Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program Changes

The Alberta government is making changes to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) ahead of changes by the federal government around temporary foreign workers.

Key changes

• Effective Jan. 2, 2018, the AINP will consolidate the Employer-Driven and Strategic Recruitment Streams and 11 sub-categories under one new Alberta Opportunity Stream.
• The Alberta Opportunity Stream will have one single set of eligibility criteria, ensuring a simpler application process and shorter processing times.
• Beginning in 2018, the AINP will have the ability to place yearly caps on the number of applications accepted and nominations issued for certain sectors and occupations, ensuring equitable distribution of workers and fairness across all sectors and industries in Alberta.
• Alberta will add an Express Entry Stream allowing the AINP to select candidates from the federal Express Entry pool. This will be operational in January 2018.

The AINP is authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to issue a maximum of 5,500 nomination certificates for the 2017 calendar year. This number is determined by IRCC and remains unchanged from previous years. Prospective nominees must have a confirmed work permit linked to a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) or have an AINP-eligible LMIA exemption and a valid job offer with an Alberta employer.

The application form for the Alberta Opportunity Stream will be available on the AINP website starting Jan. 2, 2018. New applications will not be accepted under the former streams after Jan. 1, 2018. Applications received under Employer-Driven and Strategic Recruitment Streams will be processed according to criteria in place at the time the applications were received.

For further information about the program click here.