On January 18th, the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), which functions as Alberta’s Provincial Nominee Program, added having relatives in the province to their candidate selection criteria for the Alberta Express Entry stream(managed under the AAIP).
This means that (effective immediately) candidates in the federal Express Entry pool who are listed as having immediate family relatives (parent, child, brother, or sister who are permanent residents or citizens of Canada) in the province will now meet added selection factor criteria. This can further give candidates a better chance of receiving a Notification of Interest (NOI) from the Alberta Express Entry stream, and further be invited to apply for permanent residence. Note that eligibility is based on information candidates submit to their profile in the federal Express Entry pool.
The AAIP serves as a means to help employers address labour shortages in Alberta. The province has experienced massive growth in the last month alone, adding almost 41,000 new jobs in December of 2022, most of which were in the private sector. However, Alberta also has a high rate of job vacancies, with nearly 100,000 currently—and a further predicted cumulative shortage of over 33,000 workers across multiple occupation and sectors by 2025. These are key reasons behind the push for more newcomers in the province.
