New Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream was launched on February 16, 2022 for entrepreneurs who want to start a business or buy an existing business in rural Alberta communities. Alberta defines rural Alberta communities as any community with a population of less than 100,000 and outside of the Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area.
A list of participating communities will be available soon.
Exploratory Visit:
The Exploratory Visit Report must include the following information:
- The name of the professional business service providers or settlement organizations you visited during your trip, including mailing addresses, telephone numbers and emails.
- A description of the activity or meeting and how it relates to your business establishment or settlement.
- Copies of business cards you collected from relevant contact and business service providers contacted during your visit (if applicable).
- Details of visits to existing business locations and meetings with current owners if you are planning to purchase an existing business. You should include the business name, location and the current owners’ names and contact details
After the exploratory visit, provide a copy of the complete Rural Entrepreneur Stream Business Proposal Summary to the community. The AAIP and the community will not provide you with a letter of support to obtain a visa for the exploratory visit.
Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream Eligibility
| Area | Requirements |
|---|---|
| Work experience | Have either a minimum 3 years of experience as an active business owner/manager or a minimum of 4 years of experience as a senior manager within the past 10 years. |
| Education | Completed a minimum of high school equivalent to the Canadian standard with an Education Credential Assessment (ECA).The Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website lists the designated organizations for ECAs |
| Language | Have a minimum Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level of 4 for each English language skill or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) of 4 for each French language skill: reading, writing, listening, and speaking. Official test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your Expression of Interest is submitted. The AAIP only accepts the following language tests: Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) General Test International English Language Testing System (IELTS) General Training Test Test d’évaluation de français (TEF) Canada Test de connaissance du français (TCF) Canada Click here for Language Equivalency Chart IELTS_CELPIP_TEF_TCF |
| Net worth | Minimum net worth of $300,000. All assets must be candidate’s own personal holdings or spouse’s or common-law partner’s. |
| Business investment | Minimum investment of $200,000 from candidate’s own (and/or spouse/common-law partner) equity. Higher levels of investment will be awarded more points. |
| Business establishment | Minimum ownership of 51% for a new business. Business Partners must be Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents. OR 100% ownership for business succession (the succession buy-out must result in a complete change in ownership where the candidate will assume full control of the business).Business must not be on the list of ineligible businesses.Resources on how to establish a business in Alberta, including supports and services related to business plan development, business start-up, and business loans are available on the Small business resource page. |
| Job creation | New businesses must create at least one full-time job for Canadian Citizens or Permanent Residents (not including relatives).More job creation will be awarded more points. Jobs must be created for Canadian citizens or permanent residents (not including relatives) for a period of at least 6 months.For business succession, job creation is not required. |
| Community support letter | Candidates must have a Community Support Letter from a participating rural Alberta community. |
Factors that increase your chances for Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream
If candidates have one or more of the factors in Table 2, this may increase their likelihood of receiving a Request to Submit a Business Application.
| Economic Benefit | Business succession |
|---|---|
| Age | 21 to 49 |
| Spouse | Your spouse/common-law partner has one of the following: completed at least one year of full-time post-secondary education (Certificate, Associate Degree, Diploma, Bachelor’s Degree or higher) ora minimum level Canadian Language Benchmark 4 in English or Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens 4 in French in all four language abilities (Reading, Writing, Listening, Speaking). Language test results must be less than 2 years old at the time the Expression of Interest is submitted. |
| Alberta relative | Relatives are defined as father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of candidate or spouse or common-law partner |
Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream Points Grid
| Criteria | Descriptions | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Rural Factor (25 points) | ||
| Business Location(Maximum of 25 points)Mandatory requirement | Rural Community outside the Edmonton and Calgary Census Metropolitan Areas and under 100,000 population size (mandatory minimum) | |
| Tier 1: Less than 10,000 population | 25 | |
| Tier 2: 10,001 to 50,000 population | 17 | |
| Tier 3: 50,001 to 99,999 population | 10 |
Business Experience Factor (20 points)
| Business owner-manager or senior management experience within the past 10 years(Maximum of 20 points)Mandatory requirement | Business owner-manager |
| 3 to less than 4 years (mandatory minimum) | 12 |
| 4 to less than 5 years | 16 |
| 5 or more years | 20 |
| or Senior manager | |
| 4 to less than 5 years (mandatory minimum) | 12 |
| 5 to less than 6 years | 16 |
| 6 or more years | 20 |
Alberta Rural Entrepreneur Stream: Business Establishment Factors (60 points)
| Total Business Investment(Maximum of 20 points)Mandatory requirement | $200,000 to $399,999 (mandatory minimum) | 5 |
| $400,000 to $599,999 | 10 | |
| $600,000 to $799,999 | 15 | |
| $800,000 or more | 20 | |
| Net Worth(Maximum of 10 points)Mandatory requirement | $300,000 to $399,999 (mandatory minimum) | 6 |
| $400,000 to $499,999 | 8 | |
| $500,000 or more | 10 | |
| Job CreationJobs must be created for Canadian Citizens or Permanent residents (not including relatives) for a period of at least 6 months.(Maximum of 20 points)Mandatory requirementFor business succession, job creation is not mandatory; however, candidates will be awarded points for job creation. | 1 job (mandatory minimum) | 4 |
| 2 jobs | 8 | |
| 3 jobs | 12 | |
| 4 jobs | 16 | |
| 5 jobs or more | 20 | |
| Business Successions(Maximum of 10 points)Not a Mandatory requirement | Investment to takeover an existing business | 10 |
Human Capital Factors (35 points)
| Language Proficiency(Maximum of 25 points)Mandatory requirement | Proficiency in English or French: |
| CLB/NCLC 4 (4 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) (mandatory minimum) | 15 |
| CLB/NCLC 5 (5 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) | 20 |
| CLB/NCLC 6 or higher (6 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) | 25 |
| Education(Maximum of 10 points)Mandatory requirement | High-school Diploma equivalent to Canadian standards (mandatory minimum) = 4 |
| Associate Degree or Diploma (at least one year) | 7 |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 10 |
Adaptability Factors (35 points)
| Canada/Alberta experience from work or studies within the past 10 years(Maximum of 15 points)Not a mandatory requirement | In rural Alberta |
| 12 to 24 months | 10 |
| More than 24 months | 15 |
| And / OrIn non-rural Alberta (Calgary and Edmonton Census Metropolitan Area) | |
| 18 to 30 months | 6 |
| More than 30 months | 10 |
| And / OrIn Canada | |
| 24 to 36 months | 3 |
| More than 36 months | 5 |
| Relative(s) in the community or Alberta(Maximum of 10 points)Not a mandatory requirement | Relatives are defined as father, step-father, mother, step-mother, child, step-child, sister, step-sister, brother, step-brother of candidate or spouse/common-law partner |
| Relative(s) living in Alberta | 5 |
| or | |
| Relative(s) living in the community where you intend to reside and operate a business | 10 |
| Spouse’s/Common-law partner’s Language Proficiency or Education(Maximum of 5 points)Not a mandatory requirement | Proficiency in English or French: |
| CLB/NCLC 4 (4 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) | 3 |
| CLB/NCLC 5 (5 for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) | 4 |
| CLB/NCLC 6 or higher (6 or higher for each Reading, Writing, Learning and Speaking) | 5 |
| and / or Education: | |
| Certificate, Associate Degree or Diploma (at least one year) | 3 |
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 5 |
| Age(Maximum of 5 points)Not a mandatory requirement | 21 to 49 = 5 |
| Maximum Points | 175 |
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