AAIP 2024 year in review: Alberta exceeds nomination target, prioritizes foreign workers for PR
The year 2024 was a big one for the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).
The AAIP issued many nominations, supported many temporary foreign workers in transitioning to permanent residency, enacted temporary measures in response to wild fires, and established new streams and a new expression of interest system.
Assess your eligibility for Alberta's enhanced PNP programs
How many nominations did AAIP issue in 2024?
AAIP issued 9,942 nominations in 2024, surpassing its allocation for the year, which was 9,750.
Over 85% of 2024 nominations went to temporary foreign workers (TFWs) in Alberta, as the province endeavored to help support them in transitioning to permanent residency.
AAIP also assessed 924 nominee applicants who had work permits expiring in 2024, and issued 777 work permit support letters to foreign workers, under the Temporary Public Policy to Facilitate Work Permits for Prospective Provincial Nominee Program Candidates.
Applicants who have received these work permit support letters will have their application for nomination assessed in 2025 or 2026.
How has AAIP changed in 2024?
With Alberta having seen record-breaking population growth over the last few years, there have also been significant changes to multiple immigration streams.
New streams introduced
On February 13, the province introduced a new PNP stream for tourism and hospitality.
On June 25, 2024, the AAIP launched a new immigration pathway to address crime amid declining police recruitment across the province. The law enforcement pathway allocated 50 nominations for PNP candidates in 2024.
New Expression of Interest system for AAIP worker streams
AAIP made changes to application intake in 2024 in order to address increased demand. The province first established a monthly intake system for applications, and then later put in place an expression of interest pool. Details on this are listed below.
Pause in applications
On February 15, the province announced that it would put a pause on accepting applications under the Alberta Opportunity Stream. The reason for the pause was so it could implement new guidelines to meet the high demand the stream was seeing.
Monthly intake system
On June 3, the province announced that the demand to immigrate to Alberta exceeded the province’s number of nominations received by the federal government, leading the AAIP to adopt new guidelines.
Under these new guidelines, a targeted number of applications would be accepted into the pool on one day each month, from which AAIP would draw.
Starting June 11, 2024, this was applicable for the following streams and pathways:
- Alberta Opportunity Stream.
- Rural Renewal Stream.
- Accelerated Tech Pathway.
- Tourism and Hospitality Stream.
At the same time, it was announced that the Alberta Opportunity Stream would resume accepting applications every month under this guideline, starting June 11.
Expression of Interest system
On September 30, Alberta launched a new expression of interest system for its worker streams.
Under the new system, candidates submit a Worker Expression of Interest if they are interested in receiving an invitation to apply to one of the worker streams. Candidates are then ranked according to the Worker EOI points grid, and AAIP invites the highest scoring candidates to apply for nomination.
Due to the new system in place, AAIP cancelled the remaining monthly application intake dates for 2024.
Temporary measures in response to wildfires
In July, AAIP introduced temporary measures to support applicants affected by Alberta wildfires, giving them more time to meet program criteria. IRCC also offered special measures, including free document replacement and options to extend or restore status.
These temporary measures were put in place from July 19 until November 30, 2024.
Incentive for skilled workers in trades in Alberta
In April 2024, the Government of Alberta launched its Alberta is Calling program to attract skilled tradespeople to the province to help build housing and infrastructure.
The program provides up to 2,000 eligible skilled tradespeople with a one-time refundable tax credit of $5000.
What is the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program?
Formerly called the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that nominates people for permanent residence (PR) in Alberta.
Under the PNP, provinces can issue foreign nationals provincial nominations, which can allow them to apply to the federal government for permanent residency.
The AAIP includes the following streams:
Streams for foreign workers
- Alberta Opportunity Stream.
- Rural Renewal Stream.
- Tourism and Hospitality Stream.
- Alberta General Express Entry Stream.
(a) Dedicated Health Care Pathway.
(b) Accelerated Tech Pathway.
(c) Law Enforcement Pathway.
(d) Experience in in-demand occupations and immediate family connection in Alberta.
(e) Experience in key sectors including agriculture and construction.
Streams for entrepreneurs
- Farm Stream.
- Graduate Entrepreneur Stream.
- Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream.
- Rural Entrepreneur Stream.
How to apply to the Alberta PNP
You may be eligible for PR in Canada through Alberta’s PNP, depending on your skills and situation.
In order to apply, you need to first look into the streams available and see if you meet the eligibility criteria for any of them.
If you’re applying for a worker stream and you meet all the eligibility criteria, you need to submit a Worker Express of Interest. You will then be ranked according to a Worker EOI points grid.
The highest scoring candidates will be invited to apply for nomination.
Once you receive a nomination, you can submit a PR application to IRCC.
Note: If you are applying for an enhanced stream (in other words, an Express Entry aligned stream), a successful nomination will instead award you 600 additional CRS points, greatly increasing your chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA) for permanent residence through the federal government's Express Entry system.
Candidates in the Express Entry system who express an interest in immigrating to Alberta may receive a Notification of Interest from the Alberta government. They will then have two weeks to respond to it. If selected, they must apply through the AAIP portal.
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