Employer-Driven Stream

Employer-Driven Stream

This stream allows employers to nominate workers to the AINP for Canadian immigration. In this way, applicants have the comfort of knowing that their job prospects are bright after becoming permanent residents, and employers can more easily retain the workers they need. This stream consists of three sub-categories:

• Skilled Worker Category – For individuals with a permanent, full-time job offer in an eligible skilled occupation. Individuals are not required to be working in Alberta at the time of application.
• International Graduate Category – For individuals who have graduated from a recognized post-secondary institution in Canada, hold a valid Post-Graduation Work Permit, and have received a permanent, full-time job offer from an Alberta employer.
• Semi-Skilled Worker Category – For temporary foreign workers who have received a permanent, full-time job offer from an Alberta employer in an eligible semi-skilled occupation.

Skilled Worker Criteria

Skilled Worker Category Criteria include but are not limited to:
Alberta Employer criteria: As an Alberta Employer, you must:

• Be incorporated or registered in Canada and operating in Alberta;
• Offer a job that is in an occupation classified as skill level NOC 0, A, or B;
• Provide a job offer to the candidate that meets Alberta’s employment and wage standards;
• Provide a job offer to the candidate that does not conflict with existing collective bargaining agreements. The AINP will not approve an application if there is a labour dispute in progress that may involve, directly or indirectly, either the employer or the candidate;
• Receive a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) for the job they are offering to the applicant. Some occupations or candidates may be exempt from the LMIA requirement;
• If the worker is not currently working in Alberta, must demonstrate that efforts have been made to recruit in Canada before offering job to the applicant; and,
• Meet additional requirements if the applicant is an Early Childhood Educator or Childcare Staff.

Applicant criteria: As a Candidate, you must:

• Clearly show in the application that you are able to and intend to live permanently in Alberta.
• Have related education, training, previous work experience, and any Alberta licensing needed for the position and to meet AINP criteria.
• Provide a copy of your valid work permit if you are already working in Alberta.
• Provide proof of your legal status in your country of residence only if you are not currently working in Alberta (you are living abroad).
• Meet additional criteria if your occupation is in Early childhood educators and child care staff

Additional criteria – Early Childhood Educators and Child Care Staff – As an Alberta Employer of an Early Childhood Educator, you must also:

• Be accredited, or have applied for accreditation, with the Alberta Association for the Accreditation of Early Learning and Care Services and be approved for funding under the Alberta Child Care Accreditation Funding Program

As an Early Childhood Educator Candidate, you must also:

• Hold a work permit under the NOC code 4214 and be residing in Alberta
• Have completed a minimum of high school education
• Be certified as a Child Development Worker (Level 2) or Child Development Supervisor (Level 3) through Alberta Human Services – Child Care Staff Certification Office.
• Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six (6) months with a pre/accredited daycare program or family day home agency before applying to the AINP
• Preference will be given to Candidates who have completed a first aid course.

Who is not eligible?
The following are not eligible under the AINP Employer-Driven Stream, Skilled Worker Category:

• Supervisors, foremen and tradespeople, working in a Compulsory or Optional Trade in Alberta (including Chefs, Cooks, and Line Cooks)
  • Compulsory and Optional Trades are eligible under the Strategic Recruitment Stream, Compulsory and Optional Trades Category.
• Clergy, Elementary and Secondary School Teachers, Professional Athletes and Dental Laboratory Bench Workers.
• Refugee claimants, or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process. It is not the mandate of the AINP to intervene in the federal refugee claim, appeal or removal process
• Live-in Caregivers currently living in Canada
• Temporary Foreign Workers working and residing in a province other than Alberta
• International students studying in Canada, including students doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their study program.

International Graduate Category

This category was created for individuals who graduated from a Canadian post-secondary institution and have received a full-time, permanent job offer from an Alberta employer. Both the employer and the targeted employee must be deemed eligible in order to submit an application.
Alberta Employer criteria – As an Alberta Employer, you must:

• Be incorporated or registered in Canada and operating in Alberta;
• Offer a job to the applicant that meets provincial employment standards;
  • In addition, the job offer must not conflict with collective bargaining (union) agreements.
• Offer a job that is in an occupation classified as NOC 0, A, B or C level. Some occupations are not eligible for consideration under the International Graduate Category. Please review the list of ineligible occupations and,
• Demonstrate that wages being offered are consistent with industry standards.

Candidate criteria – As a Candidate, you must:

• Clearly show in the application that you are able to and intend to live permanently in Alberta.
• Be working full-time in Alberta, for the employer who is supporting your application, at the time of application.The current occupation must be the same as the occupation listed on the AINP application. It must fall into an NOC 0, A, B, or C level.
• Be performing the same occupation as is stated on your permanent, full-time job offer from your employer.
• Have obtained a certificate, diploma, degree, or have completed a graduate level program from one of these AINP approved Alberta public and private post-secondary institutions or
  • A publicly funded community college, trade/technical school or university in another Canadian province or territory.
  • The program of study in Canada must have been at least one year (i.e. minimum of two semesters of full-time study, or equivalent) in duration.

Who is not eligible?

• Working in an ineligible occupation;
• Refugee claimants, `or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process;
• Live-in Caregivers currently living in Canada;
• Temporary Foreign Workers working and residing in a province other than Alberta; or,
• International students studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their study program.

