Alberta Opportunity Stream (Alberta AOS)

The Alberta Opportunity Stream is a Provincial immigration program operated by the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program, for those who are working inside Alberta with specific types of work permit. It is designed to enable Alberta employers to retain qualified foreign workers who are already employed with their business. Eligible candidates can apply directly to Alberta once eligibility criteria are met, without needing to wait for any invitation from Alberta.

The main advantage of the program is that eligible candidates can apply directly, there is no pre-screening Expression of Interest system for this program.

The main disadvantage of the program is that only certain types of work permits are eligible.

Foreign nationals who are working in Alberta with one of the following types of work permits are eligible to apply for Provincial nomination under the Alberta AOS program:

• a work permit issued because of an LMIA
• an LMIA exempt work permit under these categories:
• International Trade Agreement
• Intra company Transferee
• International Experience Canada (Working Holiday, Young Professional or International Co-op)
• French Mobility Program
• Religious Worker under R205(a)
• Open work permit for vulnerable workers or their family members
• Post Graduation Work Permit – Alberta Graduates only
• Open work permit for Hong Kong recent grads, or Ukrainians

This means that other types of work permit holders are not eligible to apply for AAIP AOS, most notably, those who have an open work permit as a family member accompanying a work or study permit holder.

Those who hold the proper type of work permit, are also required to meet the eligibility criteria listed below

There is a list of occupations that are excluded from the Alberta Opportunity stream. Foreign nationals working in all other occupations are considered eligible for AOS. Ensure that you check the eligibility of your occupation on the AAIP AOS website .

Applicants can choose to be tested on either English or French proficiency, but must achieve at least a CLB 5 if working in a Teer o, 1, 2 or 3 occupation or a minimum CLB 4 if working in a Teer 4 or 5 occupation.

Language test results must be valid at the time of application, which means the test was taken less than 2 years before the date you submit your AOS Application to Alberta.

All applicants, except for post grad work permit holders, are required to provide a valid Educational Credential Assessment that shows they have completed an education level that is equal to a Canadian High School diploma.

Post graduation work permit holders, who graduated in Alberta, do not need to provide an Educational Credential Assessment but do need to show that they attended one of the eligible publicly funded institutions and achieved one of the following credentials:

• post-diploma or post-degree certificate (min 1 year)
• min 2 year diploma
• Bachelor’s degree
• Graduate level degree, certificate or diploma

The work experience requirement takes into account the job that you are currently working in for an Alberta Employer. This is called your current occupation in Alberta. When submitting your Alberta Opportunity Stream application, you must show either:

• at least 12 months of full time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the past 18 months, OR
• at least 24 months of full time work experience in your current occupation, within the past 30 months, anywhere in the world

If you are a post grad work permit holder, you need to show only 6 months of work experience within the past 18 months, but your current occupation must be related to what you studied in Alberta.

Work experience must meet the following criteria:

• full- time, for a min of 30 hours per week
• you must have had valid immigration status if you were working inside Canada
• you cannot count work experience that was gained while you were a full time student, except if you have a PGWP and you had a paid co-op placement as part of your study
• you must have any application licenses to work in your occupation in Alberta, including a valid trade certificate from Alberta Apprenticeship if working in a compulsory trade in Alberta

“A job offer, from an Alberta employer, must be included with an application under the Alberta Opportunity Stream. The Alberta employer must have some form of government registration, such as incorporation or CRA registration, and must have a place for employees to report to work in Alberta.

The job offer for AOS applications must provide:

• continuous, paid work (non-seasonal)
• working hours of at least 30 hours per week (full-time)
• employment for 12 months or more
• duties that match your current occupation
• wages that were approved in your LMIA, or if you are LMIA exempt, wages that exceed the lowest starting wage for your occupation in Alberta. Note wages for religious workers have to meet minimum wage.

