1. How can I immigrate to Alberta?
The Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) has five current immigration streams:
- Alberta Opportunity Stream for skilled workers
- Alberta Express Entry Stream for candidates with Express Entry profiles
- Alberta Self-Employed Farmer Stream for those who wish to operate a farming business
- International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream for international graduates in Alberta who wish to start a business
- Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa for foreign-educated international graduates who wish to start a business in Canada.
Step 1: Depending on your specific situation, choose the stream that is right for you. Find out if you are eligible for the chosen stream.
Step 2: Submit your application for your chosen stream.
Step 3: Obtain a provincial nomination from Alberta.
Step 4: Submit a permanent residence application to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
It is also important to understand the difference between base PNP streams and enhanced PNP streams.
Enhanced streams are aligned with the federal Express Entry system. In Alberta, only the Alberta Express Entry stream is enhanced. Candidates in the Express Entry system who express their 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 they are selected, they must apply through the AINP portal.
All other current streams in Alberta are base streams. This means that they are not aligned with Express Entry. Interested individuals are required to submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) through the province’s AINP portal, instead of being selected through the Express Entry system.