Alberta’s government has been advocating strongly to the federal government for an increase in the number of immigrants it can accept each year. With Alberta’s economy growing and about 100,000 job vacancies to fill, the province needs more skilled workers.
Because of that advocacy, Alberta’s government has learned that the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) will be able to issue 9,750 nominations in 2023. It expects to receive 10,140 nominations in 2024 and 10,849 nominations in 2025, substantial increases from the 6,500 allowed in 2022.
The AAIP includes Rural Renewal and Rural Entrepreneur Streams to help support local economies across the province. These streams help attract immigrants to rural Alberta, where they will become strong community members and fill job vacancies outside urban areas.
The AAIP provides newcomers in all sectors and at all skill levels, including temporary foreign workers and international graduates and entrepreneurs, with a variety of pathways to gain permanent residence in Alberta.
While Alberta added 120,000 jobs since the start of 2021, there are still about 74,140 job openings and a forecasted shortage of 33,100 workers by 2025 across many occupations, skill levels and sectors.
Since October 2020, Alberta has created numerous new pathways and program adjustments and established priority processing mechanisms to increase opportunities and attract skilled newcomers. These initiatives include:
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- Alberta Express Entry Stream – high-demand skills with Alberta family connection
- Religious Workers Eligibility
- Rural Renewal Stream
- Rural Entrepreneur Stream
- Responding to the Crisis in Ukraine
- Accelerated Tech Pathway
- Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
- Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), formerly the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program, is an economic immigration program that nominates people for permanent residence in Alberta. Nominees must have skills to fill job shortages or be planning to buy or start a business in Alberta. They must also be able to provide for their families. The governments of Alberta and Canada run the program.
If you are nominated through the program, you may apply for permanent residence status together with your spouse or common-law partner and dependent children.
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada manage applications for permanent residence. The federal government also makes final decisions on these applications.
