The Alberta Advantage Immigration program (AAIP), formerly known as the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP), is a collection of immigration programs that supports Alberta’s economic development by choosing people who are interested in immigrating permanently to Alberta and who have skills that will benefit the province. Applicants first apply to Alberta for provincial nomination (Alberta PNP), and successful candidates can then use their provincial nomination certificate to apply for a Permanent Resident visa from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. In addition to being eligible to apply for Permanent Residence, provincial nominees can apply for a work permit without the need for a Labour Market impact assessment (LMIA).
The Alberta Express Entry stream of the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) is an application stream that operates by invitation only. Potential candidates must first have a profile in the federal Express Entry pool and must have indicated a willingness to live in Alberta. Representatives of the AAIP will then consider the candidate’s profile, and decide whether or not to extend an invitation to apply (called a Notification of interest). Note that there is not a separate Alberta PNP points calculator. Alberta uses the federal express entry system as it’s pool to source qualified candidates for the Alberta Express Entry stream. AAIP draws are held approximately once per month and successful candidates receive a Notification of Interest (NOI letter) in their Express Entry profile.
The minimum eligibility requirements of the Alberta Express Entry stream are an active Express Entry profile, a minimum CRS score of 300 or higher, and a willingness to live in Alberta. In most instances, candidates who receive an invitation to apply under the AAIP EE stream will also have at least one of the following eligibility criteria:
- A valid Alberta job offer
- A close relative living in Alberta
- A degree or diploma from a post-secondary institution in Alberta
There are instances whereby individuals with only a valid Express Entry profile (300+ CRS), and no other qualifying factors will receive a Notification of Interest from Alberta. This usually means that the individual has identified, in their profile, past work experience in an occupation that Alberta finds desirable. It needs to be emphasized that this is a somewhat rare occurrence, and most candidates who receive a Notification of Interest from Alberta have some existing connection to the Province – one of the three mentioned above. Exercise caution before spending large sums of money from overseas because someone told you that a CRS score of 300 will make you eligible for AAIP EE. While you may technically be eligible, the likelihood of you receiving an invitation to apply from Alberta simply because you have a CRS of 300 is relatively low.
Alberta does not publish a list of eligible occupations, but states that your chances of being invited to the Alberta Express Entry Stream are lower if your primary occupation is one of the ineligible occupations that are listed for the Alberta Opportunity Stream.
It is also important to remember that having an ineligible Express Entry profile can be used to refuse your future application for a work or study permit to Canada. Never submit your details into the federal Express Entry pool just to see what will happen. It’s important for you to understand what your chances of actually being successful with an Express entry profile are before you submit your details into the Federal Express Entry pool.
How to apply for Alberta Express Entry?
The process of applying through the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program Express Entry stream starts with creating an Express Entry profile. To do so, you will require valid language test results and possibly an Educational Credential Assessment. Once you have an active Express Entry profile, if you have indicated that you are willing to live in Alberta, and you have a CRS score that is higher than 300 – you become one of the qualified candidates and your profile is eligible to be considered by Alberta.
AAIP Notification of Interest
You will be notified that there is a new message in your IRCC portal if Alberta decides to invite you to apply for the AAIP EE stream. When you log into your active Express Entry profile, there will be a pop-up window that advises you that Alberta is interested in your profile You will need to take a screenshot of that message and email it to the AAIP program within 2 weeks of receiving it, in order to receive access to the Alberta Express Entry stream application portal. Once Alberta responds to your email and provides you with a link to their application portal, you will have 30 days to start creating your AAIP EE Application and a total of 60 days in which to submit it for processing.