You are ineligible for the Alberta Opportunity Stream, if any of the following apply to your job offer:

• part-time, casual or seasonal employees (no matter how many hours are worked)
• if you are working as a contractor, self-employed as well as temporary agency workers
• employees who work in a home-based businesses (not zoned for commercial or industrial operations)
• remote workers who are not physically present at their jobsite in Alberta

The first step in creating an Alberta Opportunity Stream application is to register for an Alberta.ca account. You will use your new account to access the AAIP application portal to prepare and submit your AOS Application online.

The AAIP Portal is an online system that requires applicants to enter biographical and employment details into online forms, and then upload supporting documents as evidence. Before starting the application, it is important to review the most recent version of the AAIP Alberta Opportunity Stream Document Checklist , and cross reference with the AAIP website to ensure that you have adequately addressed all of the requirements in your application package.

Once the completed application package has been submitted, the applicant must pay the $500 application fee to the AAIP. A receipt will be issued by email to show that the payment has been successful and the application has been submitted.

Nothing will happen for quite some time after applying for the Alberta Opportunity Stream. It normally takes between 3- 4 months for Alberta to start work on the application. The first sign will be an email to either the applicant, or the employer, or both. The Alberta employer is always contacted to confirm that the applicant is still working in the same position, and to verify certain details like any days taken off by the worker. The applicant is sometimes contacted to provide additional payslips, or an updated work permit if necessary.

Decisions are usually made quickly once the AAIP officer receives the response to their enquiries, and a Nomination Certificate is sent via email within 24-48 hours. In more complicated employment scenarios, it can take a week or two to hear back from the officer with the decision.

Once nominated, the applicant has 6 months to submit a complete application for Permanent Residence to IRCC under the Provincial Nominees Category. After nomination it is also possible to apply for another work permit, either as a Provincial Nominee with a 204(c) letter from Alberta and an e-job offer from your employer; or a Bridging Open Work Permit once the file number from your application for Permanent Residence has been issued.

There are several important factors to take into consideration when planning an application under the AAIP Alberta Opportunity stream.

You must have a valid work permit at the time you apply for AOS, and at the time the officer assesses your application. You cannot apply to extend your existing work permit on the basis of your application to Alberta, and you will be refused if you do not have a valid work permit at the time the officer assesses your file. Implied or maintained status is only considered if you have an approved Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) and you are waiting for IRCC to make a decision on your new work permit application. Restoration status is not considered eligible for AAIP.

You must be able to demonstrate that you have consistently worked at least 30 hours per week during your period of eligible work experience and up until the time the officer makes a decision on your application. Do not take more than 3 weeks off during your eligibility period, or you risk being refused with Alberta stating that you only work on a part time basis. It does not matter how many hours of overtime you worked during the year, you are expected to work full time for each week that you count as your eligibility period.

Foreign students who hold a post grad work permit but studied in a different Canadian province are not eligible to apply for the Alberta AOS pathway, even if you are currently working in Alberta. In that situation, your only option is to gain a Notification of Interest from Alberta through the Express Entry system, or ask your employer to obtain an LMIA for you so that you can obtain an LMIA based work permit.

If you are applying under the AAIP AOS, you need to plan to remain working in Alberta until you become a Permanent Resident. It’s also best if you can remain working in the same job, with the same employer that participated in your nomination process. As a Provincial Nominee, anytime that you change jobs between receiving your nomination certificate and obtaining Permanent Resident status, you are obligated to notify Alberta of the change, and there is a chance that the Province will not approve (and cancel your nomination certificate).

The major difference between the AOS and Alberta EE pathways is that eligible candidates can apply directly to Alberta through the AOS stream once they have the required work experience. The Alberta Express Entry stream is more outside the control of the applicant, because the only way to apply for Alberta EE is to first receive an invitation from Alberta. The candidate has no control over whether or not Alberta decides to invite them.

Other differences include the requirement to be eligible under Express Entry. Alberta AOS candidates do not need to have a valid Express Entry profile, whereas the only way to participate in the Alberta Express Entry program is to start with an Express Entry profile.