Last Updated On 30 March 2024, 11:07 AM EDT (Toronto Time)
The Alberta Provincial Nominee Program (PNP), officially known as the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program (AAIP), will not see any increase in the annual nomination quota for 2024.
The Canadian government informed the provincial officials last week that it would only get 9,750 of the provincial nominations for 2024.
In 2023, the province received a 50% increase in the annual quota from 6,500 in 2022 to 9,750.
The federal government, through Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), determines provincial immigration nomination allocations for all the provinces.
The government’s yearly immigration level plan for 2024 allots 110,000 for provincial nominee programs (PNPs), a 4,500 rise from 2023 and the province was expecting a notional increase to 10,140 in 2024 and 10,849 in 2025.
Alberta has slightly under 12% of Canada’s population as of February 2024, but it leads the country in net employment growth, accounting for 42.8 percent of total employment gains between January and February 2024.
The province has temporarily paused new applications to their “Opportunity Stream” in February 2024 because of limited nomination allocations.
Premier Danielle Smith Writes Letter To Justin Trudeau
With Alberta’s population growing at a rate not seen in four decades, the Provincial Nominee Program is best positioned to satisfy the province’s distinct immigration and economic objectives.
The February 24, 2022, invasion of Ukraine by Russia has contributed to Alberta’s population growth.
Since then, Alberta has received a substantial number of Ukrainian evacuees.
While it is expected that many people will return to Ukraine after the war, Alberta also expects a number of families to apply for permanent status under the AAIP.
Premier Danielle Smith has addressed a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to reconsider his government’s decision to limit the number of allocations for the provincial nominee program in 2024.
The Premier calls on the Federal Government to increase the annual immigration quota to 20,000 in 2024.
By failing to provide the requested increase in Alberta’s provincial nominee allocations, the federal government limits the province’s capacity to meet rising labour market demands, particularly in terms of integrating Ukrainian evacuees into the provincial job market.
Increased federal contributions would help these new Albertans fill positions in the province’s workforce.
Common immigration streams offered by Alberta
- Alberta Express Entry Stream
- Accelerated Tech Pathway for Express Entry
- Alberta Opportunity Stream (temporarily paused)
- Tourism and Hospitality Stream
- Religious Workers Eligibility program
- Rural Renewal Stream
- Rural Entrepreneur Stream
- Foreign Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
- Graduate Entrepreneur Stream
Already High Volume of Applications in Queue
Alberta Immigration is already handling a high volume of applications, with 7,700 nomination applications already in queue for processing.
| AAIP Streams | Number of applications in the queue (approximate) | Processing time (estimated average) – from when a complete application is submitted until a final decision is issued | The AAIP is assessing applications received before… (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | Approximately 4,731 | Approximately 6 months | September 27, 2023 |
| Alberta Express Entry Stream – All pathways | Approximately 958 | Dedicated Healthcare Pathway – Approximately 2 weeks | February 13, 2024 |
| Priority Sectors – approximately 4 months | December 2, 2023 | ||
| Accelerated Tech Pathway – approximately 6 months | October 31, 2023 | ||
| Family Connection and In-Demand Occupation – approximately 4 months | November 29, 2023 | ||
| Rural Renewal Stream | Approximately 1,643 | Approximately 6 months | October 19, 2023 |
| Tourism and Hospitality Stream | Approximately 368 | Approximately 1 month or less | March 1, 2024 |
You may also like: New Alberta Immigration Path For Tourism Sector, Effective March 1
Summary of Alberta Permanent Residency Nominations Issued in 2023
The province maximized their 9,750 nomination allocations in 2023, issuing a total of 10,029 nominations within the federal government’s administrative buffer.
| Stream / Pathway | Nomination certificates issued |
|---|---|
| Non-Express Entry Streams – Allocations 5,850 | |
| Alberta Opportunity Stream | 4,971 |
| Rural Renewal Stream | 875 |
| All (4) Entrepreneur streams | 4 |
| Express Entry Stream and Pathways – Allocations 4,179 | |
| Family Connection and Occupation in Demand | 1,220 |
| Accelerated Tech Pathway | 1,996 |
| Dedicated Healthcare Pathway | 122 |
| Sector Priorities (that is, construction, agriculture, hospitality and tourism) | 805 |
| General (applications received prior to 2023) | 36 |
| Total nomination certificates: | 10,029 |
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