Alberta Opportunity Stream

The Alberta Opportunity Stream is a source of the AINP, a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) managed by the region of Alberta. This stream points towards the foreign employees already living and serving in Alberta and getting the offer of employment to start struggling full-time for an Albertan business.

Candidates should have a definite and positive Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA). Candidates should fulfill the eligibility standards for residency and job permit type, profession, language, and education.

Alberta Opportunity Stream

Graduates from Alberta post-secondary institutions who hail from international backgrounds

As an international student, accessing the Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS) becomes possible if you’ve completed your studies at an authorized Alberta post-secondary institution and are currently employed in Alberta with a Post-Graduation Work Permit.

To qualify, you’ll need to demonstrate a minimum of six months of work experience in an Alberta occupation related to your field of study—this requirement is lower than that for other applicants. Additionally, meeting the same language and income criteria outlined on this page is necessary.

Note that if you studied in a different Canadian province, eligibility for the AAIP as a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder won’t apply to you. However, other types of work permits might still make you eligible for consideration under the program.

Criteria for Residency Status and Work Permits

  • Hold a valid temporary resident status in Canada that permits working (such as a temporary foreign worker status).
  • Residency statuses ineligible under the AOS encompass:
    • Individuals involved in refugee claims or federal appeal/removal processes.
    • Temporary residents residing or employed in other Canadian provinces.
    • Foreign nationals residing or working in Canada without valid temporary resident status.
  • Possess a valid work permit relevant to an eligible occupation, granted based on:
  • LMIA exemption as a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holder, requiring compliance with:
    • Graduation requirements from an Alberta Advanced Education-approved credential issued by an authorized Alberta post-secondary institution.
    • Current employment in an occupation related to your field of study in Alberta.

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        Working of the Stream

        Generally, this stream consists of the following parameters:

        1. Connection to Alberta Province

        Petitioners should have legitimate status as brief residents in Canada, which empowers them to work. The candidate must be living and serving the province of Alberta. Note that foreign applicants are not acceptable under this stream. Applicants must have a valid and robust job authorization for a proper occupation and have positive and accurate LMIA.

        2. Job Offer

        By the time an application is pointed to AINP, then at the same time, the application is judged and checked. The appellant must be working in an eligible profession in Alberta that matches their past job skills. Post-graduation work Permit holders should also operate in a business linked to their discipline of study in Alberta.

        To be eligible for the AOS, you’ll need a valid full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in your current occupation, along with the necessary licensing, registration, or certification for that role in Alberta. The job offer should encompass continuous, paid work of at least 30 hours per week for a minimum of 12 months, meeting the criteria for an eligible AAIP occupation. Both you and the Alberta employer must sign the offer, and it should specify work in your current occupation for at least 12 months. However, certain conditions make job offers ineligible, such as part-time positions, roles as independent contractors, business owners, or those working from non-commercial or non-industrial premises within Alberta.

        3. Language Proficiency

        All applicants must prove ability and skills in either English or French, equal and comparable to the CLB 4. It can also be described by presenting valid conclusions from one of Canada’s recommended language tests. Validation of that test is two years, and after that, you should perform the test again.

        Nurses’ aides, valets, and patient assistance associates must obtain a least language test score of CLB 7 for English language ability or NCLC 7 for each French language experience.

        4. Education Level for Alberta Opportunity Stream

        There is no restriction of education for the opportunity stream of AINP. However, all applicants must have achieved a minimum of high school study in their country of birth.

        When applying for the AOS, you need to have finished at least a Canadian high school diploma or its equivalent from your home country. Verification of your highest level of foreign education is necessary through an Educational Credential Assessment (ECA) from an IRCC-recognized organization to confirm compliance with education prerequisites.

        5. Work Experience

        Job experience for the opportunity stream of ANIP is as follows:

        • A minimum of 12-months full-time work in Alberta within the last 18 months
        • A minimum of 24-months full-time work experience in their current profession in the previous 30 months

        6. Application Procedure

        Eligible applicants can submit a form at any time, and requests are processed on a come-and-served basis. Enthusiastic contestants must prepare a comprehensive paper-based application. All documents must be provided in hard copy and presented in a single envelope, by mail, to the office of ANIP.

        At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application, you must:

        • Work in an eligible occupation in Alberta
        • Work in an occupation that matches your previous work experience
        • Most occupations under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels 0, A, B, C and D are eligible under the AINP.

        Occupation Requirements

        Ineligible occupations

        People with the following occupations are not eligible to apply for the Alberta Opportunity Stream:

        NOC Code (2016)NOC Skill LevelOccupation
        00110Legislators
        04220School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education
        04230Managers in social, community and correctional services
        04320Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers
        0651*0Escort agency managers, massage parlour managers
        4031    ASecondary school teachers
        4032AElementary school and kindergarten teachers
        4154    AProfessional occupations in religion
        5121AAuthors and writers
        5133    AMusicians and singers
        5135AActors and comedians
        5136    Painters, sculptors and other visual artists
        1227    BCourt officers and justices of the peace
        3223* BDental laboratory assistants/bench workers
        4214*BEarly childhood educators who do not have certification through Alberta Children’s Services – Child Care Staff Certification Office or who have been certified as child development assistant (formerly Level 1)
        4216BOther instructors
        4217BOther religious occupations
        5232BOther performers, not elsewhere classified
        5244BArtisans and craftsperson’s
        5251BAthletes
        6232BReal estate agents and salespersons
        4411CHome child care providers
        4412    CHome support workers, housekeepers and related occupations
        4413CElementary and secondary school teacher assistants
        6533CCasino occupations
        6564    COther personal service occupations
        7513CTaxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs
        8442CTrappers and hunters
        6623    DOther sales related occupations
        6722    DOperators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport
        6742Other service support occupations, not elsewhere classified
        8611    DHarvesting labourers
        8612DLandscaping and grounds maintenance labourers
        8613    DAquaculture and marine harvest labourers 
        8614    D   Mine labourers

        Post-graduation work Permit holders

        If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder with an eligible Alberta Advanced Education-approved post-secondary credential issued by an Advanced Education-approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institution, your occupation must also be related to your field of study in Alberta.
        If you are admitted and enrolled in your Alberta credential program on or after April 1, 2019, and you completed an Advanced Education-approved one-year post-graduate certificate, your occupation must also be related to your previous undergraduate or graduate field of study outside Canada.


        In addition to occupations on the list above, Post-Graduation Work Permit holders are not eligible to apply to the Alberta Opportunity Stream if their occupation is on the Government of Canada’s list of high-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta. These occupations are not in demand in Alberta and can be filled by Albertans and Canadians.

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