Alberta Advantage Immigration Program: Understanding the New Expression of Interest System (EOI Alberta)

Like all Provincial nomination programs in 2024, Alberta has faced an unprecedented demand for the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program. It is estimated that there are currently 100,000 work permit holders in Alberta, due to an abundance of jobs created by the Province's economic growth. Alberta has fewer than 10,000 nomination certificates available to award each year; therefore, program has needed to come up with creative ways to manage the AAIP worker streams.

Previously, in order to apply to the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, one needed only to meet the criteria for a specific program, and then submit an application. A sharp increase in the number of applications submitted in early 2024 caused the processing queues to lengthen to 7-8 months processing time, before Alberta closed their application streams in February 2024. One of the requirements to be nominated by Alberta is that the applicant must have a valid work permit at the time the department assesses the application (applicable to Alberta Opportunity Stream and Alberta Tourism and Hospitality Stream). When the estimated processing time reached 8 months or longer in early 2024, the programs no longer made any sense - as most work permit holders would expire while waiting for processing. In order to deal with this situation, the Alberta government had to find a way to slow down the number of people applying to the program. 

What is the New Immigration Program in Alberta in 2024?

As of September 30, 2024, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP) has introduced a new Worker Expression of Interest (EOI) system to manage the intake of applications for its worker streams. This change has generated some confusion, with many thinking this is a new immigration stream. Let’s clarify—the new EOI system is not a new program, but rather a new method to manage the intake of applications more efficiently. Qualified applicants are no longer able to submit their applications directly to the AAIP. Instead they must enter the new worker EOI pool and wait for an invitation from Alberta to apply.

What changed with Alberta PNP?

All of Alberta's PNP streams remain the same, and the eligibility criteria is unchanged. It's just that the method of applying for AAIP nomination has changed. Previously, candidates who met the criteria for AAIP worker streams could apply directly to the program. However, a surge of applications in late 2023 and early 2024 led to long processing queues, causing delays that were no longer sustainable. The Expression of Interest system in Alberta was implemented to help control the volume of applications, ensuring reasonable processing times while also prioritizing workers in Alberta industries that are facing skill shortages.

How the New AAIP EOI System Works

The new system introduces a structured approach to managing applications. Here’s how the process works step by step:

Eligibility Check

The first step to applying for the provincial nominee program in Alberta is ensuring you meet the eligibility criteria for one of the AAIP’s worker streams. This could include the Alberta Opportunity Stream(AOS), Alberta Tourism and Hospitality Stream, Alberta Express Entry Stream and/or the Alberta Rural Renewal Stream. Understanding the program you qualify for is crucial because how you answer the questions in your EOI profile will determine whether or not Alberta considers you when making program draws. Further, if you don't understand your program eligibility, you could be invited to apply for a program that you are not eligible for. In that scenario, the end result will be a refusal after several months of waiting and the loss of your $840 application fee. Applicants are expected to know which programs they are eligible for before submitting their EOI. Note that the largest number of Alberta PNP nomination certificates are reserved for those who have a job offer with an Alberta employer.

How to Submit EOI for Alberta

Candidates must submit a Worker EOI through the AAIP portal. You will self-declare information about your background, such as your skills, work experience, and language abilities by completing the online form. The information you provide will be scored and ranked using the Worker EOI points grid, a points based system that evaluates candidates based on provincial priorities and Alberta's labor market needs.

 Key Points to Remember:

1. There is no fee to submit an Alberta Worker EOI.
2. You can only have one Worker EOI at a time. If you have a draft or active application, you must withdraw it before submitting a new EOI.
3. You need a valid Alberta.ca Account to submit your EOI
4. AAIP Invitations are not issued based solely on the highest number of points. Invitations will be conducted based on eligibility for one of Alberta's programs plus other key considerations like what industry you work in, does Alberta have a skills shortage for your NOC code, and are you located in a rural Alberta community participating in the Rural Renewal Stream. Your score on the worker EOI points grid is just one of the factors taken into consideration.

Waiting for an Invitation

Once submitted, your Worker EOI will be placed into a Worker Stream pool for one year. The AAIP will conduct ongoing draws from this pool of candidates, selecting applicants based on their EOI score and Alberta’s provincial labor market needs. A draw for the Tourism and Hospitality Stream took place in mid-October 2024.

Receiving an Invitation

If selected, you will receive an invitation to apply for provincial nomination via the email address that is connected to your Alberta ID. Ensure that you monitor that email address in the event it is not your primary account. 

