financial ability to the Alberta government and show that you will be financially able to live in Canada.

Have another question about the Alberta Skilled Worker program?

So far, we have talked about the Alberta Skill Worker, which is also known as the Alberta Advantage program, and we have explained the application process and steps to the conditions and documents required for it. We hope this article was able to answer your questions, but if you still have questions about the Alberta AAIP program, ask us in the comments section and we'll get back to you. We also suggest that if you intend to immigrate to Canada, you should also see the complete list of Canadian provincial programs so that you may find a more suitable program for you.