Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program Employer Driven Stream

Move to the Province of Alberta

The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) is an economic based immigration program set out by the government of Alberta to attract foreign workers who have the skills and work experience to contribute to the economic growth of Alberta. Foreign nationals that have the skills and experience that the province is looking for will be nominated by the province of Alberta as long as requirements are met under the stream the applicant applies under. The AINP consists of three main immigration streams:

Strategic Recruitment Stream
Employer-Driven Stream
Self-Employed Farmer Stream

This article will discuss Employer-Driven Stream, please refer to our other blogs for information on Strategic Recruitment Stream and Self-Employed Stream.

What is the Employer Driven Stream?

Under the Employer Driven Stream the employer can nominate a foreign worker to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) for permanent residency to Canada. This stream gives the applicants the comfort of knowing that their job prospects are high after becoming permanent residents and employers can easily hire workers they need. The Employer Driven Stream has three sub-categories which include:
Skilled Worker Category
International Graduate Category
Semi-Skilled Worker Category

Skilled Worker Category

The skilled worker category is for persons that have permanent full-time job offer with an employer in Canada in an eligible skilled occupation. There are requirements for the employer and the candidates see below for details.

Requirements for Alberta Employer:

Your business must incorporated or registered in the province of Alberta
Provide the candidate permanent full-time position in a skilled occupation. The skilled occupation must fall under NOC 0, A or B.
Provide a job offer to the candidate in which employment and wage standards are met and of course no dispute exist between employer or candidate
Provide proof that you can hire a foreign worker this can be done by show a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or evidence that no LMIA is needed. If you require an LMIA as the employer ensure the conditions are met for the LMIA. If the candidate is exempt from an LMIA as the employer you must ensure you provide wages and benefits to the candidate and meet industry standards.
Demonstrate you need to hire a foreign worker and you have made great attempts to hire a Canadian citizen or permanent resident for position (only if the candidate is not currently working Alberta meaning they are outside of Canada).
If the candidate occupation is in Early Childhood Education and Child Care Staff additional requirements need to be met.

Requirements for the Candidate:

Demonstrate in your application that your intent is to live permanently in the province of Alberta
Have the education, training or work experience and have the appropriate license for the position
Meet criteria under AINP
Provide copy of your valid work permit if you are working in Alberta already
If you are not currently living in the province of Alberta you need to provide proof of your legal status of your home country
Meeting additional requirements if your occupation falls under Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Staff

International Graduate Category

If you have graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Canada and hold a valid Post Graduation Work Permit and have received a permanent, full time job offer from an Alberta employer then you qualify under the International Graduate Category.

Requirements for the Employer:

Your business must be incorporated or registered in the province of Alberta

Provide the candidate permanent full-time position that falls under NOC O, A, B or C. If the occupation falls under NOC C, the candidate would need to complete a language test and meet the language requirements scores.

Some occupations are not eligible under this stream so make sure you check out list of ineligible occupations. If the occupation falls under the list of ineligible occupations then the candidate does not qualify under the AINP.

You must meet Alberta’s employment and wage standards and no dispute exists between employer and candidate

Demonstrate that wage and benefits are offered to the candidate and industry standards are met

Requirements for the Candidate

Demonstrate in your application that your intent is to live permanently in the province of Alberta
You are working full time with the employer in Alberta who is supporting your application at the time of submission
You will be performing the same occupation as stated on your permanent, full-time job offer from your employer
Your occupation must fall under NOC 0, A, B or C. If the occupation falls under NOC C, the candidate would need to complete a language test and meet the language requirements scores
Some occupations are not eligible under this stream so make sure you check out list of ineligible occupations. If the occupation falls under the list of ineligible occupations then the candidate does not qualify under the AINP.
You have received a diploma, certificate, degree or have completed a graduate level program from one of Alberta’s approved public or private institutions
The program of study you have completed should be at least one year in length
Have a current and valid Post-Graduation Work Permit issued by IRCC
If you are working in an occupation that falls under NOC C, you must submit your official test results for the language tests you have completed. You must meet the minimum language requirements and the results cannot be older than two years. You can either take the CELPIP, IELTS or TEF test to determine if you meet minimum language requirements.

Semi-Skilled Worker Category

If you are foreign worker and have received a permanent, full-time job offer from an employer in Alberta in eligible semi-skilled occupation than you may qualify under Semi-Skilled Worker Category. Not all industries or occupations are able to apply under this category and of course the candidate has to meet the minimum language requirements.

Requirements for the Employer

Your business must be incorporated or registered in the province of Alberta
Your business must be operating under one of the 5 eligible industries that is covered under the AINP Semi-Skilled Worker Category
Offer the candidate a permanent full-time employment that is an eligible semi-skilled occupation, meets wage and employments standard of Alberta and there is no dispute between the employer or candidate present
Have positive LMIA for the candidate and all conditions are met for the LMIA
Submit the application to AINP should the candidate meet all the job requirements and meet AINP criteria
Provide a plan on how you will support the candidate when it comes to accommodation, settlement and retention
Meet any additional requirements for your industry
If the occupation of the candidate is a front desk agent or clerk (noc 6525) and the candidate is working with Alberta Employer on a Post-Graduation Work Permit only then an LMIA is not needed.

Requirements for Candidate

you are currently working in the province of Alberta with a valid work permit under an eligible AINP Semi-Skilled occupation
Minimum high school education required. If you apply in the food service industry (pilot project) then you high school education must equivalent to Alberta
Meet minimum language requirements in which test results cannot be older than two years at the time of AINP application submission. If you do not have test results or your test results have expired you are required to take a CELPIP, IELS or TEF test.
Meet other requirements

Contact Akrami & Associates

Meeting the above criteria does not promise a nomination for permanent residence, there are many other requirements one has to meet to be eligible under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program- Employer Driven Stream. To determine if this immigration route is for you it is best to call us at 416-477-2545 and book a proper consultation. The provincial nominee programs are complicated and attempting to submit an application on your own is not recommended. Contact Akrami & Associates today to determine your eligibility to apply under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program- Employer Driven Stream or any other streams.

With Akrami & Associates there is always a way!!

Shabnam Akrami

Shabnam Akrami is the Managing Partner and Founder of Akrami & Associates. p> Prior to receiving her Paralegal Diploma with Honours, she completed her Law Degree from the UK at the University of London as well as completed a Post Graduate Diploma. In addition, she has also graduated from York University where she received both her Bachelor in Criminology and Masters in Socio-Legal Studies. She is also a Member in good standing with Law Society of Upper Canada. Prior to opening her own firm, she gained extensive experience in corporate immigration law; specializing in work permits, temporary resident permits and rehabilitation cases. She has in depth and hands on experience in all Canadian Immigration and Citizenship matters. These matters include preparation and submission of applications for permanent residence, work permits, NAFTA applications, labour market opinions, temporary resident permits, sponsorships, and business investors. Shabnam is dedicated to all her clients and committed to the successful completion of all the immigration matters in her care. With Shabnam, there is always a way!