Alberta is the westernmost of Canada’s three Prairie provinces which is also known as Canada's "energy province,” Alberta’s high standard of living, diverse and welcoming communities, and beautiful landscapes make it a great place to call home. The province is rich in oil and gas, with much of its economic activity tied to the petroleum industry, mountain tourism and to agriculture – mainly grain crops and livestock.

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program(AINP)

AINP is an economic immigration program that nominates people for permanent residence in Alberta. This Program targets workers that are in high demand throughout the province and fast tracks their Alberta immigration in order to effectively fill the shortage of Canadian professionals with immigrants who have the exact training and experience needed.

AINP has two main streams: Streams for workers and Streams for Entrepreneurs.

A. Stream for Workers:

This program provides invitations through 2 gateways Viz The Alberta Opportunity Stream and The Alberta Express Entry Stream.

i. The Alberta Opportunity Stream:

The Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) is for temporary foreign workers who are already working full-time in Alberta and have a full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in an eligible occupation. Candidates must have a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or hold one of the accepted LMIA exemption work permits. Candidates must also meet other minimum eligibility criteria for residency and work permit type, occupation, language, education, Alberta job offer and work experience.

ii. The Alberta Express Entry Stream:

The Alberta Express Entry Stream allows Alberta to nominate a limited number of qualified candidates from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada’s Express Entry system.

Candidates who have 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.

This stream has 2 steps:

1.Candidates with an Express Entry profile with the Government of Canada receive a Notification of Interest (NOI) letter from AINP in their Express Entry profile.

2.The AINP invites these candidates to apply. If Candidates meet assessment criteria then they will submit an applicationwhich goes into a pool of eligible applications for consideration for processing.

B. Streams for entrepreneurs

The AINP has 2 streams for entrepreneurs who plan to live in Alberta and buy or start a business in the province:

i. International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

The International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream (IGEIS) allows Alberta to nominate qualified international graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions who want to establish or operate a business in Albertato to apply for permanent residence.

ii. Self-Employed Farmer Stream

This stream is for individuals who have the financial resources and farm management experience to purchase and establish a farm in Alberta.

There are 2 steps to applying to this stream:

1.Candidates submit their business plan to Alberta Agriculture and Forestry

2.A Ministerial Recommendation Letter is issued to candidates with a business plan approved by Alberta Agriculture and Forestry. Candidates can then apply to the AINP.