Alberta Immigrant Provincial Nominee Program (AINP)

The AINP is a program created by the government of Alberta in collaboration with Citizenship and Immigration Canada in order to boost Alberta’s economy by inviting people to come and settles as well as maintaining foreign immigrant who are already working in the country.

Once they have been nominated the nominee along with his spouse and dependents will be allowed to apply for permanent residence to the CIC, it is in the Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s hands to accept the nomination and grant them a resident visa to settle in Canada.

You can apply on your own or along with your employer as well as applying as a skilled or semi-skilled worker.

This program does not work for people trying to extend their work permit or certain people who are not eligible (refugee claimants, live-in caregiver living in Alberta, Clergy).

Under the AINP there are three different streams:

• Employer-Driven Stream (You apply with your employer)
• Strategic Recruitment Stream (You apply on your own)
• Self-Employed Farmer Stream (You may apply if you have the resources and experience to buy and manage a farm in Alberta)

Under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program there are a few people who do not qualify to apply:

• Clergy, Professional Athletes , Primary and Secondary school teacher, and dental laboratory and Bench workers
• Refugee claimants or anyone who has an order of removal against them or is on an appeal process
• Live-in care givers, living in Canada
• Temporary workers living in another province

* Please note that meeting all the requirements does not guarantee nomination to the CIC

Employer –Driven Stream (You apply with your employer)

This stream is for Canadian employer who wishes to keep a foreign worker on a temporary basis, and who has a hard time finding a Canadian employee for the position.

This stream is also for candidates that have a full -time job offer in Alberta who wishes to live a settle there.

Under this stream there are three different categories:

• Skilled worker
• International Graduates
• Semi-skilled worker

Skilled worker

You as the employer

• You must have an actual legitimate business, one that is incorporated or registered and one that has a plant or its operations in Alberta
• You must Provide a full time job offer under the National Occupational Classification under the categories of O, A and B. (O = management related jobs , A= Jobs that require university education and B = Jobs that require a college education)
• You must provide authorization for hiring a foreign worker including the Labor Market Impact Assessment LMIA or the exemption to it if that is the case.
• You have to show the need for the position to be filled by a foreign worker, as well as your efforts to find a Canadian worker

You as the applicant

• You need to clearly demonstrate your intentions to settle and work in Alberta
• You have to provide proof of your education and work experience
• If you are already working in Alberta you have to provide copy of your work permit
• If you live abroad, you need to provide proof of your legal status in the country or residence

International Graduate

You as the employer:

• Your business must be incorporated or registered
• You need to provide a full-time job offer under the NOC’s criteria O, A,B and C (O = management related jobs , A= Jobs that require university education and B = Jobs that require a college education and C = Jobs that are training specific)
• Provide an offer that meets the Alberta’s employment standards

You as the applicant:

• You must demonstrate your intentions of staying indefinitely in Alberta
• You have to be working full-time for the employer who is backing up your application
• Show that the job you are doing is the job you will be doing for the employer once you are accepted and that if falls under the NOC’s criteria O, A,B and C (O = management related jobs , A= Jobs that require university education and B = Jobs that require a college education and C = Jobs that are training specific)
• You need proof that you have a degree/diploma from the approved Secondary and Post secondary school in Alberta or any other Canadian college or university
• You must be able to show the program you graduated from was minimum of two semester (1 year)
• You must submit your Language test results

Semi-Skilled Worker

You as the employer:

• You must have a registered or incorporated business
• Your business must be under one of the 5 industries in which semi-skill workers are eligible ( Food and Beverage Processing, Hotel and Lodging, Manufacturing, Trucking and Foodservices)
• Need to provide a job offer
• You need to have a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) confirmation for the applicant
• Once you have an applicant that meets all the requirements , you must submit them the AINP
• You must draft a plan for the accommodation , and settlement of the applicant
• You need to make sure you meet the requirements for each special industry (http://www.albertacanada.com/opportunity/immigrating/ainp-eds-semi-skilled-criteria.aspx )

You as the Applicant:

• You must be working in Alberta on a work permit
• You need to be able to show you finished Secondary School
• You need to have your language test results

Strategic Recruitment Stream (You apply on your own)

Under this stream you may apply on your own , without having an employer backing up your application.

