Alberta Opportunity Stream (AOS)
Residency status and work permit requirements
At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the Alberta Immigrant Nominee Program (AINP) assesses your application, you must have a valid temporary resident status in Canada that authorizes you to work in Canada (i.e. temporary foreign worker).
Eligible applicants
At the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application, you must have a valid work permit (not implied status or restoration status) for an eligible occupation. Valid work permits are based on one of the following:
- a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)
- a LMIA exemption for workers based on one of the following exemptions as determine by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC):
- international trade agreements
- workers transferred within a company
- International Experience Canada
- Mobilité Francophone
- a Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) held by a graduate of an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution
- PGWP holders must also meet specific occupation, education and work experience requirements as set out below.
Ineligible applicants
The following individuals cannot apply for or be nominated under the Alberta Opportunity Stream:
- refugee claimants or individuals involved in a federal appeal or removal process. The AINP does not intervene in the federal refugee claim, appeal or removal process
- temporary residents living or working in a province or territory of Canada other than Alberta, or
- foreign nationals living or working in Canada who do not have valid temporary resident status
Occupation requirements
Eligible occupations
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. Occupation requirements also apply to your work experience and job offer. You must review the Work Experience criteria and Eligible Job Offer criteria sections for details.
The occupation you are working in at the time your application is postmarked to the AINP is your “current occupation.”
Most occupations under National Occupational Classification (NOC) skill levels 0, A, B, C and D are eligible under the AINP.
Ineligible occupations
Individuals working in the following occupations at the time of application and assessment are not eligible to apply for or be nominated under the Alberta Opportunity Stream:
| NOC Code (2016) | NOC Skill Level | Occupation |
|---|---|---|
| 0011 | 0 | Legislators |
| 0422 | 0 | School principals and administrators of elementary and secondary education |
| 0423 | 0 | Managers in social, community and correctional services |
| 0432 | 0 | Fire chiefs and senior firefighting officers |
| 0651* | 0 | Escort agency managers, massage parlour managers |
| 4031 | A | Secondary school teachers |
| 4032 | A | Elementary school and kindergarten teachers |
| 4154 | A | Professional occupations in religion |
| 5121 | A | Authors and writers |
| 5133 | A | Musicians and singers |
| 5135 | A | Actors and comedians |
| 5136 | A | Painters, sculptors and other visual artists |
| 1227 | B | Court officers and justices of the peace |
| 3223* | B | Dental laboratory assistants/bench workers |
| 4214* | B | Early 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) |
| 4216 | B | Other instructors |
| 4217 | B | Other religious occupations |
| 5232 | B | Other performers, not elsewhere classified |
| 5244 | B | Artisans and craftspersons |
| 5251 | B | Athletes |
| 6232 | B | Real estate agents and salespersons |
| 4411 | C | Home child care providers |
| 4412 | C | Home support workers, housekeepers and related occupations |
| 4413 | C | Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants |
| 6533 | C | Casino occupations |
| 6564 | C | Other personal service occupations |
| 7513 | C | Taxi and limousine drivers and chauffeurs |
| 8442 | C | Trappers and hunters |
| 6623 | D | Other sales related occupations |
| 6722 | D | Operators and attendants in amusement, recreation and sport |
| 6742 | D | Other service support occupations, not elsewhere classified |
| 8611 | D | Harvesting labourers |
| 8612 | D | Landscaping and grounds maintenance labourers |
| 8613 | D | Aquaculture and marine harvest labourers |
| 8614 | D | Mine labourers |
*This National Occupation Classification (NOC) code consists of both eligible occupations and ineligible occupations. The ‘Occupation’ column specifies which occupations are ineligible for each NOC Code listed.
If you are unsure whether your occupation is on this list:
- find your occupation based on your job title and job duties
- call the Immigrate to Alberta Information Service at 1-877-427-6419 or email immigration.info@gov.ab.ca
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders
If you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder your occupation must also be related to your field of study in Alberta. You must review the Education criteria section for details on eligible Alberta credentials and approved Alberta institutions.
- If you started attending your Alberta credential program on or after April 1, 2019 and you have completed an Advanced Education-approved one year post-diploma certificate or post-baccalaureate certificate, your occupation must also be related to your previous post-secondary 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.
Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must review both the Ineligible Occupation table above and the Government of Canada’s list of high-wage and low-wage occupations in the province of Alberta to determine occupation eligibility.
Language requirements
Language requirements changed for some applicants as of January 1, 2020. For information about this planned change in language requirements, read the AOS planned changes section.
If your application is postmarked on or after January 1, 2020 you must demonstrate you meet the following language test score in English or French:
| National Occupational Classification (NOC) Skill Level | Canadian Benchmark (CLB) test score required | Niveaux de compétence linguistique canadiens (NCLC) test score required |
|---|---|---|
| If you are working in a NOC 0, A or B occupation | Minimum of 5 for each English language skill | Minimum of 5 for each French language skill |
| If you are working in a NOC C or D occupation | Minimum of 4 for each English language skill | Minimum of 4 for each French language skill |
If you apply to the AINP under NOC code 3413 (Nurse aides, orderlies and patient service associates), the AINP requires a minimum language test score of CLB of 7 for each English language skill, or NCLC of 7 for each French language skill.
