Alberta Nominee Program

Employer-Driven Stream: Skilled Worker Category (AINP)


Apply here if the applicant has either:

  • a permanent, full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in a skilled occupation (NOC 0, A, B) or;
  • a permanent, full-time job offer from an Alberta employer and are currently working for that employer in an eligible occupation in one of these industries: food and beverage processing; hotel and lodging (food and beverage servers and room attendants; front desk agent/clerk); manufacturing; long-haul trucking; food services (pilot project)

In both cases, the Albertan employer applies to the AINP when he/she can't fill skilled or semi-skilled positions with Canadian citizens or permanent residents and needs to find a skilled foreign worker.

Expect at least 10 months for the application to be processed.

Specific professions are detailed below: COOKS, WORKERS IN HOTEL AND LODGING, FRONT DESK AGENT/CLERK, MANUFACTURING WORKERS & LONG-HAUL TRUCKERS.

Cooks

  • Employers are currently eligible for one allocation per property, per calendar year.
  • The Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidate shall hold a Work Permit under NOC group of 6241 or 6242 as a Chef or Cook. The foreign worker must be residing in Alberta and have worked in Alberta or Canada for a minimum of six months and be hold a minimum 12-month Work Permit. For cooks and chefs, preference will be given to individuals who have completed three years of formal certified training at an accredited trade school. The formal certified training must include eight weeks of technical training each year. In the absence of formal certified training, the Alberta AINP will consider an equivalency of 54 months of work experience as a chef or cook.

Ineligible occupations: Apprentice cook, Cook's helper, First cook, Food helper, Grill cook, Kitchen helper, Line cook, Short order cook.

Semi-skilled workers: he AINP will consider an employer’s business case for selected occupations defined as NOC C & D occupations. The job must be for permanent and full-time Alberta at the prevailing wage, and the worker must have an LMO.

Select occupations in the following industries may be considered:

  • Food and beverage processing industry
  • Hotel and lodging industry
  • Hotel and lodging: Food and beverage server and room attendants
  • Front desk agents and clerks
  • Manufacturing industry
  • Trucking industry

Food Processing

  • Bakery Production Worker (NOC 9617)
  • Food and Beverage Production Worker (NOC 9617)
  • Food and Beverage Processing Equipment Cleaner (NOC 9617)
  • Industrial Butchers and Meat Cutters (NOC 9462)
  • Poultry Production Worker (NOC 9462)

English Requirements: If the Candidate is not competent in English, the employer must provide the Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of ESL training. The Candidate shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work until they become permanent residents.

Settlement Plan: An Employer shall provide a plan outlining their approach to accommodation, settlement and retention for the PN Candidate from the time the PN Candidate commences employment with the employer. The plan shall demonstrate employer support and assistance toward successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.

Required Experience and Education

The PN Candidate shall:

  • possess a total of 5 years of work experience in a physically demanding job similar to that found in the food processing industry
  • have completed a minimum of high school education
  • complete an interview with AAF staff and be able to satisfy AAF regarding suitability for the Alberta AINP
  • be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the AINP
  • demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta

Hotel And Lodging

The AINP will consider the following hotel workers:

Food and Beverage Servers and Room Attendants (NOC 6453 & 6661)
An Employer is eligible for a maximum number of allocations per year based on the total number of rooms at a property. Allocations can be for Food and Beverage Servers and Room Attendants or a combination of both.

Number of Rooms Maximum Number of
Allocations/per property/per year
1-50 2
51-100 4
101-150 6
151-200 8
201-250 10
251-350 12
351-400 14
401-450 16
451+ 18

  • The number of allocations approved to employers are based on factors including: recruitment strategies and conditions, employment policies and practices, retention and settlement.
  • An Employer must provide support of increase in temporary foreign workers wage over the duration of the Work Permit indicating an increase in skills.
  • An Employer shall submit a Provincial Nominee (PN) Candidate who has the required qualifications, has demonstrated excellent work performance and will contribute to the long term success of the company.
  • An Employer shall possess a Service Canada Labour Market opinion (LMO) Confirmation and meet the conditions such as salary and accommodation.
  • An Employer must be a member in good standing with the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA) and adopt the association's prescribed practices with respect to hiring and employing temporary foreign workers.
  • English Requirements: An Employer shall ensure the PN Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination. An Employer is responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the PN Candidate upon arrival. If the PN Candidate originated from an English speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, the employer is not required to provide proof of PN Candidate competency in the English language. Should the PN Candidate not be competent in English, the employer must provide the PN Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the PN Candidate. For more on ESL training programs, please see the ESL Guidelines below for Hotel and Lodging, Manufacturing and Trucking Industry.

Employer Settlement Plan: An Employer shall provide a plan outlining their approach to accommodation, settlement and retention for the Candidate from the time the Candidate begins employment. The plan shall demonstrate employer support and assistance towards successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.

Candidate Criteria

The candidate shall:

  • hold a valid Work Permit for the NOC occupational group of 6453 and 6661, for the occupation title of Food and Beverage Server or Room Attendant, and be residing in Alberta
  • have completed a minimum of high school education
  • receive the emerit Professional Certification for the occupation of Food and Beverage Server or Room Attendant
  • be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the AINP
  • undergo ESL training–if they are not competent in the English language–from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents; the Candidate must submit proof of an 85% attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate progress
  • demonstrate integration into the local community
  • demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta

Front Desk Agent/Clerk (NOC 6435)
An employer is eligible for ONE allocation per property per year for the occupation of Front Desk Agent/Clerk. The above-mentioned terms and condition regarding English ability, training and settlement also apply.