Under this stream there are three categories:

• Compulsory and Optional Trades category
• Engineering Occupations Category
• Post-Graduate Worker Category

Under this section those who are not eligible are:

• Refugee Claimants or people who are going to a process of appeal or removal orders.
• Live-in care givers living in Canada
• Temporary Foreign working, working in other provinces

Compulsory and Optional Trades category

This option is available to all managers, foremen and trades people who work in a Compulsory and Optional Trades category in Alberta. Here you will find the occupations that fall under this category

http://tradesecrets.alberta.ca/SOURCES/PDFS/designated_trades_certification.pdf

You as the Applicant:

• You have to try and be capable of living and working in Alberta
• You MUST have a valid Alberta qualification certificate or a Recognized Trade certificate in a Compulsory or Optional Trade
• You have to live in Alberta at the time of your applications and have a valid work permit
• At the time of your application you need to show that are working in your area of expertise or have previously worked for an Alberta employer, for minimum of 6 moths in the last 2 years

Engineering Occupations Category

You as the Applicant:

• You must live in Alberta, and you must have the intention of living and working in Alberta permanently.
• You have to provide proof of your education as an engineer, designer or drafter
• You need to have worked or be working with or in a contract with an Alberta employer in the past two years
• Your occupation has to be listed un the AINP strategic recruitment stream occupation list (http://www.albertacanada.com/files/albertacanada/SRS_Engineering_NOC_List_Managers_Added_Comms.pdf)

When you are considering immigrating to Canada, one of things you must determine is which province is best suited for you. When making such a determination, one of the major factors to consider is whether you have a job offer and in which province you have a job offer from. If you have a job offer from an Alberta employer, your choice is simple – you will need explore how you can immigrate to Alberta.

One of the ways you can move to Alberta is by applying under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program Employer-Driven Steam. This Stream can be an option for you if you have a job offer from an employer from Alberta.

Employer-Driven Stream

Before you apply to the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program through the Employer-Driven Stream, you need determine whether you are eligible to apply under the Stream.

You can consider applying under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Employer-Driven Stream if:

• You are an Alberta employer who wants to hire a Foreign Worker Candidate on a permanent full-time basis, and it is hard to find Canadians to fill the position; OR
• You are a Foreign Worker Candidate with a permanent, full-time job offer from an Alberta Employer.

Eligibility

Under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program Employer-Driven Stream, the Employer and Foreign Worker Candidate can be eligible under three categories:

1. Skilled Worker Category
   1. Alberta’s Skilled Worker Category is for a Foreign Worker Candidate who has a job offer from an Alberta employer.
2. International Graduate Category
   1. Alberta’s International Graduate Category is for graduates who have graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution and have a job offer from an Alberta employer.
3. Semi-Skilled Worker Category
   1. Alberta’s Semi-Skilled Worker Category is for Foreign Worker Candidates who have who have a job offer from an Alberta employer in a semi-skilled occupation.

Not Eligible

You are not eligible to apply under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program Employer-Driven Stream if you are:

• A supervisor, foremen or tradespeople;
• A clergy, elementary and secondary school teacher, professional athletes or dental laboratory bench worker;
• A refugee claimant, or individual involved in a federal appeal or removal process;
• A Semi-Skilled Worker not in an eligible industry or occupation;
• A live-in caregiver currently living in Canada; or
• A Temporary Foreign Worker working and residing in a province other than Alberta.

Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (ANIP), The AINP is an economic immigration program operated by the Government of Alberta with the Government of Canada’s department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). This program is to attract immigrants who can support Alberta economy in a way that it benefits its growth.

If you are nominated by the Government of Alberta, together with your spouse/common-law partner and dependent children, you can apply for permanent residence through CIC as a Provincial Nominee. CIC makes final decisions on all Provincial Nominee permanent resident applications.