You must provide your official test results with your AINP application for one of 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)
- Test de connaissance du français (TCF)
Official test results must be less than 2 years old at the time your application was postmarked. The AINP will not accept confirmation of registration to take a language test in place of a test result.
Check the federal guideline on CLB/NCLC equivalency for each of the tests.
Candidates whose applications were postmarked on or before December 31, 2019 were required to meet a minimum of CLB 4 for each English or French language skill at the time of application, with exception of NOC 3413 applicants who required CLB 7 for each English or French language skill.
Education requirements
Eligible applicants
At the time your application is postmarked you must have completed a minimum of high school education in your country of origin.
Starting January 1, 2021, all candidates except Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must have completed a minimum of high school equivalent to Alberta standards.
Read more about AOS planned changes.
Post-Graduation Work Permit (PGWP) holders
Government eliminated the Alberta Opportunity Stream List of Alberta Advanced Education Approved Post-Secondary Credentials on November 29, 2019. We updated the requirements for Post-Graduation Work Permit holders who started attending their Alberta program of study on or after April 1, 2019 below.
Post-Graduation Work Permit holders must meet the following additional education requirements.
Approved Alberta institution
Your credential must be issued by an Alberta Advanced Education publicly funded post-secondary institution.
Eligible Alberta credential
If you started attending your Alberta credential program before April 1, 2019, your credential must be one of the following Alberta Advanced Education approved credentials:
- certificate or post-diploma certificate or post-baccalaureate certificate (minimum one year in length)
- diploma program (minimum 2 years in length)
- undergraduate bachelor's degree
- graduate level degree
- graduate level certificate
- graduate level diploma
If you started attending your Alberta credential program on or after April 1, 2019, your credential must be one of the following Alberta Advanced Education approved credentials:
- post-diploma certificate or post-baccalaureate certificate (minimum one year in length)
- diploma program (minimum 2 years in length)
- undergraduate bachelor's degree
- graduate level degree
- graduate level certificate
- graduate level diploma
Work experience requirements
Your “current occupation” is the occupation you are working in at the time your application is postmarked to the AINP.
Your current occupation must also match your work experience at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application.
Qualifying work experience
At the time your application is postmarked you must have either:
- a minimum of 12 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months; or
- a minimum of 24 months of full-time work experience in your current occupation in Canada and/or abroad within the last 30 months
- This work experience can be a combination of experience gained in Alberta, in Canada (outside Alberta) and/or abroad.
Post-Graduation Work Permit holders require a minimum of 6 months full-time work experience in your current occupation in Alberta within the last 18 months.
For all applicants, including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, work experience in the qualifying period:
- must have been full-time, for a minimum of 30 hours a week
- must be for the same occupation as your current occupation
- must have been authorized by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and with valid temporary resident status if completed in Alberta or Canada
- cannot have been gained while studying in Canada and doing co-op work placements or internships as part of a study program, unless you are a Post-Graduation Work Permit holder who completed during paid co-op work terms as a part of your program of study at an Alberta post-secondary institution.
To qualify, the work terms must have been:
- paid and full-time (minimum 30 hours per week)
- for work experience directly related to your current occupation, and
- for work experience all gained in Alberta
All applicants, including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, must meet the following licensing, registration and certification requirements:
- You must have the required licensing, registration or certification to work in your current occupation in Alberta at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination.
- If you are working in a compulsory trade in Alberta you must have a valid Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Trade (AIT) recognized trade certificate.
- If you are working as childcare worker, you must have valid certification as a child development worker (formerly Level 2) or child development supervisor (formerly Level 3).
Eligible job offers
For all applicants, including Post-Graduation Work Permit holders, at the time your application is postmarked and at the time the AINP assesses your application for nomination, you must have a bona fide full-time job offer or employment contract from an Alberta employer to work in your current occupation in Alberta.
Your Alberta employer must be incorporated or registered by or under an act of the legislature of a province, territory, or the Parliament of Canada and operating as a business that has an established production capability, plant or place of business in Alberta.
Your job offer or employment contract must be signed by you and your Alberta employer and must offer:
- continuous, paid work
- full-time work, defined as a minimum of 30 hours/week
- employment for 12 months or more
- work in your current occupation
- wages and benefits that meet provincial minimum wage and:
- meet or exceed the requirements set out in your LMIA, or
- if you are LMIA exempt, meet or exceed the lowest starting wage for your occupation across all industries in Alberta as set out on the Alis website
- work for an eligible AINP occupation for which you have a work permit that meets AINP work permit requirements
You must meet the terms agreed to in your job offer or employment contract at the time of application and assessment.
Ineligible applicants based on job offer
The following individuals are not eligible to apply for or be nominated under the Alberta Opportunity Stream, even if they have a job offer to work 30 hours a week or more in a 12-month period:
- part-time, casual or seasonal employees, regardless of their working hours
- independent contractors, business owners or temporary agency workers, including individuals listed as Directors, Shareholders or Agents of the Alberta employer on the Corporate Registry System (CORES)
- employees who work in Alberta in a place of employment that is not zoned for commercial or industrial operations, such as a home-based business
- employees who do not work on premises in Alberta, such as those who work in a “virtual” location or serve the employer by telecommuting from a location outside Alberta