Changes to Alberta Advantage Immigration Program’s Alberta Opportunity Stream
The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (“AAIP”) is the province’s economic immigration program. It selects skilled workers and provides them with a nomination certificate to facilitate their transition to Permanent Residence in Canada through the federal Express Entry System.
AAIP has four worker streams: the Alberta Opportunity Stream (“AOS”), the Tourism and Hospitality Stream, the Alberta Express Entry Stream and the Rural Renewal Stream. The AOS evaluates candidates based on their previous work experience in Alberta within an accepted occupation and requires them to have a qualifying job offer from an Alberta-based employer. Businesses that value the contributions of temporary foreign workers will usually turn to AOS to assist their employees’ transition to Permanent Residence in Canada.
Prior to September 30, 2024, the AOS accepted applications to the program and assessed them as they were received. If all requirements were met, the province would issue a nomination certificate. However, AOS became extremely popular, and the volume of applications far exceeded the number of available nominations for the stream.
New Expression of Interest System
To ensure that the AOS and other workers’ streams prioritize labour market needs within the province, that nomination allocation are managed, and applications are processed promptly, the AAIP recently introduced an Expression of Interest (“EOI”) System.
As of September 30, 2024, candidates must submit a Worker Expression of Interest (“Worker EOI”) if they are interested in receiving an invitation to apply to one of Alberta’s worker streams, including AOS. The Worker EOI will be completed online through the AAIP portal and there is no fee to submit an EOI. EOIs will be scored and ranked using the Worker EOI points grid, and those who successfully submit a Worker EOI will be placed into the Worker Stream pool to be considered for selection. Applicants may only have one Worker EOI.
AAIP will conduct draws from the Worker Stream pool for specific worker streams and pathways, and will select and invite candidates based on their EOI score rankings, provincial labour market needs and priorities, and available AAIP nominations and application levels. Those invited to apply will receive an invitation by email.
What does this mean for applicants and businesses?
Before the introduction of the EOI System, applicants and their employers could assess the likelihood that a candidate would receive a nomination based on the volume of applications received by the program and the available nominations. However, the predictability of the program has now been reduced. It is difficult to know how long a candidate can remain in the Worker Stream Pool without knowing what the provincial labour market needs and priorities are. Therefore, applicants and their employers will need to plan for and ensure they maintain their worker status to remain eligible for AOS and be able to continue working. At the same time, they await an invitation to apply for a nomination.
Applicants who meet all requirements of their chosen stream should submit their EOI as soon as possible and maintain an up-to-date EOI. This will ensure that applicants enter the pool and are eligible to be drawn.
This procedural change will impact how nominations are issued under AOS. With time, we expect that data regarding scores, draws, and processing times will provide greater certainty for candidates and businesses planning the transition of temporary foreign workers to Permanent Residence in Canada.
As experienced Canadian immigration lawyers, we can help you with your immigration needs. If you are interested in applying for permanent residence in Canada, get in touch with us at immigration@langfordlaw.com.