The AINP offers options for both skilled and semi-skilled workers. In addition, there are options to apply on your own, or with your employer. ANIP has their own stream and categories for accepting application.

Compulsory and Optional Trades Category

The requirement for the Compulsory and Optional Trades Category are:

• You must intend to and be able to live and work permanently in Alberta.
• You must have;
• A valid Alberta Qualification Certificate in a compulsory or optional trade
• A valid Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT) Recognized Trade Certificate in a compulsory or optional trade.
• You must be residing in Alberta at the time of application and show that you have a valid work permit from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to work in Alberta in the trade in which you are certified.
• You must show, at the time of application, that you are either currently working in your trade for an Alberta Employer or have previously worked in your trade with an Alberta Employer for a minimum of six months in the past two years.
• If you are working as a Parts Technician, you are working in a NOCC (semi-skilled) level occupation. You are required to meet language requirements for semi-skilled occupations. There are three accepted language tests you can choose from. Your test result cannot be more than two years old at the time you submit your AINP application.

Engineering Occupations Category

The requirements for the Engineering Occupations Category:

• You must be currently residing in Alberta.
• You must intend to and be able to live permanently in Alberta.
• You must provide evidence of related education/training and experience as an engineer, designer or drafter.
• You must be currently working or have worked within the last two years in Alberta either directly or on contract for an Alberta Employer.

Requirements for An Employer

For an employer who is looking to hire you have to meet certain criteria such as:

· Incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business.

· Have a job offer to the Candidate for permanent, full-time employment in a skilled occupation. That skilled occupation must be an occupation that falls under one of the following skills levels under the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system.

· Have proof of your authorization to hire a foreign worker by showing either the Labour Market Opinion (LMO), or evidence of the LMO exemption.

Requirements for A worker

As a worker you must show:

• Clear intentions in the application that you are able to and want to live permanently in Alberta.
• Have related education, training, previous work experience, and any Alberta licensing needed for the position and to meet AINP requirements.
• A copy of your valid permit, if you are already working in Alberta.
• Your legal status in your country of residence only if you are not currently working in Alberta (you are living overseas)

As you decide to make a move to Canada, you may be considering to settle in Alberta. Alberta has a thriving economy and you may find that it is a province where you can establish yourself.

If you decide to immigrate to Alberta, you need to consider under what Program or application you can apply to come to Alberta. If you’re in an engineering or engineering-related occupation, you may be able to apply to come to Alberta under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program. Specifically, you may be eligible to apply under the Engineering Occupations Category of the Strategic Recruitment Stream.

Engineering Occupations Category

The Engineering Occupations Category of the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program is for Foreign Worker Candidates who have credentials as an engineer and Alberta Work Experience in an eligible Engineer Occupation.

AINP Criteria:

In order to be eligible to apply under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program Engineering Category Occupations, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be currently residing in Alberta
• You must intend to and be able to live permanently in Alberta
• You must provide evidence of related education and experience as an engineer
• You must be currently working or have worked within the last two years in Alberta
• Your occupation in Alberta must be on the Engineering Occupations List

Engineer Occupations List:

Under the Alberta Provincial Nominee Program Engineer Occupations Category, you must determine whether your job falls in one of the eligible occupations for this category. The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program has outlined which occupations are eligible under the Engineer Occupations Category.

The listed occupations in the Engineer Occupations List is based on the National Occupational Classification (NOC).

The list of Engineer Occupations is as follows:

• 0211 Engineering Managers
• 2131 Civil Engineers
• 2132 Mechanical Engineers
• 2133 Electrical and Electronics Engineers
• 2134 Chemical Engineers
• 2141 Industrial and Manufacturing Engineers
• 2143 Mining Engineers
• 2144 Geological Engineers
• 2145 Petroleum Engineers
• 2231 Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• 2232 Mechanical Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• 2241 Electrical and Electronics Engineering Technologists and Technicians
• 2253 Drafting Technologists & Technicians