The PN Candidate shall:

  • have completed a minimum of high school education
  • complete the emerit Professional Certification for the occupation of Front Desk Clerk; the Candidate may be exempt if he/she has completed one of the following levels of education in Alberta: diploma, degree or graduate level program from a publicly funded community college, trade/technical school or university, or at a private institution authorized by provincial statute to confer degrees; OR completed one of the following levels of education in Canada (outside the Province of Alberta): diploma, degree, or graduate level program from a publicly funded community college, trade/technical school or university
  • be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the AINP
  • shall undergo ESL training–if they are not competent in the English language–from the time they arrive to work until they become permanent residents; the Candidate must submit proof of 85% attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate progress
  • demonstrate integration into the local community
  • demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta

Manufacturing Workers

AINP Eligible Manufacturing Occupation Titles

The PN Candidate shall:

  • be residing in Alberta
  • ensure the PN Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination

English: An Employer is responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the PN Candidate upon arrival. However, if the Candidate originated from an English-speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, the employer is not required to prove the Candidate’s competency.

Long-Haul Truckers (NOC 7411)

Long-haul: Defined as drivers who depart for destinations thousands of kilometers away from home. They cross inter-provincial boundaries and travel over international routes across North America. Drivers are away for several days per week or weeks at a time. A long-haul driver is one who operates a tractor-trailer combination vehicle and hauls commercial goods over long distances. AINP eligible.

Short Haul: Defined as drivers who typically leave home or the terminal in the morning and travel to destinations within a half-day’s or one day’s drive; they make numerous stops to pick up and deliver goods over a relatively short distance. Not AINP eligible.

Key notes:

  • Allocations will be based on the number of temporary foreign workers approved under a Labour Market Opinion (LMO), size of company and number of long-haul drivers and past performance (retention rates).
  • A company will not receive an allocation larger than the number of foreign drivers for which the company has received an LMO.
  • Allocation will be based on 10% to 15% of the number of long-haul drivers employed by the company.
  • A review of the retention rate of the company with previous allocations will be conducted. Companies with retention rates of less than 50% may not receive a full yearly allocation. These companies will have to demonstrate improved recruitment and hiring practices.
  • An Employer must provide information regarding recruitment activity and supporting documentation that demonstrates that the foreign trained driver is aware of the scope of their employment, which includes duration of long-haul trips taken, mileage, normal amount of days away from home, and anticipated annual salary.
  • In-Alberta training must be documented. If provided by the employer, details of the training program must be provided which includes training content, hours of training provided in a classroom and supervised road training, testing methodology, and results.
  • If the training is provided by a third-party, a copy of the program syllabus must be provided including hours of classroom and supervised road training, testing methodology and results.
  • The in-Alberta training and supervision must certify familiarity with traffic laws, documentation requirements (record of loads, vehicle maintenance log books, mileage, etc.) and areas of specialization (hazardous goods, mountains, winter driving conditions, running in major metropolitan areas) etc.
  • An Employer must ensure that the Candidate has prior driving training and related experience in a professional capacity.
  • Alberta Class 1 driver's license and eligibility of the Candidate to meet provincial regulations.
  • Generally, an Employer shall submit a Candidate who possesses the required qualifications, has demonstrated excellent work performance and will contribute to the long-term success of the company.
  • An Employer shall possess a Service Canada Labour Market Opinion (LMO) Confirmation and meet the conditions such as salary and accommodation.
  • An Employer shall ensure the Candidate is competent in listening, speaking, reading and writing English prior to nomination.
  • An Employer is responsible for testing and establishing a benchmark of English language capability of the PN Candidate upon arrival.
  • If the PN Candidate originated from an English speaking country or has completed secondary or post-secondary studies in English, the employer is not required to provide proof of PN Candidate competency in the English language.
  • Should the Candidate not be competent in English, the employer must provide the Candidate with an in-house English as a Second Language (ESL) program or cover the cost of the ESL training for the him/her. (See ESL Guideline for Hotel and Lodging, Manufacturing and Trucking Industry.)
  • An Employer shall provide a plan outlining their approach to accommodation, settlement and retention for the Candidate from the time he/she begins employment. The plan shall demonstrate employer support and assistance toward successful integration of the workforce, community and society integration.
  • The Candidate shall hold a valid Work Permit for the National Occupational Classification (NOC) occupational group of 7411, for the occupation title of Long-haul Truck Driver and be residing in Alberta.
  • The Candidate must provide a copy of his/her foreign driver's license which indicates C+E certification (if from Europe). Both parts of the license must be provided. If the driver's license is not in English, it must be translated by a certified translator.
  • The Candidate must have driven in a professional capacity before coming to Canada and provide sufficient credible documentation to demonstrate previous driving-related training (hazardous goods, etc.) and work experience.

Preference will be given to drivers who can demonstrate a minimum of three out of the last five years work experience as a HGV/LGV driver.

  • The Candidate must provide reference letters on company letterhead, dated, and signed with the title or position of the individual from the company who is providing the reference. Email letters are acceptable if they are sent from the company’s email account that is providing the references (not Hotmail or Yahoo accounts).
    The letter must state the occupation of the employee, either HGV/LGV driver, and/or describe the work they performed which clearly indicates the equipment that was driven (articulated, semi, reefer, tanker, etc.).
  • Preference will be given to Candidates who have completed a minimum of high school education.
  • The Candidate shall be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months and meet or exceed all employer established work and performance standards before being nominated for the AINP.
  • Candidates not competent in the English language shall undergo ESL training from the time they arrive to work to when they become permanent residents. To be eligible for nomination the Candidate must submit proof of 85% attendance rate in the ESL training and must demonstrate a progress in learning.
  • The Candidate shall demonstrate integration into the local community.
  • The Candidate shall demonstrate the financial means or capability to pay for the costs of applying for permanent residency and establishing themselves and their family (if applicable) in Alberta.