Canada immigration alert: Alberta offers residency on federal level

When looking for opportunities to immigrate to Canada, the federal immigration policy might not always look as welcoming as one had hoped. On the provincial level, chances may increase from time to time. At the moment, this is the case in Alberta.

On September 13, the Province of Alberta announced a number of changes to its Provincial Nominee Program. The changes offer some temporary workers nomination for immigration on the federal level.

Alberta is a province located in the south-west of Canada, bordering the US state Montana in the South, while bordering Saskatchewan<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan>, the Northwest Territories and British Colombia in Canada.

It is the fourth-largest populated province of Canada, and has one of the strongest economies in Canada thriving on the flourishing petroleum industry and to a lesser extent, agriculture and technology.

Recruitment to the province is possible though four programs, being the Employer-Driven Stream, the Strategic Recruitment Stream, the Family Stream and the Self-Employment Farmer Stream.

For some of these categories, Alberta is offering the opportunity to obtain a Canadian residency.

As part of the Employer-Driven Stream, workers in the food services industry are offered the opportunity to be nominated for immigration on the federal level.

Until November 28, 2013, Alberta employers with eligible workers may nominate up to 20 per cent of their total workforce per restaurant location, for Canadian Permanent Residency.

In the same stream, graduates from a Canadian educational institution currently working in Alberta may be nominated for immigration on the federal level without an employer-supported application.

Required is that the employee has a valid post-graduation work permit, the occupation is considered either skilled or semi-skilled, and the certificate, diploma, degree or graduate-level degree is obtained from a publically funded community college, trade/technical school, or university in Alberta or another province of Canada, or from a private institution in Alberta authorized by the province to confer degrees.

Apart from post-graduate employees, some work permit holders under the Strategic Recruitment Stream are now eligible for federal immigration.

This applies to individuals who are working in most skilled and semi-skilled occupations.

For some low-skilled workers a limited number of applications will be accepted until November 28, 2013. These include workers in the following fields: Construction Trades Helpers and Labourers, Other Trades Helpers and Labourers, Light Duty Cleaners, Specialized Cleaners, and Janitors, Caretakers and Building Superintendents.

In order to work in Alberta and be eligible to one of the nomination programs, applicants can apply for the Federal Skilled Worker Program (FSWP) giving preference to the province of Alberta.

In order to qualify for the 2013 FSWP applicants without a Canadian job offer or PHD must have one year of work experience in one of 24 eligible occupations in the last 10 years, demonstrate acceptable language proficiency through a language test, and obtain 67 points on the FSWP selection grid. Occupations on the FSWP have a cap and might be closed at this point.

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