Alberta Opportunity Stream or AINP opportunity stream has provided a way for foreign nationals working in Alberta and international graduates who have completed their studies at an approved Alberta post-secondary institution to provide the Canadian Permanent Residence. Under the Alberta PNP Program, applications will be processed external to the Alberta Express Entry System. In the Alberta Express Entry 2019 Program, Alberta can nominate the required candidates in the federal express entry pool.
It came into picture on June 14, 2018 and has replaced the two major streams in Alberta PNP Program i.e. employer driven stream and strategic recruitment stream. The candidates’ application will still be processed if they are post marked in both the previous streams.
In the AINP opportunity stream in future would set the guidelines for application intake and nomination that would finally set up the maximum number of applications accepted each year and as well as maximum applications and nominations for by sector and occupation.
The ainp opportunity stream was established for the following reasons:-
✍ To make the immigration process easy.
✍ Reduce Wait time.
✍ Provide fair access for all applicants across Alberta province under all sectors and industries.
In order to be eligible for the AINP opportunity stream, candidates must fit within the criteria being set by the Alberta government. But before setting of in listing the eligibility criteria, we must look at the documents required
✍ Application Form
✍ Valid Passports
✍ Work Permit(s)
✍ Immigration Refugees and Citizenship (IRCC) forms
✍ Designated Language Assessment
✍ Labour Market Impact assessment(s) or evidence of exemption
✍ Education
✍ AIT Recognized Trade certificate
✍ Reference Letter
✍ Licensing Registration and Certification (excluding trade certificates)
✍ Alberta job offer(s) and employment Contract(s)
✍ Income Documents
The criteria for language, education and income are predicted to be changing in the next three years. Minimum requirements will also tend to increase for each of the criteria. Following are the requirements for the ainp opportunity stream:-
Candidates for the AINP opportunity stream must meet conditions listed below at the time their application is post marked and at the time the application is assessed:-
1. Candidate must have the valid temporary status in Canada that authorizes them to work in Canada.
Ineligible candidates are listed as below:-
✍ Temporary residents residing or working in other Canadian province.
✍ Refugee Claimants or individuals involved in federal appeal or removal process.
✍ Foreign nationals residing or working in Canada without valid temporary resident status.
2. Candidates must have valid work permit (not implied status or restoration status) for an eligible occupation based in either.
✍ LMIA exemption for workers covered under the international trade agreement, Intra company transferees or people being a part in International Experience Canada as determined by immigration, refugees and citizenship Canada (IRCC).
✍ Positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA).
✍ LMIA Exemption as a Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) holder, a candidate must:
✍ Have Alberta credentials on the List of Alberta Advanced Education Approved Post-Secondary Credentials.
✍ Have met the requirements for an Alberta Advanced Education Approved credential issued by Alberta Advanced Education approved Alberta Public and private secondary institution.
✍ Have current occupation related to field of study in Alberta
✍ If candidates are graduated with an eligible one year post-graduate certificate, his or her current occupation must also be related to your previous undergraduate or graduate field if study outside Canada.
In the AINP opportunity stream when the application is postmarked and AINP assesses the candidate’s application must be:-
✍ Working in an occupation that matches the candidate’s previous work experience
✍ Working in an eligible Occupation in Alberta
Moreover if the candidate is a Post Graduate Permit holder with an eligible Alberta Advanced Education approved post-secondary credential issues by an institution approved by Advanced Education approved public and private post-secondary institution, the occupation they are hired for must also be related to their field of study in Alberta.
If the candidate has completed an Advanced Education-approved one year post graduate certificate their occupation must also be related to their previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada.
Most jobs with a National Occupation Classification (NOC) level of 0, A,B,C or D are considered eligible.
There are some occupations are not eligible under this stream. Following two come fall under this category:-
✍ The list applies to all candidates in the Alberta Opportunity Stream Ineligible Occupation List.
✍ Secondly it applies to candidates on a Post-Graduate Work Permit in the list of High wage and low wage occupations in the province of Alberta set in the online Government of Canada Refusal to Process a LMIA list
All the Post Graduate Work permit holders should review the ineligibility list in order to determine if the occupation is eligible or not if it is not, the candidate is not allowed to apply and if they apply AINP will not accept the application.
For qualifying for AINP opportunity stream candidates must score atleast 4 in the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) and Niveaux de competence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) for every language skill: listening, reading, writing and speaking. The language test is for both English and French.
But candidates applying under the NOC 3413 (Nurse aids, orderlies and patient service associates) require to score CLB 7 for English language skill and NCLC 7 of French Language skill.
Test score required to qualify ainp opportunity stream in English and French Language is proposed to be increased to a minimum 5 starting from June 14, 2019.
Under the AINP opportunity stream a candidate should have minimum completed high school education or equivalent in their home country of origin at the time of postmarking the application. The education of highest level must be verified through Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from a IRCC recognized organization that confirms the education requirements are met.
But if a candidate is a Post-Graduation Work Permit Holder, they must have met the requirements for graduation for an Alberta Advanced Education approved credential issues by the Alberta Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution.
A new rule will be effective from 1st January 2021 wherein candidates, excluding Post-Graduation Work Permit Holders, have to have completed minimum high school equivalent to Alberta Standards to be eligible for AOS.
Under the ainp opportunity stream the candidates need to have work experience requirements. Initially here candidates need to consider few points before proceeding further:-
✍ Candidate’s “current occupation” is the occupation that he or she is working at the time of postmarking of AINP.
✍ The occupation must be matching the work experience of candidate at the time of application postmarking and the time of application being assessed by AINP.
At the time of postmarking the candidate should have either:
✍ A minimum full time 12 months experience in Alberta in the current occupation
✍ Have minimum 24 months of experience in the past 30 months in the current occupation of the candidate in Canada and/or outside Canada.
If the candidate is on Post-Graduation Work Permit
✍ Minimum 6 months experience in the last 18 months in current occupation in Alberta
✍ Current occupation must be related to the field of study in Alberta
✍ If the candidate has completed Advanced Education approved one year post graduate certificate, the current occupation must be related to the previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada
✍ Income Level Requirements
Candidates should meet the minimum gross annual income level based on their ‘family unit’ size at the time when application is postmarked and at the time of AINP nomination assessment in order to be considered in AINP opportunity stream. Please do remember it is a gross income which is income before tax levied.
Following are included in the term ‘family unit’:-
✍ Candidate himself/herself
✍ Spouse and common law partner
✍ Dependent children
✍ Spouse or common law partner’s dependent children
✍ Dependent children of dependent children
✍ Dependent children of the candidate’s spouse or common law partner’s dependent children.
A candidate should submit an Income Calculation Worksheet to demonstrate that the candidate in question meets the family unit requirement. Taxable benefits as defined by Canada Revenue Agency may be included in calculation of yearly income before tax. Information of tax benefits will be available in the Canada Review agency’s employer’s guide-taxable benefits and allowances.
A candidate may be eligible to factor the yearly taxable benefits of spouse of common in law partner in order to meet the minimum income of family size. But at the time of application the candidate’s spouse or common law partner:-
✍ Have a bona fide job offer from an Alberta employer for a part time or full time work in any occupation and is working authorization for that particular Alberta employer
✍ They have a Alberta yearly income before tax that is greater or equal to 42% of candidate’s yearly income before tax
For more updates upon the Alberta Opportunity Stream or AOS please do call us on +919625212959 Email your queries on info@makevisas.com or Visit the official website (Make Visas).