Semi-Skilled Worker Category

You may qualify for nomination if you have been offered a permanent and full-time job by an Alberta employer in an eligible semi-skilled occupation, and you are a temporary foreign worker.
Only select key industries and occupations are eligible in this category, and all candidates must meet minimum language standards. Semi-Skilled Worker Category criteria include but are not limited to:
Alberta employer criteria – As an Alberta employer in the Semi-Skilled Worker Category, you must:

• Be incorporated or registered as a business in Canada and operating in Alberta.
• Be operating in one of the five (5) eligible industries under the AINP Semi-Skilled Worker Category listed below.
• Provide a job offer for permanent, full-time employment to the candidate that:
  • is in an eligible semi-skilled occupation
  • meets Alberta’s employment and wage standards
  • does not conflict with existing collective bargaining agreements.
• Have a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) Confirmation for the candidate and meet all the conditions of the LMIA.
• Submit to the AINP a candidate who meets all job requirements and AINP criteria.
• Provide a plan outlining your approach to accommodation, settlement, and retention for the candidate Complete a Settlement and Retention Plan (PDF)
• Meet all additional criteria required for your industry:
  • food and beverage processing
  • hotel and lodging
  • manufacturing
  • long-haul trucking industry
  • foodservice industry (pilot project)

Note:For the occupation of Front Desk Agent/Clerk (NOC 6525) only: if the Candidate is working with the Alberta Employer on a Post-Graduation Work Permit, an LMIA is not required.
Candidate criteria: As a candidate in the Semi-Skilled Worker Category, you must:

• Be currently working in Alberta on a valid work permit in an eligible occupation (see below);
• Demonstrate that they have at least a high school level education;
• Submit language test results; and,
• Meet additional criteria for the specific industry.

Eligible Industries and Occupations

Industry: Food and Beverage Processing
Eligible occupations:

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

Industry: Hotel and Lodging
Eligible occupations:

• Food and Beverage Servers (NOC 6513)
• Room Attendants (NOC 6731)
• Front Desk Agent/Clerk (NOC 6525)

Industry: Manufacturing
Eligible occupations:Eligible AINP Manufacturing Occupations (PDF)
Industry: Trucking
Eligible occupations:Long-Haul Truck Driver (NOC 7511)
Industry: Foodservices (pilot project)
Eligible occupations:

• Food and Beverage Servers (NOC 6513)
• Food Counter Attendants (NOC 6711)
• Kitchen Helpers (NOC 6711)

Industry-Specific Criteria

Food and Beverage Processing – In addition to the requirements listed above, employers must:

• Operate an agricultural-based industrial food processing plant. Retail establishments are not eligible; and,
• Must demonstrate satisfactory recruitment, employment policies, and retention/settlement plans.
• Additionally, applicants must:
• Complete an interview with a staff member of the Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development (AARD);
• Have a total of three years full-time industry work experience in home country; and,
• Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.

Hotel and Lodging – Employers must also:

• Be a member in good standing with the Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association (AHLA);
• Be aware of the maximum number of allocations per calendar year for Food and Beverage Servers and Room Attendants, which is based on the total number of rooms at a property. Allocations are as follows:
  • 1 – 50 rooms: 2 allocations per year
  • 51 – 100 rooms: 4 per year
  • 101 – 150 rooms: 6 per year
  • 151 – 200 rooms: 8 per year
  • 201- 250 rooms: 10 per year
  • 251 – 350 rooms: 12 per year
  • 351 – 400 rooms: 14 per year
  • 401 – 450 rooms: 16 per year
  • 451+ rooms: 18 per year
• Be aware of the maximum of one allocation per property, per calendar year for the occupation of Front Desk Agent/Clerk; and,
• Demonstrate satisfactory recruitment strategies, employment policies, and retention/settlement plans to qualify for allocations.

In addition, applicants must:

• Have a total of three years of work experience in the hotel and lodging industry;
• Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.

Manufacturing – Employers must:

• Demonstrate satisfactory recruitment, employment policies and retention/settlement plans.
• Applicants must:
  • Have a minimum of two years industry work experience;
  • At least one of two years must have been completed in Canada; and,
  • Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP.

Long-Haul Trucking – In addition to the requirements listed above, employers must:

• Demonstrate satisfactory recruitment strategies, employment policies, and retention/settlement plans to qualify for allocations.
  • Companies will not receive an allocation larger than the number of foreign drivers for which the company has received an LMIA.
• Provide details of recruitment activity and supporting documentation demonstrating that the foreign trained driver is aware of the scope of their employment – this includes:
  • duration of long-haul trips taken
  • mileage
  • normal amount of days away from home
  • anticipated annual salary.
• Show that the applicant has received training in Alberta
• Show that the applicant has prior driving training and related professional experience.

Applicants must:

• Be currently working for the supporting employer as a long-haul truck driver;
• Have a valid Alberta Class 1 driver’s license;
• Provide a copy of his/her foreign driver’s license which indicates C+E certification (if from Europe);
  • If not in English, the driver’s license must be translated by certified translator.
• Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of six months before applying to the AINP;
• Have sufficient proof of previous professional driving experience and driving related training.

Food Services (Pilot Project) – To be eligible, employers must also:

• Demonstrate that the candidate has access to accommodations for 33 percent or less of his/her gross salary;
• Be aware of the maximum of one allocation per restaurant location for one of the three eligible occupations (see below);
• Sign an Employer Compliance Declaration Form and include it in the application;

In addition, applicants must:

• Have three years of work experience in the food services industry;
• Be employed in Alberta for a minimum of nine months before applying to the AINP.

Who is not eligible?
The following are not eligible under the AINP Employer-Driven Stream, Semi-Skilled Worker Category:

• Semi-skilled workers not in an eligible AINP industry or occupation
• Refugee claimants, or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process.
• Live-in caregivers currently living in Canada
• Temporary Foreign Workers working and residing in a province other than Alberta
• International students studying in Canada, including students doing co-op work placements or internships as part of their study program.