The Province of Alberta has announced a new immigration pathway – Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway Immigration Program. It focuses on attracting tech-savvy newcomers from across the globe to help diversify the province’s economy and support the emerging tech industry.
About Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway Immigration Program
The new immigration stream is part of the federal-provincial Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). AINP is an economic immigration program that nominates individuals for permanent residence in Alberta. The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway Immigration Program will provide a fast track to permanent residence for highly skilled tech professionals that want to live and work in Alberta.
About Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program
Based on available profile information in the federal Express Entry portal, Alberta may select candidates and send them a Notification of Interest letter in their federal Express Entry profile. If you receive a Notification of Interest letter from Alberta and you are interested in being considered for this stream, you must send a copy of the letter along with additional information to the AINP by email within 2 weeks of receiving the letter. Instructions on how to contact the AINP are in the How to apply section.
There is no guarantee that if you meet the selection requirements you will receive a Notification of Interest letter.
You may receive a Notification of Interest letter if:
- you have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool
- your primary occupation in your federal Express Entry profile is an occupation that supports Alberta’s economic development and diversification
- you have stated an interest in immigrating permanently to Alberta
- you have a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300.
Assessment Criteria For The Accelerated Tech Pathway Immigration Program
You must review the assessment criteria before applying.
You cannot apply for or be nominated under the Accelerated Tech Pathway if you:
- are a refugee claimant or individual involved in a federal appeal or removal process. The AINP does not intervene in the federal refugee claim, appeal or removal process.
- have an active nomination under any AINP stream. An active nomination is a nomination that has not expired and/or that is eligible for extension. Candidates are only eligible for one AINP nomination certificate.
- have a letter from a previous AINP application stating you are currently not eligible to re-apply to the AINP due to past misrepresentation.
To be eligible for nomination, you must meet the following criteria at the time you submit your application in the AINP portal, and at the time your application is assessed.
You must:
- have an active Express Entry (EE) profile in the federal Express Entry pool with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300
- meet the criteria of at least one of the federal immigration programs:
- be working full-time in Alberta under an employment contract or have a bona fide job offer for full-time employment in Alberta
- in the same occupation as the primary occupation in your EE profile
- in an occupation on the list of eligible Accelerated Tech Pathway occupations (PDF, 207 KB) and
- for an Alberta employer:
- that is part of the Alberta tech industry as defined by the AINP AINP list of eligible North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes (PDF, 197 KB)
- that is incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of the province, territory, or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capacity, plant or a place of business in Alberta, and
- for which you do not hold more than 10% of the overall voting shares for the business
- have a current Alberta employment contract or job offer signed by you and your Alberta employer that provides:
- continuous paid work under an employer-employee relationship
- full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours per week
- employment for 12 months or more
- for work in a location in Alberta
- if you will be working or are currently working at a home-base business in Alberta your employer must have the authority to operate that business location from a personal residence
- a base monetary wage or salary that:
- meets provincial minimum wage, and
- meets or exceeds the requirements set out in your LMIA, or if you are LMIA exempt or do not have an LMIA, meets or exceeds the lowest starting wage for your occupation across all industries in Alberta
- Note, non-wage compensation, including but not limited to compensation from company ownership, is not considered as part of the applicant’s base monetary or salary.
- have valid immigration status (work permit or implied status), if you are working in Alberta for your Alberta employer at the time of AINP application
- intend to and be able to live and work in Alberta
The following individuals are not eligible to apply the Accelerated Tech Pathway, even if they are working for an eligible Alberta employer in an eligible tech occupation or have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month or greater period:
- part-time, casual or seasonal employees, regardless of their working hours
- independent contractors or temporary agency workers
- employees who do not work in Alberta, such as those who work online from a location outside Alberta or who work at a premises outside of Alberta
How To Apply For The Alberta Accelerated Tech Pathway Immigration Program
If you believe you meet the assessment criteria, you must first complete and submit the Accelerated Tech Pathway form. This form includes information on your Alberta-based job offer or employment, as well as your federal Express Entry profile.
The AINP will review the information in the form and determine if you meet the minimum eligibility criteria. If you meet minimum criteria, the AINP will then send an email inviting you to submit an application.
You may receive invitation to submit an application if you:
- have an active Express Entry profile in the federal Express Entry pool with a minimum Comprehensive Ranking System score of 300
- are working full-time in Alberta or have a job offer for full-time employment based in Alberta (full-time is a minimum 30 hours per week):
- in an occupation on the list of eligible Accelerated Tech Pathway occupations (PDF, 207 KB) and
- for an employer that is part of the Alberta tech industry as defined by the AINP list of eligible North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes (PDF, 197 KB)
- the primary occupation in your EE profile is the same occupation as your current Alberta employment or job offer
So, ensure that you keep your Express Entry profile up to date to remain eligible for consideration in the future.
Learn more about AINP eligibility criteria, how to apply, and what to do after you receive nomination.
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