Alberta – AINP

Alberta – AINP

What is the AINP (Alberta Immigration Nominee Program)?

Alberta Immigration Nominee Program (AINP) refers to an economic program which is carried out jointly by Alberta as well as the Federal Government. AINP has been set up for those people who wish to apply for Canadian PR and settle in Alberta.

AINP accepts the applications for the skilled worker via Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) under the Alberta Express Entry Stream. The Self Employed Farmer Stream is also one such business program operated in AINP. All the selected candidates become eligible to apply for Canadian PR and stay and work in Alberta permanently.

Any candidate nominated via the AINP is allowed to apply for the Canadian PR in Alberta along with their spouse as well as the dependent children. This process is managed and carried out by the Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). However, the final decision still remains in the hands of the federal government. Every candidate must meet some basic requirements in a criminal background check, medical history check, as well as security departments to become eligible for a Canadian PR visa and moving to Alberta.

Eligibility Criteria for AINP

If you wish to get Canadian PR easily in Alberta, you should apply under the Alberta PNP Express Entry program. All the candidates must meet certain eligibility criteria to get nominated. AINP Selection criteria are as below

  • A Candidate must have an Express Entry profile ready under the federal Express Entry pool.
  • A minimum of 1-year work experience
  • A candidate must possess 300 CRS points or more
  • A candidate must score band 6 or above in every module of IELTS
  • A candidate must have the willingness to work and stay in Alberta

Some key factors mentioned-below can help improve the candidate’s chances to get the (NOI Letter) Notification Of Interest letter for Alberta PNP

  • If a candidate has relatives staying in Alberta
  • If a candidate has any post-secondary education certificate pursued from Alberta
  • If a candidate has a fresh job offer or any past work experience working in Alberta

NOTE: Notification Of Interest letter (NOI Letter) doesn’t act as any sort of guarantee to get your profile approved under AINP.

Once you receive the NOI letter, you are required to submit all the documentary evidence in order to claim the credentials and points within the period of 30 days. If you fail to submit the required document, your NOI letter will be withdrawn.

AINP Streams

The AINP offers a couple of streams designed especially for the foreign workers who currently work and live in Alberta, or they are planning to work and stay in Alberta

Let’s have a look at the streams designed for foreign workers

Alberta Opportunity Stream

The Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) is designed for the foreign workers who already work full-time or possess an offer letter of a full-time job from an employer in Alberta. Candidates are required to have a positive LMIA letter (Labour Market Impact Assessment letter) or possess the LMIA exemption work permit accepted legally. Candidates are also required to fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria framed for permanent residency and/or work permit.

Alberta Express Entry Program

Alberta Express Entry Program falls under the Canadian Federal Skilled Worker Express Entry Program. No separate profile is needed to apply for the Alberta Express Entry Program. A Federal express entry profile must have been created by the candidate and the candidate will then be required to choose the province Alberta as their preferred location in Canada to migrate.

The Alberta Express Entry Program is an AINP program that supports all the eligible individuals to apply for their Canadian PR visas in Alberta. This stream grants the province approval to nominate a small number of eligible persons chosen from the Federal Express Entry Pool.

NOTE: On October 1, 2020, AINP launched a new online portal to facilitate the application process for the Alberta Opportunity and Express Entry streams.

Applicants for the Alberta Express Entry stream must receive authorization from AINP to access the portal.

There is a $500 processing fee for all applications submitted through the AINP online portal on or after October 1, 2020. The processing fee does not apply to those applicants who have applied to the Opportunities Stream and Alberta Express Entry Stream by mail on or before October 1, 2020.

Let’s have a look at the streams designed for Entrepreneurs

The AINP offers another 3 streams for all the entrepreneurs who are planning to get settled in Alberta and are willing to start a new business or buy an existing one in Alberta province:

International Graduate Entrepreneur Immigration Stream

This category is specifically for International graduates of Alberta post-secondary institutions, colleges and universities who can apply for permanent residence.

Applicants should have at least two years of full-time education with the one of designated post-secondary Alberta, resulting in a degree or diploma. After completion of a program of study, an applicant must require to be on a Post-Graduation Work Permit(PGWP).

Self-Employed Farmer Stream

The Self-Employed Farmer Stream is an essential stream that has been started under the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) which aims towards attracting the farm owners as well as operators who are planning to stay in Alberta to purchase and/or manage their business of farming.

Foreign Graduate Start-Up Visa Stream

This stream is for Foreign graduates from OUTSIDE of Canada who can apply for permanent residence.

Foreign graduates who are interested to apply under this category must work with a designated agency. The designated agency will issue a letter of recommendation if the foreign graduate meets the program requirements.

The foreign graduate who qualifies with the letter of recommendation can submit their Expression of Interest (EOI) through the AINP Portal.