Alberta province of Canada will start accepting limited applications under the new stream for tourism and hospitality from March 1, 2024. On February 13, 2024, Alberta announced the launch of this immigration stream under the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP).
The new Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) stream will help the critical province in Canada to address labour shortages and other challenges in this thriving industry. It will also help businesses throughout the province, including those in remote areas, retain workforce and boost the economy. Initially, the AAIP will accept a limited number of applications and prioritise their processing.
According to reports, this stream will target foreign individuals who have already been working for a tourism and hospitality business for at least six months and have met the criteria to settle in Alberta permanently.
To be eligible, the applicants must have a genuine full-time job offer from a designated employer operating within the appropriate industry. The candidate must be already established in Alberta. The details of eligibility requirements will be provided after March 1, which you can inquire about on the province’s or federal government’s official website. You can also contact registered immigration consultants in Dubai to learn AAIP requirements in the tourism and hospitality industry and get assistance in the application process.
Alberta’s Tourism and Hospitality industry is crucial in supporting the province’s economic growth and creating new jobs.
Alberta is regarded as one of the top tourist destinations in Canada. According to a news report in the Edmonton Journal, it recorded $10.7 billion in tourism spending in 2022, a significant increase of $600 million from 2019 levels and up $4.38 billion from the height of the pandemic in 2021. A total of 32 million people visited Alberta in 2022.
Opportunity Stream Paused
Meanwhile, AAIP officials have temporarily paused the application processing for the Alberta Opportunity Stream. The province wants to utilise time to address its current inventory. It wants to focus on priority sectors such as healthcare, technology, construction, tourism and hospitality, agriculture, and other in-demand industries.
AAIP, however, will continue to process applications submitted under the Opportunity stream before February 15. This stream targeted temporary foreign workers working full-time in the province on a valid Canadian work permit and having a full-time job offer from an employer in Alberta. Post-graduation work Permit holders were also eligible.
About AAIP
AAIP is a PNP program utilised by the Government of Alberta to shortlist the economic immigration candidates likely to establish themselves economically within the province.
Like other PNPs, it has multiple streams that select candidates with different in-demand occupations such as healthcare or agriculture. It also has PNP streams for entrepreneurs and individuals working in rural communities within the province.
Provinces are given a specific number of nominations through the Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) annually. Alberta issued 9,750 total nominations to AAIP candidates in 2023. It included 471 Notifications of Interests (NOIs) in a single Express Entry draw in December as mentioned in this earlier blog.
The province still needs to confirm the number of nominations allocated for 2024. However, according to the federal Immigration Levels Plan for 2024-2026, Canada will welcome 110,000 newcomers through the PNP by the end of this year.
On February 6, the Alberta government issued 44 NOIs to candidates with professional healthcare experience through the “Dedicated Healthcare Pathway with Alberta” job offer. The minimum required score to receive an ITA was 302. The program is known to accept low CRS scores, as is evident in the mentioned draws.
