Get to Know the Alberta Opportunity Stream

On September 26, 2019February 24, 2020 No Comments in Immigration Tags Alberta, Immigration Programs, Skilled Worker by admin

The Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) is a pathway to permanent residence in Canada for migrants working in Alberta and international graduates who have completed their studies at an approved Alberta post-secondary institution.

If you’re interested in the AOS, there are a number of eligibility requirements you must meet in the following categories’

• Residency status and work permit
• Occupation
• Language
• Education
• Work experience

Each category has specific requirements that applicants must be met at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) assesses your application. Here are some of the details you should know before applying.

Residency Status and Work Permit Requirements

You must have a valid work permit for an eligible occupation to apply for AOS. Valid work permits are based on one of the following:

• a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
• an LMIA exemption for workers based on one of the following exemptions as determined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC):
  • international trade agreements
  • workers transferred within a company
  • International Experience Canada
  • Mobilité Francophone
  • Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holder

Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must also meet additional education and occupation requirements:

• Your current occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta.
• If you are admitted and enrolled in your Alberta credential program before April 1, 2019, your credential must be issued by an Alberta Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution and must be one of the following Alberta Advanced Education approved credentials:
  • certificate or post-graduate certificate (minimum one year in length)
  • diploma program (minimum 2 years in length)
  • undergraduate bachelor’s degree
  • graduate-level degree
  • graduate-level certificate
  • graduate-level diploma

Ineligible applicants

The following people cannot apply for the Alberta Opportunity Stream:

• Refugee claimants or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process.
• Temporary residents living or working in a province or territory of Canada other than Alberta.
• Migrants living or working in Canada who do not have valid temporary resident status.

Occupation requirements

To be considered for AOS, you must:

• work in an eligible occupation in Alberta
• work in an occupation that matches your previous work experience

If you are unsure whether your occupation is on this list contact our team of experienced RCICs for an initial consultation at info@activeprofessionals.com.

Language requirements

It is important that you are able to demonstrate you meet the following language test score in English or French:

• Canadian Benchmark (CLB) test score required a minimum of 4 for each English language skill, or
• Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) test score required a minimum of 4 for each French language skill

If you apply to the AINP under NOC code 3413 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates), the AINP requires a minimum language test score of:

• CLB of 7 for each English language skill, or
• NCLC of 7 for each French language skill

You must provide your official test results with your AINP application for one of the following language tests:

• Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test
• International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training Test
• Test d’évaluation de français (TEF)
• Test de connaissance du français (TCF)

Official test results will need to be less than two years old when you submit your application. The AINP will not accept confirmation of registration to take a language test in place of a test result.

Check the federal guideline on CLB/NCLC equivalency for each of the tests.

Education requirements

Eligible applicants

At the time your application is postmarked you must have completed a minimum of high school education in your country of origin.

Post-Graduation Work Permit holders

Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must meet additional education and occupation requirements:

• Your current occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta.

If you are admitted and enrolled in your Alberta credential program before April 1, 2019, your credential must be issued by an Alberta Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution and must be one of the following Alberta Advanced Education approved credentials:

• certificate or post-graduate certificate (minimum one year in length)
• diploma program (minimum 2 years in length)
• undergraduate bachelor’s degree
• graduate-level degree
• graduate-level certificate
• graduate-level diploma

If you are admitted and enrolled in your Alberta credential program on or after April 1, 2019, your credential must be on the Alberta Opportunity Stream List of Alberta Advanced Education Approved Post-Secondary Credentials.

Work experience requirements

Your “current occupation” is the occupation you are working in at the time your application is postmarked to the AINP.

Your current occupation must also match your work experience at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application.

Qualifying work experience

At the time your application is postmarked you must have either:

• a minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months; or
• a minimum of 24 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Canada and/or abroad within the last 30 months
• This work experience can be a combination of experience gained in Alberta, in Canada (outside Alberta) and/or abroad.
• Post-Graduation Work Permit holders require a minimum of 6 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.

This occupation must be related to your field of study in Alberta of your Alberta Advanced Education approved credential at an Advanced Education approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution.

If you are admitted and enrolled in your Alberta credential program on or after April 1, 2019, and you completed an Advanced Education-approved one-year post-graduate certificate, your occupation must also be related to your previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada.

Work experience in the qualifying period:

• must have been full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours a week
• must be for the same occupation as your current occupation
• must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada
• cannot have been gained while studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of a study program*

*There is an exception to this rule if you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder. Work experience completed during paid co-op work terms that were part of a program of study at an Alberta post-secondary institution can be used to meet the work experience criteria with the following conditions:

• the paid co-op work term was full-time (minimum 30 hours per week)
• the work experience is directly related to your current occupation
• the work experience was all gained in Alberta

You must have the required licensing, registration or certification to work in your current occupation in Alberta at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination

If you are working in a compulsory trade in Alberta you must have a valid Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Trade (AIT) recognized trade certificate.

Eligible job offers

At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination, you must have a bona fide full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in your current occupation in Alberta.

Your Alberta employer must be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province, territory, or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Alberta.

Your job offer or employment contract must be signed by you and your Alberta employer and must offer:

• continuous paid work
• full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours/week
• employment for 12 months or more
• work in your current occupation
• wages and benefits that meet provincial minimum wage and:
• meet or exceed the requirements set out in your LMIA, or
• if you are LMIA exempt, meet or exceed minimum the starting wage for your occupation across all industries in Alberta as set out on the Alis website
• work for an eligible AINP occupation for which you have a work permit that meets AINP work permit requirements

You must meet the terms agreed to in your job offer or employment contract at the time of application and assessment.

Ineligible applicants

The following individuals are not eligible, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:

• part-time or casual employees, regardless of their working hours
• independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, including individuals listed as Directors, Shareholders or Agents of the Alberta employer on the Corporate Registry System (CORES)
• employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial operations, such as a home-based business
• employees who do not work on premises in Alberta, such as those who work in a “virtual” location or serve the employer by telecommuting from a location outside Alberta