Alberta Announces New Immigration Program for Tech Professionals

Alberta announced details of their newest immigration program for tech professionals on January 13, 2022. The Accelerated Tech Pathway will allow Alberta to provide a fast track to permanent residence for skilled tech professionals interested in settling in the province.

To apply under Alberta’s new immigration program, tech professionals must have a job offer with an Albertan employer or are currently working for an Albertan employer in one of 37 select occupations. The pathway will provide prioritized application processing for tech workers. If required, Alberta will also provide successful nominees with a letter of support to apply for a Canadian work permit.

“Alberta’s technology sector continues to see record growth and a corresponding demand for highly skilled professionals. This accelerated immigration pathway will help attract the best and the brightest talent from across the globe to Alberta to meet this growing demand. It will also ensure Alberta continues to be a top destination for tech investment, which helps diversify our economy.” said Doug Schweitzer, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Innovation.

According to the Government of Alberta’s recent announcement, the new tech pathway could allow skilled tech professionals to gain permanent residence status in as little as six months.

Alberta has been building a reputation as an international tech hub. In the past few years, the number of tech companies in Alberta has more than doubled, going from 1,200 in 2018 to 3,000 today.

Alberta’s newest immigration program is designed to retain and attract economic immigrants from around the world. “This is meant to help economic immigrants, whether they’re in Canada…or whether they’re not even in Canada yet, be able to come here to become a tech professional,” said Tyler Shandro, Minister of Labour and Immigration.

This pathway is designed to help diversify Alberta’s economy as part of the province’s recovery plan. According to Shandro, Canada’s current federal programs make it harder for Alberta to recruit skilled tech professionals than any other province due to historic structures and policies in place. Thanks to Alberta’s new program, this will no longer be the case. Irfhan Rawji, CEO of MobSquad, says that the new program will “take Alberta from one of the hardest places to bring skilled professionals in Canada to the easiest place in the country to bring skilled professionals”

Accelerated Tech Pathway Eligibility Criteria

The Accelerated Tech Pathway will operate through the Express Entry stream of Alberta’s Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). In order to apply, candidates must meet the following criteria:

• Be eligible for one of Canada’s Express Entry streams (Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Worker, or Federal Skilled Trades)
• Have a CRS score of at least 300
• Have an offer of employment in an eligible tech occupation, or from an Albertan employer that is part of a tech industry as defined in AINP’s list of eligible industry classification codes
• Indicate the primary NOC code as the same as Alberta job offer

Accelerated Tech Pathway Eligible Occupations

Eligible occupations under the Accelerated Tech Pathway include:

How to apply under Alberta's new immigration program

Eligible candidates must submit details of their Express Entry profile, job offer, and employer to the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP). Alberta will then assess the information provided and invite eligible candidates to apply for provincial nomination.

Since Alberta’s new immigration program is aligned with the Express Entry system, successful nominees will receive the nomination on their Express Entry profile. Candidates have 30 days to accept the nomination on their Express Entry profile. Once the nomination is accepted, an additional 600 CRS points will appear on a nominee’s profile. These additional points essentially guarantee that the candidate will receive an invitation to apply for permanent residence in a federal Express Entry draw.

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