Canada Immigration News: Alberta Launches New Immigration Programs

March 1, 2022

Robynn Farrell

Canada Immigration News: The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has been a successful pathway for thousands of skilled immigrants looking for Canadian permanent residency. Recently, the program not only received a new name but two brand new immigration programs too.

On February 16, 2022, The AINP was given a new name and is now known as the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP). Other programs that got a name change include:

The International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream is now known as the Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
The Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa Stream is now known as the Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream;
The Self-Employed Farmer Stream is now known as the Farm Stream.

Program requirements for these and other pre-existing streams under the AINP remain the same

Alberta has also launched two new immigration pathways to help address the growing need for skilled immigrants:

the Rural Renewal Stream; and
the Rural Entrepreneur Stream.

The Rural Renewal Stream

The Rural Renewal Stream’s main focus is to drive newcomers to Alberta’s rural communities to not only help develop the economy but to initiate growth within the community by addressing labour needs that cannot be filled locally. To qualify, you will need:

a community support letter from a designated community; and
to meet the requirements of the program.

Requirements

Have the intention to live and work in a designated Alberta community;
Have a valid Endorsement of Candidate Letter from the Economic Development Organization (EDO) of your chosen rural community outlining the following;
Have a full-time job offer or contract from an employer in a designated community in Alberta;
Have required licensing, registration or certification for your professions or job offer (trade certificates from Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Trade (AIT) are compulsory for these trades;
Childcare workers must have a Level 2 Early Childhood Educator or a Level 3 Early Childhood Educator certification;
Have a job offer classified at level 0,A,B,C, or D that does not fall on the ineligible list of occupations;
Have at least 12 months of full-time work experience in a qualifying occupation;
Meet the language requirements - NOC 0, A, B must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) test score of at least 5, and NOC C or D must have a Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) test score of at least 4;
Meet the minimum education level - highschool certificate equivalent to Canadian standards;
Have enough settlement funds - please see table below.

Settlement Fund Requirements for Rural Renewal Stream
Number of family members	Population: Less than 1,000	Population: 1,000 - 30,000	Population: 1,000 - 30,000
1	$8,922	$10,151	$11,093
2	$11,107	$12,636	$13,810
3	$13,655	$15,534	$16,977
4	$16,579	$18,861	$20,613
5	$18,803	$21,392	$23,379
6	$21,208	$24,127	$26,367
7	$23,611	$26,861	$29,356
Amount of funds required for each additional family member	$2,404	$2,735	$2,989

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream

The Rural Entrepreneur Stream was created to help attract future business owners to Alberta’s smaller communities. Newcomers can either start a new business or buy a business that is already up and running. To qualify, you will need to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) to a rural community in Alberta.

Requirements

Exploratory visit to the community that you want to run your business in (a report will need to be submitted after your visit);
Have at least 3 years of relevant work experience as an owner or manager of an active business or at least 4 years of relevant work experience as a senior manager in the last 10 years;
Meet the minimum education level - highschool certificate equivalent to Canadian standards (an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) is needed);
Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) or compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) test score of 4;
Have at least $300,000 in network or assets;
Have at least $200,000 as an investment;
Own at least 51% of the business if the applicant's partners are Canadian citizens or permanent residents or 100% ownership for ownership succession;
Create a minimum of 1 full-time job (only for Canadian citizens or permanent residents); and
Have a Community Support Letter from a designated rural community.

You can apply for both programs online via the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program portal.

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