色狐入口

Alberta pauses processing for Alberta Opportunity Stream applications; will launch stream for tourism and hospitality

Edana Robitaille
Published: February 17, 2024

As of February 15, the (AAIP) has temporarily paused processing applications for the until further notice.

The AAIP says the pause will give the province time to 鈥渁ddress its current inventory and focus its limited immigration nominations on priorities, such as filling labour shortages in healthcare, technology, construction, agriculture, tourism and hospitality and other in-demand sectors.鈥

The province will continue to assess any Alberta Opportunity Stream applications submitted before February 15 and says it will be implementing measures to 鈥渕anage future application volumes against program priorities and to maintain reasonable service standards across its streams.鈥

The Alberta Opportunity Stream of the AAIP targets who currently work full-time in the province on a valid Canadian work permit and have a full-time job offer from an employer in Alberta. holders may also be eligible.

Province launches new PNP stream for tourism and hospitality

On March 1, the AAIP is introducing a new stream that targets 鈥渋ndividuals who have already been working for a tourism and hospitality business for at least six months and who have met criteria to establish themselves in Alberta permanently.鈥

Further, candidates must have a 鈥渧alid full-time, non-seasonal job offer from an approved employer operating within the appropriate industry.鈥

A recent release by the Alberta government says that the stream will help with shortages throughout the sector and help businesses throughout the province, including those in rural areas, retain workers and the economy.

The province says it will accept a limited number of applications for the stream and expedite their processing within other priority processing initiatives. More details are expected to be released on March 1.

Alberta is one of Canada鈥檚 most popular tourist destinations. According to data from the provincial government, 32 million people visited the province in 2022, which generated $10.7 billion in expenditures.

Immigrating to Alberta

The Alberta Advantage Immigration Program is a (PNP) that the Government of Alberta uses to select the economic immigration candidates who are likely to economically establish successfully within the province.

Like all PNPs, there are multiple streams that select candidates with different in-demand attributes. For example, the province has PNP streams that such as healthcare or agriculture. It also has PNP streams for those who as well as .

Through the PNP, provinces are allocated a specific number of nominations that they can issue throughout the year. In 2023, Alberta issued 9,750 nominations to AAIP candidates. The province says it has not yet confirmed the number of nominations it has been allocated for 2024 but according to the federal Canada will welcome 110,000 newcomers through the PNP by the end of this year.

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