Applying for Provincial Nomination

If you receive an invitation to apply for Alberta PNP, you can submit a full application for provincial nomination based on the program for which you are eligible. This will require more detailed information, supporting documents, and further steps. Your application will be submitted through the AAIP portal, which is connected to your Alberta digital ID.

Maintaining Status

Throughout the process of waiting for your AAIP nomination certificate, it’s vital to maintain your work permit status. Submitting an EOI or applying for Alberta nomination does not automatically give you maintained status. Make sure your work permit remains valid while waiting for a notification of interest and a nomination certificate from Alberta. It is only once you have received the nomination certificate that you are able to apply for an extension to your work permit as a Provincial Nominee. Bridging Open Work permits are available only to those who have submitted an application for Permanent Residence to IRCC.

AAIP Worker Expression of Interest Points Grid

While much of the AAIP Expression of interest points grid is self-explanatory, there are a number of factors that have caused confusion in the early days of the program launch, including:

AAIP EOI Education points

Candidates receive points only for their highest level of education. Education points are awarded only if that highest level of education was completed in Canada or if they have an Education Credential Assessment for foreign education. It is common for candidates interested in immigration to Canada to have a degree from overseas and a 2 year diploma completed in Canada. In this case, the applicant must declare the overseas degree as the highest level of education, and must have an ECA for that degree. They would receive points for the highest level of education completed, but no points for education completed in Canada.

A candidate who completed an overseas degree and a 2 year diploma in Canada would not receive any education points if they did not have a valid ECA for the overseas degree.

A candidate whose highest level of education is a 2 year diploma completed in Canada will receive points for a diploma plus highest level of education completed in Canada.

AAIP Regulated Occupation and Certification points

There are some occupations in Alberta that require you to hold a license or certificate in order to work in the position - professional occupations, designated occupations and regulated trades. Examples of such occupations are Registered Nurse, Electrician, and Accountant (this is not a complete list, there are many more). If you work in one of these types of occupations, in order to claim the 10 points available in the AAIP EOI points grid, you must hold the proper license or certificate. In some situations, certificate in the occupation can be voluntary - such as cook or carpenter. Both cooks and carpenters can work in the occupation without any certification, but they are also able to obtain a trade certificate from Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (AIT). The certificate is necessary to claim these additional points on your Worker EOI. If you are working as a carpenter but you do not have the Red Seal certification from AIT, you can not claim the 10 points for a job offer in a regulated occupation in Alberta.

To summarize the requirements to claim AAIP EOI points for a regulated occupation - you must be both working in the regulated occupation and hold whatever certification is available for that profession in order to obtain the 10 points available in the EOI system.

How to get Notification of Interest from Alberta?

You will have a greater chance of receiving an invitation from the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program if you are working in one of the priority industries, working in one of the priority occupations, and working in a rural Alberta community that is participating in the Rural Renewal Program.

AAIP Draw Update 2024

In a recent meeting with the department, the director of the AAIP, Tim Toderovich, mentioned that Alberta is not expecting to conduct many draws or issue many notifications of interest in 2024. The program has enough current applications to fill it's quota for 2024 and will mainly be using the notification of interest system to fill in any blanks if they are short of a few candidates for specific programs. That is why the only draw to date has been for Alberta's Tourism and Hospitality program - because the AAIP needed to issues 200 more nominations under that program before the end of 2024. He explained that once Alberta has a better understanding of how many allocations they will be given by IRCC for 2025, they will be in a better position to conduct regular draws. He also mentioned that for the foreseeable future, Alberta would be concentrating it's efforts on inviting those who have a work permit and are working in Alberta.

With the recent news that IRCC has slashed the overall number of provincial nomination allocations from 110,000 to 55,000 for 2025, it does not appear that Alberta will be granted it's wish for 20,000 annual allocations plus 15,000 spots only for Ukrainians. If the federal government intends to give each province only half of their existing nomination allocations for 2025, this will make it even harder to get an Alberta invitation to apply in 2025.

Key Takeaways

• The Alberta EOI system is not a new immigration stream for Alberta, but a way to control how many applications are submitted at any given time.
• The goal with introducing Expression of Interest EOI for Alberta PNP is to maintain manageable processing times and prioritize applicants whose skills match the shortages in Alberta’s labor market.
• Take your time to review the different Alberta PNP streams before you complete the Worker EOI points grid, to ensure you meet eligibility requirements before submitting EOI.

The Way Immigration is your top choice for the best Alberta Immigration Consultants. We have been working with applications for Provincial Nomination in Alberta since 2008 and have one of the highest success rates possible. Contact The Way Immigration today to start your journey towards Alberta Provincial Nomination.